mini canister plans..

[JEAE21]

lose the bio balls

 

[Dr Joe]

its about 12-14 inches I'd say.

Its emptying a 5g tank in about 2-3minutes with 3 scrubbies in it. What is a good turnover rate? I've read 2-3 times a hour is good. This is probably going to turnover the water 20-30 times a hour. I assume I could fill it with all kinds of ridiculous media and have it still filtering, I just like how fast/strong it is.

The longer the dwell time (the time the water is in the bio-media the better (up to a point of course)), so high turnover rates are not good for them. Reserve high rates for mechanical filtration.

.

lose the bio balls

Improvements... Make sure the sponge is very course.
Loose the carbon unless you have a special need for it.
You can use scrubbies for the whole thing, no need for
bio-balls.
But most of all, use a power head with an aeration
function.

.

Dr Joe

.

 

[oii]

The longer the dwell time (the time the water is in the bio-media the better (up to a point of course)), so high turnover rates are not good for them. Reserve high rates for mechanical filtration.

.



Improvements... Make sure the sponge is very course.
Loose the carbon unless you have a special need for it.
You can use scrubbies for the whole thing, no need for
bio-balls.
But most of all, use a power head with an aeration
function.

.

Dr Joe

.

I didn't plan on having mechanical filtration :-/
and the power head I have has a aeration function but whats the use of it?

 

[Dr Joe]

Bio-material needs to be kept clean, hence the pre-filter. if garbage builds up on the bio-material it can't function properly to remove/convert the ammonia.

The ammonia conversion process uses a lot of oxygen, so added oxygen will help the aerobic bacteria thrive and process the maximum amount of ammonia.

Also is you have to strong of a current in the filter the bacteria will get washed out.

Dr Joe

.

 

[fishdance]

I would remove the spray bar section altogether. If you want oxygenation, just leave the bottom of your filter open so it can splash into your tank. (ie overhead filter). its noisier but you dont need to worry about pressure proofing and its far easier to access for cleaning. In fact, just make your filter a tray and not a cylinder.

If the purpose of your spray bar was to stir up the bottom so dirt is blown into the water column and suspended to be sucked up, you are better off to extend the pipes going to the powerhead so it is sucking dirt. This allows your tank to stay clear.