does sand ruin hob filters
- Thread starter joedodge
- Start date
Pool filter sand is generally heavy enough to stay put. Just make sure you rinse, rinse and rinse some more. I use it in my tanks and i have 2 HOB's
I've never had problems with sand in HOB's. I've even seen half an inch in the back before and it still ran fine.
never had a problem with it. but i tend to clean out my filter regularly, i dont notice any trapped in there tho.
i would assume it cant ruin a hob filter, with the magnetic prop. since i found gravel in some of mine along time ago, it worked fine once i removed it.
i would assume it cant ruin a hob filter, with the magnetic prop. since i found gravel in some of mine along time ago, it worked fine once i removed it.
i have play sand in one of my tanks its lighter but it doesnt seem to hurt the ac110's and i have dumped about 1/4 in out of them .
it also depends what type of fish u have
mine has pacus so big and active . i think if u had small fish it wouldnt be as bad.
makes it look more natural .just rinse it once a week
it also depends what type of fish u have
mine has pacus so big and active . i think if u had small fish it wouldnt be as bad.
makes it look more natural .just rinse it once a week
Pool Filter Sand is (comparitively) large grained and evenmore importantly, it is consistently large grained. The best part is it is consistent in size. Therefore it is less likely to get pulled into the filter...
If you clean the sand thoroughly, which I highly suggest you do, then you will be able to turn the filter on only moments after adding the sand. The actual grains of sand will very quickly fall to the bottom of the tank, at which time you can turn the fitlers on...
If the water appears cloudy, you may wish to put some fabric around the intake when you turn them on. While the "dust" from new sand will not damage the imellor, it will quickly clog media. Using a dissposable media as a prefilter will simply safe you from having to clean the filter media the following day.
As for how sand can damage an HOB... the impellor sits in a hole and is spun very quickly via a magnetic connection to the motor. If sand works its way in that 'hole' it can be ground between the magnet and the side walls of the 'hole'. It's quite obvious how this can cause damage.
There is no guarantee that when a grain of sand is sucked into the filter that it will get caught between the impellors magnet and the sidewall... but at the same time there is no guarantee that it won't. Therefore it is best to avoid getting sand in your HOB filter...
If you clean the sand thoroughly, which I highly suggest you do, then you will be able to turn the filter on only moments after adding the sand. The actual grains of sand will very quickly fall to the bottom of the tank, at which time you can turn the fitlers on...
If the water appears cloudy, you may wish to put some fabric around the intake when you turn them on. While the "dust" from new sand will not damage the imellor, it will quickly clog media. Using a dissposable media as a prefilter will simply safe you from having to clean the filter media the following day.
As for how sand can damage an HOB... the impellor sits in a hole and is spun very quickly via a magnetic connection to the motor. If sand works its way in that 'hole' it can be ground between the magnet and the side walls of the 'hole'. It's quite obvious how this can cause damage.
There is no guarantee that when a grain of sand is sucked into the filter that it will get caught between the impellors magnet and the sidewall... but at the same time there is no guarantee that it won't. Therefore it is best to avoid getting sand in your HOB filter...
I ran Black Moon Sand and never had a problem
More recently I ran a crushed coral/sand mix and actually ran my filter to collect as much of the dust as I could after a few days and everything settled changed my cartridges and everything has been peachy since.
More recently I ran a crushed coral/sand mix and actually ran my filter to collect as much of the dust as I could after a few days and everything settled changed my cartridges and everything has been peachy since.
I have ruin a few HOB's this way, for some reason my african cichlids love taking mouth fulls of sand and dumping into the HOB intake.
I would suggest get a canister or wet/dry if you are going to have any cichlids or large fish that can stir up the sand.
I would suggest get a canister or wet/dry if you are going to have any cichlids or large fish that can stir up the sand.
I used pool filter sand and some stuff I got from the lfs and both worked well and didnt do anything to my HOB