Moving Bed Filter

[aeri]

I intended for this thread to have ideas challenged, not people.

I mainly wanted to know what would be the most effective use of the first empty chamber in my sump without the need for extra costs or redesign. The effectiveness of my WD/sump has been doing more than great with my bioload, but I figured I may as well make use of some empty space.

Obviously, a redesign, or FBF, or pounds of siporax whatnot would be ideal. But I just wanted to hear some suggestions on what would be a cheap addition to my existing (ugly DIY) design.

I don't have a gunshop near my place...they're somewhat hard to find in Canada since it's kinda sorta maybe illegal. I've seen straws as a good alternative, but wouldn't they have the problem of staying afloat all the time? I was thinking of collecting plastic bottle caps as an option. But that makes me wonder, is it better to cut them up to reduce clogging? Or is that only better as a wet/dry? Because a full bottle cap submerged, may make better use of its surface area by being easily pushed around like a moving bed.

I've considered small bioballs as well, but they seem to be rising in price lately ($19.99CAD for 1gallon).

Or...should I just stick a filter sock on it and consider it done?

 

[Ramesh]

If your serious about better filtration the first thing you should do is redesign your sump the first section isn't doing anything.
If you don't want to redesign the layout then have the inflowing water from the tank coming into the sump from the bottom of the first chamber by drilling the tank.
That way the water would be actually moving through the media in the first chamber.

 

[CHOMPERS]

I intended for this thread to have ideas challenged, not people.
...I don't have a gunshop near my place...

Well that's kind of extreme.

Or...should I just stick a filter sock on it and consider it done?

A sock(s) would be a nice addition to your filter, but the top brace will be a problem. Before you go cutting it, glue another piece of acrylic on top of it to make up for the lost material from fitting the sock.

 

[aeri]

I'm an extreme guy.

glue another piece of acrylic on top of it to make up for the lost material from fitting the sock.

The top brace was pretty annoying, which was the main reason why my silicone job is so bloody ugly (chose silicone instead of weld like I should've because I didn't want permanent). I can't quite picture this :l. glue another piece of acrylic on top of ...?

 

[CHOMPERS]

I can't quite picture this :l. glue another piece of acrylic on top of ...?

Over the area of the brace over the first chamber. Then you drill through both pieces of acrylic for the sock using a hole saw. I think it is a four inch hole, but double check first. You can get a set of hole saws from Harborfreight.com for $5 plus shipping.

You will also need to add a three sided splash/overflow wall around the sock hole. The side towards the opening of the filter should not have a splash wall because if the sock cloggs, you want the water to spill into the filter.

 

[justin guest]

I intended for this thread to have ideas challenged, not people.

I understand why the Rat thinks this type of filter may be very effective. Before I started working in the aquatic industry in Germany I thought all new filter concepts coming out of Germany must be thoroughly thought through. After 10 years in the industry over here I´ve come to realise that that´s just not the case. As for alternatives, basically the bioloading per filter volume for fluidised plastic media just isn´t as good as many other types of filters and the trend in germany is moving back to basics... Trickle towers, non moving immersed media, etc.

j<><

 

[Dr Joe]

 

[peterp63]

The idea behind the moving bed is that the older bacteria that is dead or not as effective is sluffed off during the movement of the bed. That allows for new, more robust bio to colonize in its place. As for aeration, the movement is typically performed via air bubbler of some sort which would provide excellent aeration in the chamber (or a pump/power head). In my opinion it's worth a shot. What can you lose? Also, instead of using cut up straws and bottle caps, why not just buy a bit of that kaldnes stuff and call it good??

I'm redoing my sump to include filter socks to catch particulates first, then flowing through a moving bed bio filter, then flowing over to a filter pad, and out to my pump. Gonna be grand!

 

[peterp63]

And the best thing is you never need to clean out the bio media. Yeah, the mechanical (sock filters and filter pads) will need to be changed out or rinsed, but the moving bed is self cleaning. Who can say that about a trickle filter????

 

[KaiserSousay]

the moving bed is self cleaning. Who can say that about a trickle filter????

I question that.
There will always be some detritus sloughing off of the media.
The filter socks, though very good, will still allow particulate to pass and that will settle where ever it can.
It might take quite a while for the area to need cleaning, but cleaning it will need to be done at some point.
I know, PICKY-PICKY.....
I do like the idea of the moving bed.
When setting up a sump many get a pump that has an excess of flow. That excess is usually diverted back through the sump with no other use than to control the volume going back to the tank. This excess could be the "driver" for this form of filter.
For a sump based system, run by those who feel the need for excessive amounts of bio media, you could do allot worse than setting one of these up.