New filter design

Joey

Moderator

Joey

Moderator
Thank you for sharing this process! I'm building a sump and will be implementing your design elements on my new sump. I'll add one compartment between the drain and K1 baffles for seeding which I'll use later for mechanical filtration.

Good idea.
 

b-man

New Member
This is the exact thing i used:

http://www.hagen.com/usa/aquatic/product.cfm?CAT=1&SUBCAT=101&PROD_ID=01009550021001

Heres a better picture of the package.(not where i got it, just a good pic of it)

I just bought it locally.

http://www.petworldshop.com/pictures/marina-bubble-air.jpg

Thanks

BTW have you thought about a drain at the bottom of the K1 compartment to periodically flush and clean the K1 media? Of course you would need to be able to close off the return to do so.
 

Joey

Moderator
Thanks

BTW have you thought about a drain at the bottom of the K1 compartment to periodically flush and clean the K1 media? Of course you would need to be able to close off the return to do so.

It cleans its self, so i dont need to clean it at all.

Any debris in that department will eventually get flushed out from that compartment as well, and back to the main display.... which eventually gets back down to the prefilter in the sump.

All i have to ever do is clean the prefilter.



Very interesting thread. Thanks for sharing videos. :)


No problem Gerry!
 

Joey

Moderator
UPDATE:

I have been asked if i agree with recommended K1 ratio to water levels, and if im happy with K1 as a whole.

Yes, i am very pleased with K1. Why? i'll never have to clean it. Lots of surface area, and the way K1 is suppose to work in relation to bacteria is not available on other media.

I did get another 50L of K1. I added all of it, and ran into issues. none would fluidize anymore. So i took about 25L out, and am now running 75L.

what about the ratio?

That depends on the design of the chamber the K1 is in. I have learned that the in/out flow from the overflow of the tank water has a huge impact on the K1. Also to be considered is how much air it takes to fluidize it, to what ratio you can have, to how it will suspend/fluidize in the water. The shape of the chamber also has an impact, as well as the method you choose to fluidize it. Whether by air, or current.

I would also say that there are optimal levels of K1 Ratio to water, but again, depends on setup. I think a good starting point is 40% K1 to 60% water. Then gradually add to it every other day until you have reached maximum amount of K1. Then you'll know the ratio based on your setup.

Currently, i'm running at a ratio of 40/60. 20 gallons of media to 30 gallons of water in the k1 chamber. But i had to change my air flow around to get it like that. Running the air around the perimeter of the tank didnt work so well. But running it in the shape of a capital "T" did. Now if i change my setup around, to fix some of my issues, i will be able to increase that ratio. To run at a ration of 40/60, i needed around 1 LPM of air per liter of media. (almost all my flow from my 90 LPM pump)

I am currently working on completely changing my setup i have now. What i am currently working with, is a failed effort to combine a wet/dry and fluidized filter, with the wet/dry being the second chamber. So i changed things based on what i could do at the time.

My next design will be much better i think. I just have to wait for more parts to arrive. I will have this done within 2 weeks.

Here is a look at what i have now:

Very simple layout. Water flows under the first baffle, and then under the next.

My issue with this design is that the water flow coming out from under the first baffle is effecting the K1. The flow is lifting the k1 off of the bottom of the tank. It almost appears as if the water is just flowing right under the k1. Then most of the k1 seems to bunch up on the left side of the chamber. No matter how i run the air, i get this issue. Also, i get clogging on under the second baffle.

5df99a5c.jpg



I need something better.

so here is my new design idea:

there will still be two baffles. Both will be touching the bottom of the tank unlike the previous design. This means water cannot flow under the baffle. Instead, i will be adding two 1.5" bulkheads to the bottom of the baffle. water will have to flow threw these to get to the other side. Once the water flows threw the bulkheads, the water will travel up two standpipes and exit at the top threw 90 degree elbows. The standpipes will not be as high as they are in the pic though. This will solve my issue with the water flow lifting the k1 off of the bottom of the tank. It will also help disperse the water flow out a lot more, so that the flow has very little impact on the K1. This will give me more control over how the K1 fluidizes. It will also disperse the water threw the k1 to insure maximum contact with the k1.

The next baffle will run on the same concept. Instead of the water flowing under the baffle, it will also have to flow threw the standpipes. To insure there is no clogging, and the the is not taken from just one area, i will drill holes in the standpipes for the water to flow threw.

The end result should be a chamber that is not affected by the flow of the water form the aquarium above. Giving me more control over how the K1 fluidizes. I should also be able to add more k1 to the chamber. I will also be able to clean the pre filter without turing the filter off as well, which i cannot do now.

6e77f39f.jpg
 

Joey

Moderator
Small update...

Here are the new baffels with plumbing installed:


ae1e1a4e.jpg


55ff256c.jpg


I still have to drill holes in these pipes for the drain:

3adea510.jpg


92b3280b.jpg



3a8f732b.jpg



next update will be the filter with these new baffels in place, and it running.
 

Joey

Moderator
I was working on my filter and I was doing another video update on it, when i looked up and seen my male ray lift my female up and insert one of his claspers into her.

I grabbed my camera and got some of the action... video is short, but at least i got to see it happening, and i know she is not only pregnant, but the day it happened on......

countdown begins... 90 days or so from now...


(watch in HD)

 

chen88

Super Moderator
wow...here we go! another porno made courtesy of Joey!...I too one I am able to get a amateur porn of my BD's breeding lol...good luck!
 

Joey

Moderator
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t9baHPsG-Y"]YouTube - ‪DIY Aquarium Filter Part 14 UPDATE‬‏[/ame]
 

DragonfishExotics

New Member
Very nice, I have a fluidized bed in my sump too, using same media you have, but it runs through 3 filter socks before going into main chamber. I found the filter socks are a crucial part of keeping media clean.
 
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