Mechanical Disconnect Filtration

[Too Many Kitumbas]

Hey everyone. First post here. I've got a 300 gallon arriving this month and trying to finagle a mechanical filtration system that can be completely removed from the system for changing. I was initially planning on running 2 FX6, however I don't like having to remove and disassemble the entire unit to swap out the nitrate farm filter pads. This led me to lead towards considering a sump system. And at this point, I'm open to either way. The goal is to have a stand-alone mechanical system that I can disconnect, dump the old pads, and replace without releasing all the muck into my system (pet peeve). Has anyone done anything similar to this design with a canister? In the bucket, I would run nothing but mechanical foam/floss. This would enable me to close the ball valves and remove it from the system, as well as use all available space in the FX6 for biological media. The tank will house a very large colony of frontosa.

 

[squint]

I like to clean my mechanical filtration frequently as well to remove stuff before it even has a chance to become ammonia. Sump filters usually allow that to be done quickly and easily. Another possibility is a backwashing filter like the Ocean Clear 354.

 

[Drstrangelove]

I'd strongly consider a sump. Filter socks can work on the tank out flow, or you can set up pads, sponges, etc inside a compartment in the sump.

In a properly sized sump, you can also set up a standalone internal box filter (e.g., DIY with a power head), which can be entirely removed from the sump, cleaned and replaced, provided it's not being relied upon for biological filtration.

I'm sure there are more options, so, certainly doable. As you can see, you can even run the internal removable filter in the tank, although some consider it unsightly and my preference is to keep the fish "living area" as undisturbed as possible.

 

[pacu mom]

I run two RTL-25s with a ReeFlo Hammerhead pump on my 300 gallon tank for extreme mechanical filtration. Love RTLs. RTLs come in 25, 50, 75 and 100. RTL-100s have 100 sq ft of 25 micron filter material in each cartridge. The 25 has 25 sq ft. RTLs are frequently found in large reef systems for mechanical filtration. They recommend that the RTLs be plumbed with two valves so the unit can be removed for cleaning. RTLs are predominantly used in spa filtration, but some aquarium supply places now stock them for fish tanks.

http://www.aquapoolstore.com/r172503.html

http://myaquaticsolutions.com/lifegard-aquatics-rtl-75-sq-ft-cartridge-filter/

A guy who sets up and maintains reef tanks for businesses is the one who introduced us to RTLs..in fact he sold us the RTLs and the Hammerhead pump. Best purchase I ever made. I would not consider running a tank without my RTL filters. I am quite a few years into upgrading to our big tank, but when it is set up we will have six RTL-100s doing most of the mechanical filtration.

Another thing you could consider is running an Ultima II 1,000 or 2,000. Ultimas are purged with tank water, so the maintenance is negligible. Squint's recommendation of the back washing Ocean Clean 354 is another good suggestion.

You have a lot of options for great mechanical filtration.

 

[Too Many Kitumbas]

Thanks for the input everyone. While a sump would be ideal, after further measuring my stand, it would be extremely difficult to place any sort of decent sized sump with enough working room to maintain. I like these RTL mechanical tubes. I need to do some more research, but it seems like rigging these inline before reaching my FX's would be ideal. Same concept I'm going for but with a smaller foot print. Not to mention stuffing buckets with regular mech media wont be cleaning on a micron level.

 

[Too Many Kitumbas]

Pacu Mom, how often do you need to replace those cartridges? At 50 a pop that may be a bit too steep for me.

 

[pacu mom]

The man who introduced us to RTLs said to soak in bleach to clean. I've been too lazy to do that, so have just replaced them. I tried soaking in bleach one time and forgot about it for several weeks. By the time I remembered, the plastic parts on the cartridges had disintegrated. The cartridges for the RTL-100s are $70 each, so I'm going to try cleaning them. I think I'm going to try pressure washing and then soaking in bleach. I will make some inquiries about cleaning them and will report back. As far as how often to change them out, that depends on how overstocked the tank is. There was a time I let them go for a couple of months. I change them when I see particulates in the water. Since my fish are humongous now, I see particulates in about 3 weeks time. My cartridges probably should be changed every two weeks., but then they are two small RTL-25s. On the big system I will have six RTL-100s plus two Ultima II 4,000s, so I am not anticipating changing cartridges too frequently.

This is a really gross picture. No wonder I saw particulates in the water. There's even poop on top of the cartridge. So waiting until you see particulates in the water is really not the best way ...... I've been doing it wrong for 13 years

I will call and get a definitive answer on cleaning these cartridges, but I am going to try pressure washing and then bleach for one day only (not soaking in bleach for a month) I think I'll get 2 trash cans--one for bleaching and the other to soak the cartridges in after bleaching. I'll get back to you when I hear from the "experts"

 

[pacu mom]

Just spoke to someone from Aquatic Solutions regarding cleaning of the cartridges. High pressure wash to remove as much of the gunk as possible. If it is really bad (and it will be) soak in bleach and then soak in water with dechlorinator for at least 24 hours to remove the bleach. The cartridges are good for 5 - 6 washings before the material starts to break down. I think I'll get a second cartridge for each RTL filter, and after bleaching, leave them soaking in dechlorinator until I need them again.

 

[Too Many Kitumbas]

Thanks for the incite and pictures! I'll do some more research into these.

 

[pacu mom]

I've been doing more reading on cleaning these. Pressure washing is out..too strong. Using a setting for a jet spray on the hose is recommended to direct the spray between each pleat. I ordered a cartridge cleaner attachment from Amazon to try. It appears that you can clean between six pleats at once. I'll update after I try it.