Mechanical Filtration ?

[mike31154]

Many conventional powerheads, AquaClear for eg, offer an optional accessory 'cage' that may be fitted with a cylindrical poly filter. Easy to pop on and off, so no problem to clean/replace, plus you get the added water movement. One of those should polish your 30 fairly quickly. I use a Rena XP canister to run carbon but no longer put any other pads or filters in there, too much of a hassle to clean regularly. If you go the canister route you may be able to run those bio pellets in there without a separate reactor, dunno what those pellets do or how they work.