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Matten filters

Jaseon

Member
Joined
10 Jan 2021
Messages
464
Location
Wales
Im really liking the idea of them. My mode of thinking was canister filters were the be all and end all, but learning about matten filters, and how many fishkeepers use them along with sponge filters has made me look at it completely different.

I tried to order one of the kits from Swisstropicals, but after contacting them they told me as of January 1, 2021 new import regulations by the UK for VAT registration means that they no longer ship to the United Kingdom. I have found another company Envobee shrimp that makes them. Anyone use them, and how did you find them?
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They Are Very Very good, and a lot of shrimp keepers use them in the shrimp rooms.

I made my own with plumbing supplies and was easy.
I used 1inch pipe with a 90degree elbow and simply drilled a hole in the top of the elbow and put airline thru to a ai stone at the base of the tube to pull water in. I also drilled alot of holes at the base of the tube to force more water to be sucked in and up.

Its is the Journal in my Signature Ram Bam.
 
They Are Very Very good, and a lot of shrimp keepers use them in the shrimp rooms.

I made my own with plumbing supplies and was easy.
I used 1inch pipe with a 90degree elbow and simply drilled a hole in the top of the elbow and put airline thru to a ai stone at the base of the tube to pull water in. I also drilled alot of holes at the base of the tube to force more water to be sucked in and up.

Its is the Journal in my Signature Ram Bam.
Im trying to get into shrimp breeding so thats kind of how i got to know about this kind of filtration. Ive looked at a lot of DIY on YT to make the uplift pipe, and looks easy enough. What size foam do you recommend for shrimp? I was going to buy the foam, and make the pipe myself although the kits are dead cheap.

Ill check out your journal now. Do you get good flow although im guessing thats tied to the pump you use.
 
At the time, all there was, was matalo matting used in Koi Filters the massive 6 foot filter beds. So just used that. And its a nylon webbing. So let loads of water thru and huge surface area for bacteria to grow.
I Would use the Blue Coarse Matting you can get in most Aquatics stores. Or Use the 3 layer Jap Matting from Kockey Koi that All MA stores carry.
Then you have 3 stages of filtraion.
 
At the time, all there was, was matalo matting used in Koi Filters the massive 6 foot filter beds. So just used that. And its a nylon webbing. So let loads of water thru and huge surface area for bacteria to grow.
I Would use the Blue Coarse Matting you can get in most Aquatics stores. Or Use the 3 layer Jap Matting from Kockey Koi that All MA stores carry.
Then you have 3 stages of filtraion.
Im thinking of going with a denser foam maybe around 30ppi to be more baby shrimp friendly although i wouldn't imagine the draw through the foam is that powerful to suck them through?

I did think of multiple foams, as in coarse medium and fine, but again might not be ideal for shrimp. Im only going on what im picking up as im questioning how a coarser foam would affect baby shrimp.

Im going to search for that Jap matting now as i remember reading it mentioned before.
 
Envobee made the custom one that is used in my biorb. Great service especially as it was made to my spec rather than off the shelf.
(Journal in my sig)
Thats the one i was looking to order from. Very reasonable prices.
 
I saw this filter on a YouTube video last year. They look very easy to make, in fact I’m surprised anyone actually sells kits for them. Plenty of white and grey PVC pipe around but without having a look I’ve no idea where you’d get the black stuff. Keep us posted how you get on. Not something I’d use myself but it’s all interesting stuff.
 
The guy in the youtube vid a couple of posts above was sticking an airstone inside the tube for the small bubble test, effectively partially blocking the pipe, so not a valid test. Small bubbles are known to be more efficient and quieter for this type of airlift.

Here is a photo of the base of the tube of some proper airlifters I ordered from a specialist in Germany, I think they are the same as the Swiss Tropicals ones. Note the integrated attachment point for the air hose and the tiny holes. The holes are definitely no more than 1mm diameter at the absolute largest, I estimate more like 0.7-0.8mm.

airlift close up.jpg


I imagine the Envobee Shrimp ones are a similar design but I have not examined them in person.

I think the small holes are the key to the design. While DIY can defo be done for these it seems like a bit of a faff. (Might be a good one for 3D printers.) Here's a good vid from a German guy on youtube:



P.S. link to German supplier I ordered from: Herzlich Willkommen bei Beck & Harich Aquarientechnik! - Luftheber-Shop.de
IIRC I had to pay by bank transfer, not sure if still the same, also not sure if Brexit has affected availability for UK delivery.
 
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The guy in the youtube vid a couple of posts above was sticking an airstone inside the tube for the small bubble test, effectively partially blocking the pipe, so not a valid test. Small bubbles are known to be more efficient and quieter for this type of airlift.
If you watched the video the guy did mention the air stone taking up space in the tube, which is why he tested both with and without it. ;)
His conclusion though was that bigger bubbles shift more water than small ones. It’s not difficult though to test this type of thing yourself.
 
If you watched the video the guy did mention the air stone taking up space in the tube, which is why he tested both with and without it. ;)
His conclusion though was that bigger bubbles shift more water than small ones. It’s not difficult though to test this type of thing yourself.
I don't think his conclusions were valid, but I will go back and have another look in case I missed anything. The Germans (and Czech) have been using these types of filters for decades and have had plenty of time to come up with the ideal air bubble size for flow rate and noise considerations.

Also, there is science; from Effect of Bubble Size and Angle of Tapering Upriser Pipe on the Performance of Airlift Pumps :

The numerical results are compared with the existing experimental data in the literature and show reasonable agreement. The results indicate that decrease in size of the bubble diameter increases mass flow rate of liquid at constant submergence ratios. The present study reports the improved performance of this pump with decrease in bubble size
 
Although the video took account of the airstone versus no airstone setup, and it’s corresponding results, it was in no means meant to be a scientific test. As is obvious from the video, It was in fact primarily done to test the optimum shape of the outflow tube and adequately proved the point that a gentle bend improved the flow.

The guy does also go on to say do you even need a high flow in the first place or is it better for the water to flow more slowly through the foam?
 
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Although the video took account of the airstone versus no airstone setup, and it’s corresponding results, it was in no means meant to be a scientific test. As is obvious from the video, It was in fact primarily done to test the optimum shape of the outflow tube and adequately proved the point that a gentle bend improved the flow.

The guy does also go on to say do you even need a high flow in the first place or is it better for the water to flow more slowly through the foam?
Yes, 100% agree on the gentle bend. Was not trying to make a big issue of this or ruffle any feathers, just trying to point out that smaller bubbles are better rather than the big bubble position adopted in the video.

Also, agree that a high flow rate is not necessary for mattenfilters but efficiency does come into play when you are trying to maximise the number of filters you can run off an individual air pump.
 
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