fluidized bed biological filter ...

[parasite]

Hello all , Just wondering if a fluidized bed biological filter is suitable for the discus aquarium?? Ive heard certain units actaully hold upto 20 times more biological filtering capacity of the same volume-rated trickle filters. thanks.

[wyldchyld01]

hey parasite,

good question, fluidized bed filters certainly are great biological filters, the surface area of sand is pretty much greater than most other mediums for nitrifying bacteria. mostly they are used on marine tanks but there is no reason why this can't be used on freshwater systems (i myself use one attached to my sump for further filtration, probably overkill with a trickle system but hey :D ).

Hope this helps, maybe someone else has some experience and can add to this poste, btw fb filters can be an easy diy project if your interested in travelling that path.

Brenton

[flukes]

Id be going DIY too, along with the larger surface area, the sand is swirled around creating more oxygen for the bacteria which most common filters lack.

I cant see why you couldnt use it on a freshwater/discus tank, although they are mainly used on marine iam sure it would do just a good of a job on a Freshwater,

[parasite]

does anyone have the DIY plans or a website where i can see how one is made as i wouldnt mind giving it a go.

regards

[Tryhard]

Have a look at
www.sydneycichlid.com/diyfbf.html

[Tryhard]

Ok this one has caught my imagination , got some plans in my head just a few silly questions :roll: will a 30 liter container be big enough ? and is this all gravity fed or are pumps required at some stage ?

[flukes]

30gals might be a bit too big, the retail ones would be lucky too hold 15gals, you would need a powerhead as it works by swirling the sand around in the container.

[Escher]

I guess one important aspect is how you are going to use this filter; is this going to be the only filter or just an additional one? I am thinking of adding one after the sump so it's going to be smallish .
There are quite a few plans on the web; most of them seem to be large pipes that fit vertically under the tank. The bigger it is, the stronger must be the water flow to go through the sand. How big is your pump.
Overall the project seems easy enough. I am working on one as well. Let you know how it works.
Some links below: some have various DIY plans other are specific.

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_fbf.php
http://ozreef.org/diy/
http://www.max-discus-dream.de/mddnew/DIY-Plans.htm
http://www.fishlinkcentral.com/articles/article023.htm
http://www.duboisi.com/diy/BNfbf/bnfbf.htm
http://www.kingvinnie.com/aquaria/diy/

Happy building!!! :wink:

[kalebjarrod]

so i am to understand that this is a bio filter only?

particle filtration takes place earlier?

[Merrilyn]

exactly - only clean water can go into a fbf or it will gunk up the movement of the sand

[kalebjarrod]

what type of sand do you use?

[Tryhard]

Try pool filter sand

[flukes]

Any sand(non toxic), aswell gravel is a good media in a FBF so it breaks up the sand. Main reason for the sand is the surface area aswell as that when its curned around by the water it increases oxygen amounts in the water.

[milt master p]

I love my fluidized bed filters! I have them on all my discus containing tanks and are fed by cannister filters. You will never have ammonia or nitrite problems once installed.

May be a bit tricky to optimise the water flow if you can't see the sand move. I suggest using acrylic tubing rather than pvc, pricey though.

[Escher]

I'm experimenting with making small acrylic "windows" on a pvc pipe. Will let you know if it works. :idea:

[Tryhard]

Does anyone know how much sand for how much filtration ?

[kalebjarrod]

GOOD QUESTION!

[Chris McMahon]

AOA sells one (http://www.aquariumproducts.com.au/category59_1.htm) that's about the size of a tennis ball can. It says it's rated up to 1000 litres.

[flukes]

Based on the size of your Filter it should be about 1/4-1/3 of the space filled with sand and gravel.

[Tryhard]

The lifeguard one uses 1.38 kilo's to filter 1100 litres - or at least thats how I read the advert :?: