you could add a eheim 2217 full of mech media, or any other canister with little bypass. That's what I plan on doing.
Fine filter media ideas please???
- Thread starter Griller
- Start date
i would also add anouther wall, it seems to work well for mine. You have more then i do,
are you doing anything else in the sump, ie skimmeerr??
if not, you might add more media, and have less free space. here is how my sump is laidout, and how you might add anouther wall and a sponge to yours to fix your problem if you are wanting to keep the extra space.
remember too, that you would be better with some bio media underwater, and filter media above water.
I dont know about bubbles, I have a 48" airwand in my sump, before my pump.
again best i can see is raise your pump, add a wall and a sponge.
btw you can order from walmart online
airwand is under the scrubbies, with the heater. scrubbies do not really sit on the botom, i used light diffuesr/eggcrate to keep them 2 inches off the floor.
are you doing anything else in the sump, ie skimmeerr??
if not, you might add more media, and have less free space. here is how my sump is laidout, and how you might add anouther wall and a sponge to yours to fix your problem if you are wanting to keep the extra space.
remember too, that you would be better with some bio media underwater, and filter media above water.
I dont know about bubbles, I have a 48" airwand in my sump, before my pump.
again best i can see is raise your pump, add a wall and a sponge.
btw you can order from walmart online
airwand is under the scrubbies, with the heater. scrubbies do not really sit on the botom, i used light diffuesr/eggcrate to keep them 2 inches off the floor.
buy a HOB filter rated for half the size of the tank and buy sponge from the dollar store(make sure they are very fine coarse)... this is wat i did to do this application. i had a tank so cloudy that i couldnt see from the front to the back, then i did this... it was perfectly clear in 2 days. and it still is today!
i think the nylon sock you mentioned someone using, was eventually hooked to a bypass. His pump was more then needed, so he had a valve bypasing water back into the sump. On this he added a sock. I tried this on a pond, but the nlon clogged up daily.
And the idea about the stuff collecting in the bottom of the sock is correct, but when i did it, the sock would stretch out a lot, and still clog.
My water is crystal clear, i did not even rinse the pea gravel i got form HD, my setup cleared the tank in one day. I have mine where i can reach in pull out a layer or 2 of batting, and putt in some new, have not dome this yet, and tank running 3 weeks now.
btw the batting is poly,, i got a roll from wlamart about 18" wide 1/4 thick,,, felt is about 1/16" thick.
stack as much as you can, and your water will be clean.
And the idea about the stuff collecting in the bottom of the sock is correct, but when i did it, the sock would stretch out a lot, and still clog.
My water is crystal clear, i did not even rinse the pea gravel i got form HD, my setup cleared the tank in one day. I have mine where i can reach in pull out a layer or 2 of batting, and putt in some new, have not dome this yet, and tank running 3 weeks now.
btw the batting is poly,, i got a roll from wlamart about 18" wide 1/4 thick,,, felt is about 1/16" thick.
stack as much as you can, and your water will be clean.
OK - I went to a place called spotlight (linnen and craft shop). I got 2 big bags of polyester batting and 1.5 meters of felt/acryllic blend fabric. It cost me a mere $35AU.
I'm going to try replacing the filter wool in my sump before I go building complex syphons, boxes or bypasses.
Here is how I'm going to do it:
I'll remove my filter wool, put down a couple of sponges to make a seat and line the resulting chamber with the felt (folder for double thickness). There will be no gaps for fine particles to slip past. I'll then put the batting into the chamber. The batting will collect most of the debris and the felt will pick up the fine stuff that makes it past the batting. When the system clogs it overflows into the next baffle chamber.
I'm going to throw all the material in my bathtub now for a bit of a soak.
If this doesn't work or gets too high maintenance then I may move on to the next plan.
Redoog - Thanks for reponding to my PM mate. Your filter looks space age!
I'm liking the way you've done it better than my nylon idea
I like your layers of batting and felt - that is what my current idea is trying to replicate.
Your mechanical filter looks like it has a very large surface area (correct me if I'm wrong) and sits on top of your sump. I take it that the large surface area reduces the need for cleaning because it takes longer to clog.
I can elevate my pump but I really want to get that fine gunk out of my sump - it is sticky and clogs things up.
I'm planning a 9000litre (265gal) tank to replace my current 1000 litre tank. I don't want to pull my sump out and modify it heavily at this stage. The bio-media is doing a great job so I don't need more. Only the mechanical filtration is letting me down
. If I was keeping the tank I'd consider re-doing the sump. That idea would be very useful for someone setting a sump up - looks like a great idea!
I'm going to try replacing the filter wool in my sump before I go building complex syphons, boxes or bypasses.
Here is how I'm going to do it:
I'll remove my filter wool, put down a couple of sponges to make a seat and line the resulting chamber with the felt (folder for double thickness). There will be no gaps for fine particles to slip past. I'll then put the batting into the chamber. The batting will collect most of the debris and the felt will pick up the fine stuff that makes it past the batting. When the system clogs it overflows into the next baffle chamber.
I'm going to throw all the material in my bathtub now for a bit of a soak.
If this doesn't work or gets too high maintenance then I may move on to the next plan.
Lets see how it goes!siebertn;3689736; said:
Thanks - it may well B option B if this plan proved impractical.JakeH said:
Redoog - Thanks for reponding to my PM mate. Your filter looks space age!
I'm liking the way you've done it better than my nylon idea
I like your layers of batting and felt - that is what my current idea is trying to replicate.Your mechanical filter looks like it has a very large surface area (correct me if I'm wrong) and sits on top of your sump. I take it that the large surface area reduces the need for cleaning because it takes longer to clog.
I can elevate my pump but I really want to get that fine gunk out of my sump - it is sticky and clogs things up.
I'm planning a 9000litre (265gal) tank to replace my current 1000 litre tank. I don't want to pull my sump out and modify it heavily at this stage. The bio-media is doing a great job so I don't need more. Only the mechanical filtration is letting me down
. If I was keeping the tank I'd consider re-doing the sump. That idea would be very useful for someone setting a sump up - looks like a great idea!understand your want to remove stuff from sump. But think of this, that is what the sump is for, better there out of sight then in the tank where you can see it. I plan on maybe a yearly tear down and rinse and vac. Going to build a power vac with a used powerhead, and suck the junk outa the sump and right down the drain.
I think your box idea is good, sounds just like what i did. I even sat down and stitched up the corners to make it stay in box shape.
I think your box idea is good, sounds just like what i did. I even sat down and stitched up the corners to make it stay in box shape.
OK - the double layer felt is in with batting as the inner layer.
It was a royal pain in the butt to get in - too thick! It kept getting caught on the overflow pipes and was really hard to fold once wet. Plan B is definately still on the cards. Lets see how well it works...
It was a royal pain in the butt to get in - too thick! It kept getting caught on the overflow pipes and was really hard to fold once wet. Plan B is definately still on the cards. Lets see how well it works...
ebay sells the magnum 350 for 80$ brand new. It clears up my 210 when my eel takes a dump. One crap from him can take days to clean up , the magnum 350 takes an hour to clear it up. Clogs ever 2 weeks. Works well
and cartriges are reusable , very easy to clean, bucket of water and bleach. I own 6 hot magnums and 2 magnum 350s. My tanks are show quailty clairity all the time because of these awsome little things. They dont do anything but make my water "looks clean" but i am okay with that.
and cartriges are reusable , very easy to clean, bucket of water and bleach. I own 6 hot magnums and 2 magnum 350s. My tanks are show quailty clairity all the time because of these awsome little things. They dont do anything but make my water "looks clean" but i am okay with that.
OK - this morning I've checked the tank. There is no reduction in the fine particles. The double layer of felt/acrylic fabric with batting on top does not do the job!
I'm not sure how you're gonna get anything finer than that, but I'm subscribed! BTW, here is the sock sump inlet I was talking about: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3579+16746&pcatid=16746
If you could copy this design & find different pore-size materials to make socks from, you could use a series of graduated socks (one inside the next inside the next, etc.), from 200 microns down to 1 micron. Saves space at least...
If you could copy this design & find different pore-size materials to make socks from, you could use a series of graduated socks (one inside the next inside the next, etc.), from 200 microns down to 1 micron. Saves space at least...
