DVD stack as filter media?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I've sanded the heck out of these things and all I've gotten is 'plastic dust'. What I'll probably do with this is run it in a small set up with some white clouds or maybe just rotting food and plants for a long time and keep an eye on it. Then I'll get everything in check water quality-wise and add a few shrimp and snails to see if there is any hidden toxicity from the DVD's. Sound like a plan?
 
Yeah DVDs will dilsove in water after time, they are made of many layers bonded together. Looks like a 100 stack, sell them online and buy yourself a spongefilter or a bag of Biomax.

Consider that youll need (a guess) 3-6 DVDs to make up one square foot of surface area. Some biomedias can provide a dozen to a hundred square feet per single peice of biomedia.

I understand what it means to be a DIYer, but a good one will know when to abandon his project, learn from it, and start a new one. Also to know which assests to liquidate to finance better projects.
 
Okay, okay. Sounds worse by the post. I'll just hit the dollar store and get more scrubbies. Thanks for the valuable input everyone.
 
I have no intent to discourage you, but refocus your efforts and you'll make something very valuable, out of almost nothing at all. No need to re-invent the wheel, Scrubbies are enough of a substitution from big brand name biomedias anyways.

Have you considered doing a DIY:
-Spinning spraybar for wet-dry media
-combining a heater, PVC, and a powerhead into a sheathed, protected heater with rapid warm water dispersal
-A freshwater refugium with shrimp for your oscar tank

It's clear you've got lots of ideas and are resorceful.
 
Have you considered doing a DIY:
-Spinning spraybar for wet-dry media
-combining a heater, PVC, and a powerhead into a sheathed, protected heater with rapid warm water dispersal
-A freshwater refugium with shrimp for your oscar tank
Click to expand...
Spinning spraybar seems pretty doable, especially since my sump is a hex tank. I could put media on the walls. You've got me drooling now.

Most of my heaters are already in drilled PVC guards as is, so adding powerheads sound like a great idea. I have been concerned with the heat building up, so I've just kept all the heater tubes at filter returns and it's done well. But with a sump, I wouldn't need guards at all, so that's probably the direction I'll go with my 125g tank.

A plant refugium is most certainly in mind ATM, but I don't need it yet. My Oscar is still ignoring the basketball sized water lettuce in his tank, I'm rolling with it for now. That danged plant is seriously putting on the weight!

Shrimp would be fun in my little 10g lava-rock/plant tank hodge podge. I wonder if shrimp would eat my snails and scuds?

But since, on good advice I'm scrapping this concept, I'll think of these ideas more in the weeks to come. Thanks!
 
They vinyl would probably work better...deeper groves and 100% plastic I think. In my opinion the effort you are going to put into this is not worth what you are going to get out...there are cheaper things with more surface area that are easier to use. My .02
 
They vinyl would probably work better...deeper groves and 100% plastic I think. In my opinion the effort you are going to put into this is not worth what you are going to get out...there are cheaper things with more surface area that are easier to use. My .02
Click to expand...
Yeah. I've got to do more thinking and chewing on my ideas before I start working on them from now on...
 
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