fluidized bed filters
- Thread starter Austin
- Start date
I don't have one but I'd like to talk about them too. As far as I know, it has several advantages over wet/dry filters. The media (sand) has more surface area and the water flows around all of it, allowing bacteria to colonize the complete surface area, compared to traditional wet/dry media wich often has spots that the water never reaches. Also, according to what I've read, the FBF never needs cleaning. There must be disadvantages as well but I guess I have to do some more research.
Check out Neo's thread: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=68398&highlight=lifeguard+fbf
These are typically used in S/W setups. In most cases, the bed filter doesn't allow for the high turnover rates normally utilized in F/W setups. This is not ot say that you couldn't build a larger one, but the normal off-the-shelf ones aren't that impressive.
Ok, so they don't have a very high flow rate and the BB dies quickly if the filter is turned off for too long. Also they need a very effective mechanical filter. Looks like supplemental filtering is definitely required when using one of these. Can't be beat in terms of biofiltering though apparently.
