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Fluidised Sand Bed Filter

Johnzz

Seedling
Joined
19 Oct 2010
Messages
11
Location
Sevenoaks, Kent
Hi all,

Does anyone have experience with fluidised sand bed filters? They sound fancy, but look simple.

I'm thinking of adding one to my 500L. I already have an FX5 and G6 hooked up, but was looking to add a little more flow, and thought I might as well add an extra bio filter (rather then just a pump).

I'm looking at the TMC V2 Bio 1000 (http://www.tmc-ltd.co.uk/aquarium/v2bio ... ilters.asp), with the New Jet 1700 pump to push through.

Am I just wasting my time? :crazy:

Is the added bio filter worth it? :thumbdown: :thumbup:

Would something else be better? :?
 
Hi all,
I had a go at building one, but it proved to be a little more difficult than I had thought.

In terms of biological filtration they are probably more efficient than wet/dry trickle filters, when they are working at 100% efficiency, but wet and dry filters are much, much easier to maintain. In your tank you should only need more biological filtration if you have a very large fish load.

I don't inject CO2, so I am always keen to maximise gas exchange surfaces. If you do add CO2, FBF may be an option. A useful point to remember is that biological filtration is often limited by the availability of oxygen, rather than the lack of media volume.

cheers Darrel
 
A useful point to remember is that biological filtration is often limited by the availability of oxygen, rather than the lack of media volume.

Yeah, you could probably harbour enough bacteria to run your whole tank very very few ceramic/siporax rings as they have a huge surface area, but the trouble is supplying it with enough O2 etc. Thats one reason large amounts of high surface area media is good, if that makes sense. There would be a smaller bacteria/surface area ratio, but more evenly distributed making it more efficient with more contact with the water. At least that's my thinking.
 
I have used Fluidised Sand filters made by Redsea, they work very well once adjusted & look just great!
You can easily spend a few mins just watching the moving sand :?
However the water need to be pre-filtered & even then the sand actually wears its self away over time so needs topping every so often, the problem I had was getting a spare O ring that seals the top on the unit.
It appears to be a strange size (American manufacturer perhaps) I tried ordering one but, the one that was sent didn't seal properly! I though about converting the filter into a Co2 reactor but, it just sitting in the spare parts bin....
 
i tried a Fluidised gave up with it. i read if the stop running for more than a couple of minutes, then start again they can be toxic. im turning mine in to a reactor when i get the pump to run it.
 
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