FBF used as a standalone if it has a Prefilter?

[dugman]

Hi, been looking at filtration for my 110g 6ft for a while and i refuse to pay for those expensive cannisters wheni could just as easily make my own lol (and i like diy). but lately iv come across Fluidised Bed Filters and they seem as though they can do all the biological filtration equal to (or more than) sumps, cannisters etc, but i always see the output go into a sump. is there a reason why i couldnt put a prefilter before the FBF and use it alone?

the stocking should be:
my 10" oscar
8"pleco
new various SA/CA cichlids. (big enough not to be a snack for the oscar)

 

[Wheat]

Any prefilter put before the FB will have to be kept very clean. When the flow to the FB slows down you start losing some bb. I don't think that a prefilter alone would be enough mechanical filtration for the tank. A HOB filter would be a good addition to the FB.

 

[dugman]

So if i can get a mechanical filter good enough, the FB ( say 2kg of sand for eg) will have enough bio filtration for the tank?

 

[Wheat]

So if i can get a mechanical filter good enough, the FB ( say 2kg of sand for eg) will have enough bio filtration for the tank?

I'm not sure about the amount of sand, but I would oversize it just to be on the safe side.
Here's a good link for a DIY FBF:
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_fbf.php

 

[dugman]

Yeah that was what i was thinking cause there relatively small, but i might just buy one cause their cheap and do diy plumbing and a diy mechanical setup. their pretty cheap on ebay.