Bioscape 2000L/h Canister Replacement Top PRO Filter Foam (4)

Worth knowing before you order, because it is not true of every media pack on this filter. Bioscape supplies the BIS542 canister with four pre-filter wool pads, and BIS542C is a four-pack. One pack refills the chamber completely.

That makes this the straightforward one of the three BIS542 media codes. The carbon is the awkward one – the 2000 L/h canister ships with two carbon packs while BIS542B is sold singly, so a full carbon change takes two. For the pre-filter, one pack and you are done.

Bioscape uses two names for the same item – the included-media list calls them pre-filter wool pads, the spare part is sold as Top PRO filter foam. Both refer to the coarse media in the pre-filter chamber above the main media stack.

Below the pre-filter sits 11.0 litres of media – fine wool, two carbon packs, two ceramic noodle packs and two bio-ball packs. Reaching it means disconnecting 19/25 mm hoses, lifting a canister measuring 280 x 280 x 500 mm and full of water, and opening the body. The pre-filter chamber opens on its own.

On the largest canister in the range that difference is worth more than it is on the smaller models, simply because the thing you are avoiding lifting is heavier. The practical question is not how good the foam is. It is whether coarse debris gets stopped in the part you can open in two minutes, or the part you have to strip down.

Each PRO canister has a different pre-filter volume, so the foams are cut to three different sizes and do not interchange. The quickest way to identify the 2000 L/h is its hose: it is the only model in the range on 19/25 mm, while the 1050 and 1620 both use 16/22 mm and swap plumbing freely with each other.

BIS542C does not fit the Bioscape Tropic canisters, the Bioscape Stainless Steel canisters or any Bioscape hang-on filter. The model code is printed on the label on the canister body.

Suitable for

• The Bioscape PRO Easy Clean Canister Filter 2000 L/h, freshwater or marine
• Heavily planted or heavily fed tanks approaching the 600 litre rating, where the coarse stage does most of the work
• Large messy feeders – cichlids, goldfish, oscars – that load a pre-filter quickly
• Keeping a full spare set on hand so the chamber is never run half-empty

Not suitable for

• The 1050 L/h or 1620 L/h PRO canisters – those pre-filter chambers are 0.5 L and 0.8 L, so use BIS540C or BIS541C
• Bioscape Tropic canisters, Stainless Steel canisters or hang-on filters
• Fine polishing – this is a coarse stage and will not clear hazy water on its own
• Chemical filtration – foam adsorbs nothing

• Rinse monthly. That is Bioscape's stated interval for the pre-filter media. A tank near the 600 litre rating, or one that is fed heavily, will want it fortnightly.
• Rinse in aquarium water, not under the tap. Even coarse foam carries a bacterial population and chlorinated water kills it.
• Do not rinse the pre-filter the same week you change the fine wool and carbon. Stripping three stages at once takes out more biology than one service should. Space the jobs apart.
• Replace when the foam stops recovering. Bioscape publishes no fixed replacement interval for this stage – a foam that stays compressed after rinsing or tears at the edge should be swapped out, and one that springs back should go straight back in.
• Switch off at the wall before opening anything. This is a 240 V mains-powered canister with a 300 W integrated heater, and a heater left powered in air can crack.

• Bioscape 2000L/h Canister Sponges (BIS542A) – the fine polishing stage these foams protect from coarse debris.
• Bioscape 2000L/h Canister Carbon Cartridge (BIS542B) – the chemical stage, on a 4 to 6 week cycle. This canister takes two packs for a full change.
• Bioscape Premium Coarse Filter Wool Blue 3 Pack – cut-to-fit coarse sheet for adding a further mechanical stage in the main body.
• Bioscape Replace Canister Seal Ring – cheap insurance against a leak the first time you open a canister that has not been serviced in a while.
• Bioscape PRO Easy Clean Canister Filter with Heater – the filter range these foams are cut for.

Bioscape warrants the PRO canister filters for 2 years. Filter media is a consumable and is not covered by that term. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply to this product and are not limited by any manufacturer's warranty. Ships as a standard parcel.

How many foams are in the BIS542C pack?

Four, which is exactly one full refill of the pre-filter chamber. Bioscape supplies the BIS542 canister with four pre-filter wool pads and sells BIS542C as a matching four-pack, so a single pack replaces the whole stage. This is unlike the carbon on the same filter, where the canister takes two packs and BIS542B is sold singly.

How often do the pre-filter foams need rinsing?

Bioscape's instruction is to rinse the pre-filter media monthly to maintain strong flow. On a tank near the 600 litre rating, or one holding large messy feeders, fortnightly is more realistic. Rinse in a container of aquarium water rather than under the tap.

Do these foams have a replacement interval?

No. Bioscape publishes a monthly rinse interval for pre-filter media but no fixed replacement schedule. Replace a foam when it stays compressed after rinsing, tears, or no longer seals across the chamber, because at that point debris is bypassing the stage rather than being caught.

Is Top PRO filter foam the same thing as pre-filter wool?

Yes. Bioscape uses both names for the coarse media in the pre-filter chamber of the PRO canister range – the included-media list calls them pre-filter wool pads and the spare part is catalogued as Top PRO filter foam. BIS542C is the correct code for the 2000 L/h model either way.

Will BIS542C fit my 1050 or 1620 L/h Bioscape canister?

No. The pre-filter chambers are different sizes: 0.5 litres on the 1050 L/h, 0.8 litres on the 1620 L/h and 1.0 litres on the 2000 L/h. Those two models take BIS540C and BIS541C respectively.

The pre-filter lid will not lift off. What am I doing wrong?

Almost certainly nothing – it is a vacuum rather than a jammed lid. Slightly loosening the red cap on the inlet lets a few air bubbles in, which releases the airlock and allows the lid to lift away cleanly. Levering at it while it is still sealed is how the lid gets cracked.