Best fluidized bed media

[Jag586]

So as the topic header states what's the best? I know sand is good because of all the surface area, but very hard to get restarted if a power failure I've read you can pretty much use anything so what's your opinion ?


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[r.zanello]

K1

 

[duanes]

Depends on the purpose, simply as a biological filter or more, I used aragonite sand because beyond bio filtration, I wanted my FB to also be a reactor, with media acting as an alkalinity/pH buffer.
And yes, if there is a power outage, sand can back siphon into the into the influent tube (even when using a check valve).
I went from having my DIY FB covered and under pressure, to having an open top after a few power outages, which makes doing maintenance much easier.
As the aragonite was reduced in the reaction process, it very was simple to add a handful of new sand, and if the tube became plugged after an outage it could be cleaned out without having to tear the entire unit apart. Because it is 4ft tall and 8 inches in diameter it is very heavy.

 

[Dieselhybrid]

K1 rocks!

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