# Air Driven Filters



## AverageWhiteBloke (19 Oct 2017)

Is anyone running low tech tanks just using air Driven sponge filters? Never really tried low tech before and from what I understand the co2 is from the background levels in the tank so I guess air Driven would maybe gas this off?

Trying to avoid LC if at all possible but if I need to I might go down that route. Reason for asking is I'm thinking of a breeding project and I have no time for maintenance. I just want to be able to pull the sponge filter out now and again and give it a rinse. 

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## Edvet (19 Oct 2017)

Air driven filters will be fine for low tech tanks, you can even drive a HMF with air, although i prefer a small underwaterpump (less noise and a bit more volume).
A;ll the small tanks in my practice are HMF low tech tanks


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## AverageWhiteBloke (19 Oct 2017)

Edvet said:


> Air driven filters will be fine for low tech tanks, you can even drive a HMF with air, although i prefer a small underwaterpump (less noise and a bit more volume).
> A;ll the small tanks in my practice are HMF low tech tanks


Nice one, thanks mate. Just need to find which plants are best suited now. 

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## Edvet (19 Oct 2017)




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## Mannic05 (26 Nov 2017)

Edvet said:


> View attachment 110778


What kind of filter pump are you using on this HMF. And I'm also curious about the lights on this tank are they diy.

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## Edvet (26 Nov 2017)

Pumps are simple Superfish aquaflow. The filtermatten does the most work, the pumps only drive the waterflow. I just rinse them when the flow gets low. I love this setup, easy to maintenance, hide everything behind it, stable for long times. And quieter then airflow driven systems.


 

The lights are simple Philips T5 units, coupled, mounted in a plastic gutter


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## Tim Harrison (26 Nov 2017)

Great little pumps with variable flow as well. I have one in my injected nano and it does the job well.


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## OllieNZ (28 Nov 2017)

Another vote for the superfish. They're probably the quietest internal I've ever used.
Aeration via air pump/high surface agitation/filter venturi will ensure all gases (including co2) remain in equilibrium with the atmosphere. There seems to be a couple of schools of thought on this.....

No aeration: the co2 will build while the lights are off meaning there's a higher level available to the plants when the lights come on but the plants deplete this surplus very quickly leaving little to no co2 available for the rest of the photoperiod.

Aeration: you don't get the high burst of co2 but you do get a constant lower level that the plants can't deplete (assuming your aeration is good enough)

Personally I'm of the second school of thought as I feel it's of more benefit to the system as a whole. Keeping up the O2 levels for the livestock and bacteria is more important than a small boost of co2 for the plants IMO


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## Edvet (28 Nov 2017)

Usually i keep the pump exiting from the foam at or just above the waterlevel thus increasing surface agitation.


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