Fluidized or moving bed filters..

[zozo]

Reviewing that principle quite some time now, only can find very possitive findings and benefits.. I decided to give it a try.. Are there more UKAPS members using them?

They are actualy quite easy to make for any size aquarium, internal, external, earated or in closed system. Quite cheap too.. I lately created one from a HOB filter and using it on a small 25 liter tank. Now ive made an external moving bed filter for my other 54 liter tank.

It can't hurt.. But i wonder if they are realy so good. Why is this still not common practice to use one?

What are your thoughts? Why not use them, it, since all possibilities are there?

 

[foxfish]

Yes, they are tried and tested for many years.
Because all the media is exposed to the flow and all the surfaces are equally exposed to oxygen rice water, the design is much more efficient than a conventional canister filter.

 

[xim]

Because I wanted to use it under the tank but the (commercial) one I got leaked and DIYing one would take too much effort.

 

[zozo]

I did i like this, it works and was about € 10 complete, has a o-ring sealed screw lid, can't leak.. Tho i need to install a stronger pump, maybe.. Still got bio balls in the other canister i can take out later, then will have some more flow. With the flow i have now, i used carbon instead of sand, i couldn't get sand to move.. Carbon has much less weight then sand. Took it out of the cannister after 3 weeks, so it already is somewhat mature and not active for long anymore..

It's all screwed together with rubber rings..

It's this priniple but external..

 

[James O]

I've got to say I love the idea of a fluidized bed filter but hadn't thought about DIYing a little one. Just waiting until I had a tank big enough to justify a 250l barrel version

Now you've gone and put ideas in my head

 

[zozo]

They are so simple and cheap to make.. Find a spaghetti jar with a sealed lid, if the lid isn't sealed see if it's possible to put a flat rubber o-ring in the lid yourself.

It's all screwed together, no drop of glew is used..

Well i had to bend the pvc pipe to get it centre, the jar wasn't wide enough to fit the inlet centre and the outlet next to it.. If bending pvc isn't an option find a jar that fits.
Mine is a standard 1.6 liter plastic grossery jar with screw lid. € 5 for the jar and another €5 for the fittings.. I also used a plastic bowl shaped cup, cut it off to mach the diameter of the jar and did put it with a drop of kit to the bottom. This to get a bowl shaped bottom to help the flow.. Also took carbon istead of sand, to not restrict the flow to much. The standard filter inlet cap on the outlet is from the lfs..

 

[foxfish]

Looks like you have been having fun
I think the limiting factor is the supply of oxygen, having an open top is another version that will offer more oxygen exchange.
Of course your sealed top version is probably more than adequate for your needs.
Have you ever considered a trickle filter, they are even more efficient (and even easier to build) because the supply of oxygen is constant with our atmospheric levels.

 

[zozo]

Yes an internal one driven on air would be even more efficient.. But rather distracting to the eye. It's all a matter of taste, but more than a filter in and outlet in the tank looks crapy to me. I have all in line by now.. But even without aeration it will be much more efficient then only static bioballs in the cannister.

Have you ever considered a trickle filter

Funny you mention it. I was just a minute ago reading about sumps and the term trickle filter passed along in the discussion. I'm in the middle of building me a new low tech tank (110 liter). I want to go with a sump on this one with some K1 as moving media i still got standing around.. Now i'm not realy sure if i understand the term trickle filter, didn't look it up yet.. But surely going to read in on it.

 

[zozo]

Finaly found the correct sand for my filter.. Since it's a dc 12 volt pump runnng 650 liter p/h and that's about the 12 volt limit. I had no power enough to puch the canister and the fluidized bed with ordenairy sand, not even the finest available sandblaster sand was kinda to heavy. So i actualy needed a 24 volt conversion to get 900 liter push which is a bit with everything running on the same 12 volt powersupply. I would need a voltage booster and a new pump.. But by coinsidence i stumbled upon Karlie Flaminge Mojave desert Terrarium sand in the pet shop, which is realy as fine as powder. Now the filter is realy running like a charme 650 liter pump.

This is the idea, a closed inline fluidized bed sand filter working as should. And should be the best amonia and nitrite removers available. Bye bye bioball..


+1 for Karlie Flamingo..