Aqua sobriquet
Member
I’ve found in the past that a light coating of biofilm on the impeller and the housing can have an effect on the noise. As a result I don’t religiously clean that area too much like I used to years ago.
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Product Review Living with an Oase Biomaster
- Thread starter Bradders
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- oase oase biomaster
MrClockOff
Member
Hey there
I think no one mentioned before what I’m going to say (hopefully).
I used my BioMaster Thermo 850 fully loaded with Seachem Matrix and then just using original media. I found that with original media water looks much much clearer than when I used Matrix. With matrix there was always tiny particles floating in the water. I think original setup has so many sponges so they trap most of that. So my advice is better to stick to original setup.
Other than that I couldn’t see any other differences in plant and fish health and amount of algae.
Cheers
I think no one mentioned before what I’m going to say (hopefully).
I used my BioMaster Thermo 850 fully loaded with Seachem Matrix and then just using original media. I found that with original media water looks much much clearer than when I used Matrix. With matrix there was always tiny particles floating in the water. I think original setup has so many sponges so they trap most of that. So my advice is better to stick to original setup.
Other than that I couldn’t see any other differences in plant and fish health and amount of algae.
Cheers
Aqua sobriquet
Member
I’ve tried a few different things in my Biomaster and it hasn’t altered the appearance of the water at all.
Different media may affect the flow, but I don’t know how much?
Different media may affect the flow, but I don’t know how much?
Mark12345
Member
Have you checked the hose adapter, there are two o rings inside it, mine had become damaged on the adapter itself (see photo) and this was causing water to slowly trickle down the side, and was also filling up the head. I contacted Oase and they were useless, I had to buy a new hose adapter due to them taking 5 weeks to send a replacement, which I had to pay for. If you look under the I ring, you can see where the plastic has sheared off, I'm not the only one to suffer with this.
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Mitchabbots
Member
My new OBM850 has a bit of a hum to it. It is a virgin filter and I'm cycling a new tank. Although it is not too loud, I am an audiophile and it definitely colours the hi-fi sound. Roll on the Biofilm 😎
Mitchabbots
Member
I've gone with the original media in my 850 and thank you for your observation/test of the Seachem Matrix. Well noted. 😎
Cheers, Brian
MrClockOff
Member
If you are looking for more hum then I recommend adding Oase CrystalSkim on top😁 Though I love my Oase combo. Having filter outlet and skimmer at the opposite ends makes flow turbocharged 👍
Mitchabbots
Member
I found myself some stainless steel lilies, with a bobbing surface skimmer, which makes a bit of a row if the water is a bit choppy. Looks good though.
I have a Jebao ALW-20 circ pump. I had to dial the pump down to 30% in my naked cycling tank as it was shifting my aqua soil and powder around. It buried a couple of stones too. I'll have to dig them out at the next water change and planting 🙁
Bradders
Member
Regarding the Biomasrter 'constantly expelling air' observation, is anyone here still having that problem?
There are a few things I have observed and been testing, but it would be good to see if people are living with this issue on a regular basis.
Make yourself known!
There are a few things I have observed and been testing, but it would be good to see if people are living with this issue on a regular basis.
Make yourself known!
FrozenShivers
Member
Concave head unit upgrade sorted it for me!
Bradders
Member
Well, in my new aquarium, I am using the Biomaster 850. Right from the start, it was periodically expelling air. Not leaking, but expelling air, as others have cited over the last 3 weeks. Not something I had in my 250/350s on my other aquarium. I thought I would play around a bit. So on multiple occasôns, I took the unit part, checked seals, reseated everything and put it all back together. Still, a lot of air was expelled at regular intervals. I moved the intake, and outtake and no change. I just assumed it could be related to CO2 and lots of DO in the aquarium.
The strangest thing. I noticed that the Biomasters come with the HEL-X13 in a bag. My other filters do not have them in the bag, as I opened and spread them freely when setting them up. I mimicked this in the 850 (in fact, I added another 20% of HELX-13 to each tray), and for some reason, the air expelling is much, much, much less. Its only been 6 hours, but usually the air expelling starts and remains no matter what I do.
Go figure?!?!
The strangest thing. I noticed that the Biomasters come with the HEL-X13 in a bag. My other filters do not have them in the bag, as I opened and spread them freely when setting them up. I mimicked this in the 850 (in fact, I added another 20% of HELX-13 to each tray), and for some reason, the air expelling is much, much, much less. Its only been 6 hours, but usually the air expelling starts and remains no matter what I do.
Go figure?!?!
I don't think it Hel X 13 was designed for External Filters, so it's a bit strange that it's included with the Oase Thermo/Biofilters.
What Oase says below!
Oase Hel X 13, an advanced biological media designed for Proficlear Filters. The Hel X bio media has been redeveloped by Oase engineers to further increase its biological settlement surface area by an additional 13%...giving it is name Hel X 13. Hel X 13 consists of small individual bio-mechanical plastic casings that allow beneficial aerobic bacteria to settle and breed inside its unique shape. This helps to biologically break down soluble waste to be filtered out while within the Oase ProfiClear Premium Moving Bed Filter Modules. Because of its increased surface area, the bio media allows a greater amount of bacteria to be contained within the same-sized filter volume. This gives a more rapid breakdown of food and fish waste in the system giving an all-round healthier and cleaner water in the pond. The Hel X 13 has a total surface area of 955m2/m3 (compared to 859m2 of the older Hel X) and has a protected surface area of 806m2/m3 (up from 704m2/m3 of the older media) Just 25 Litres of the Hel X13 can reduce 170g of food and waste in a day. While the Hel X 13 has been designed to work with the Oase Pond Filters and Modules, it can be used in Vortex-based filters to increase their biological capacity. Specification 25L Bag Can be used in Oase Proficlear Premium Moving Bed Module (maximum of 100L Hel X capacity) Oase Proficlear Premium Pump Fed Compact Drum Module (Maximum of 65L Hel X capacity) Oase Proficlear Premium Gravity Fed Compact Drum Module (Maximum of 65L Hel X capacity)
Bradders
Member
I heard that, too. But it's just a bit of plastic like K1 and has been proven to be effective in a static configuration. It has the same surface area as 20PPI foam (when used statically). So I guess that found this out and used it for canisters.
It's the second day since removing the bag. burps and escaping air is are still very, very, very much reduced. I cant work out the science on why this would actually help!!
Guys, can you please measure something for all of us?
In the morning, before co2 is coming on and before plants have been started to produce O2, turn the lights on for 10 to 20 mins and count how many burps the filter will have.
In the evening, just before co2 turns off, do the same thing.
Comparing the two measurements, we will be able to see how much the gasses dissolved in the water are creating this burping effect...
What do you think 🤔?
In the morning, before co2 is coming on and before plants have been started to produce O2, turn the lights on for 10 to 20 mins and count how many burps the filter will have.
In the evening, just before co2 turns off, do the same thing.
Comparing the two measurements, we will be able to see how much the gasses dissolved in the water are creating this burping effect...
What do you think 🤔?
Aqua sobriquet
Member
The only time my 350 expels air is after maintenance. I sometimes get the odd expulsion up to 48 hours later then that’s it until maintenance time again. I don’t use CO2 but I do use a Lime Wood Air Diffuser which produces lots of very fine bubbles.
marcrite
Seedling
I've got the 850 and air purging is bad at sometimes. I'm using seachem matrix in all baskets apart from 2 , that have sponge. My prefilter was 10ppi now moved to 30ppi sponges ..all I can think is co2 is building up inside filter, making gas and so purging. Thinking of taking few matrix trays and swapping to sponge or helx that came with filter..and using a co2 reactor so the co2 bubbles get desolved in the water before going into aquarium. And see how this does. Anyone done this before. ?? My 850 has the upgrades to
MrClockOff
Member
I was using original media in my OBM850 and external CO2 reactor. Filter would sit quiet without expelling the air until mid photoperiod when water was getting to saturated with CO2 and air bubbles from pearling. Downgrading filter bucket to OBM250 with redesigned prefilter tube was the game changer. It reduced the noise from impeller and increased water flow, and I can hear air expelled maybe once a day max.
Bradders
Member
Yep, same here with my 850. Quiet as a mouse before CO2 injection and photoperiod. And then it expells air. To some degree, I kind of think it's doing its job. i.e. getting rid of the air.
Aqua sobriquet
Member
I’ve never had a problem until very recently. Once in a while now it does expel a small amount of air. Not an issue at present. It’s probably a coincidence but it only seems to have happened since I swapped out the original 350 casing for the smaller 250?
I've been using a secondhand Oase Biomaster 600 I got off a ukaps member for my macroalgae marine tank for just over 2 years now, and it's worked very well that whole time. Recently it started making a worrying grinding noise, and when I opened the filter up I realised the impeller was missing two of its three "fins". Not sure where they went, or if I just bought it like that and it had finally given up the ghost. Anyway, I bought a replacement impeller online and installed it, and it's back to working perfectly again.
It doesn't seem to gather much mulm like a freshwater tank, I only clean it rarely, though I open up the filter to add carbon every few months (carbon is good for marine tanks as some of the corals release competitive compounds you want soaked up). The filter is full of pineapple sponges, spinoid worms and amphipods which feels...pleasantly organically beneficial.
If anyone is ever thinking of trying a marine tank, you can always start with the equipment you already have to give it a go
It doesn't seem to gather much mulm like a freshwater tank, I only clean it rarely, though I open up the filter to add carbon every few months (carbon is good for marine tanks as some of the corals release competitive compounds you want soaked up). The filter is full of pineapple sponges, spinoid worms and amphipods which feels...pleasantly organically beneficial.
If anyone is ever thinking of trying a marine tank, you can always start with the equipment you already have to give it a go
