New filter design

[joey02]

Good stuff! Keep the updates coming. Joey do you agree with the 40/60 ratio?

That depends on the design of the chamber the K1 is in. I have learned that the in/out flow from the overflow of the tank water has a huge impact on the K1. Also to be considered is how much air it takes to fluidize it, to what ratio you can have, to how it will suspend/fluidize in the water. The shape of the chamber also has an impact, as well as the method you choose to fluidize it. Whether by air, or current.

I would also say that there are optimal levels of K1 Ratio to water, but again, depends on setup. I think a good starting point is 40% K1 to 60% water. Then gradually add to it every other day until you have reached maximum amount of K1. Then you'll know the ratio based on your setup.

Currently, i'm running at a ratio of 40/60. 20 gallons of media to 30 gallons of water. But i had to change my air flow around to get it like that. Running the perimeter of the tank didnt work so well. But running it in the shape of a capital "T" did. Now if i change my setup around, to fix some of my issues, i will be able to increase that ratio. To run at a ration of 40/60, i needed around 1 LPM of air per liter of media. (almost all my flow from my 90 LPM pump)

I am currently working on completely changing my setup i have now. What i am currently working with, is a failed effort to combine a wet/dry and fluidized filter, with the wet/dry being the second chamber. So i changed things based on what i could do at the time.

My next design will be much better i think. I just have to wait for more parts to arrive. I will have this done within 2 weeks.

 

[Egon]

That depends on the design of the chamber the K1 is in. I have learned that the in/out flow from the overflow of the tank water has a huge impact on the K1. Also to be considered is how much air it takes to fluidize it, to what ratio you can have, to how it will suspend/fluidize in the water. The shape of the chamber also has an impact, as well as the method you choose to fluidize it. Whether by air, or current.

I would also say that there are optimal levels of K1 Ratio to water, but again, depends on setup. I think a good starting point is 40% K1 to 60% water. Then gradually add to it every other day until you have reached maximum amount of K1. Then you'll know the ratio based on your setup.

Currently, i'm running at a ratio of 40/60. 20 gallons of media to 30 gallons of water. But i had to change my air flow around to get it like that. Running the perimeter of the tank didnt work so well. But running it in the shape of a capital "T" did. Now if i change my setup around, to fix some of my issues, i will be able to increase that ratio. To run at a ration of 40/60, i needed around 1 LPM of air per liter of media. (almost all my flow from my 90 LPM pump)

I am currently working on completely changing my setup i have now. What i am currently working with, is a failed effort to combine a wet/dry and fluidized filter, with the wet/dry being the second chamber. So i changed things based on what i could do at the time.

My next design will be much better i think. I just have to wait for more parts to arrive. I will have this done within 2 weeks.

Great! I'm looking forward to what you come up with.

 

[joey02]

Here is a look at what i have now:

Very simple layout. Water flows under the first baffle, and then under the next.

My issue with this design is that the water flow coming out from under the first baffle is effecting the K1. The flow is lifting the k1 off of the bottom of the tank. It almost appears as if the water is just flowing right under the k1. Then most of the k1 seems to bunch up on the left side of the chamber. No matter how i run the air, i get this issue. Also, i get clogging on under the second baffle.

I need something better.

so here is my new design idea:

there will still be two baffles. Both will be touching the bottom of the tank unlike the previous design. This means water cannot flow under the baffle. Instead, i will be adding two 1.5" bulkheads to the bottom of the baffle. water will have to flow threw these to get to the other side. Once the water flows threw the bulkheads, the water will travel up two standpipes and exit at the top threw 90 degree elbows. The standpipes will not be as high as they are in the pic though. This will solve my issue with the water flow lifting the k1 off of the bottom of the tank. It will also help disperse the water flow out a lot more, so that the flow has very little impact on the K1. This will give me more control over how the K1 fluidizes. It will also disperse the water threw the k1 to insure maximum contact with the k1.

The next baffle will run on the same concept. Instead of the water flowing under the baffle, it will also have to flow threw the standpipes. To insure there is no clogging, and the the is not taken from just one area, i will drill holes in the standpipes for the water to flow threw.

The end result should be a chamber that is not affected by the flow of the water form the aquarium above. Giving me more control over how the K1 fluidizes. I should also be able to add more k1 to the chamber. I will also be able to clean the pre filter without turing the filter off as well, which i cannot do now.

 

[pshtex]

from what i under stand the k1 media is quite light and in your new design i see the media will be able to get stuck to the second standpipe what if u added that egg crate screen mesh combo a few inches before the second stand pipe to reduce the amount of suction the media will be exposed to. just a thought cause i have never worked with K1 media before


does K1 media do mechanical filtration also??

 

[joey02]

from what i under stand the k1 media is quite light and in your new design i see the media will be able to get stuck to the second standpipe what if u added that egg crate screen mesh combo a few inches before the second stand pipe to reduce the amount of suction the media will be exposed to. just a thought cause i have never worked with K1 media before


does K1 media do mechanical filtration also??

There will be a a lot of holes in those standpipes. The holes will be just smaller than the k1. There should be enough holes that each hole shouldnt offer much suction. I will also have air bubbles under the pipes to brush off the k1. Only one way to find out if it will work though.

K1 can be a mechanical media as well, but it would have to be in static state, not moving. I have read that k1 as a mechanical media works very well actually.

My diagrams do not show prefilter, as they were not needed to explain new layout. But for mechanical, i will be doing sponges and filter socks.

 

[epond83]

Why not just put in another baffle an inch away from the first that goes to the bottom and then water flow over the top?

 

[soul_assassin]

Why not just put in another baffle an inch away from the first that goes to the bottom and then water flow over the top?

Or, take the left baffle out and move it all the way down to the botttom, this way the water will be coming from the bottom right side, up mingling with k1 and flowing down to your pump area. With a mesh screen on top to prevent the k1 from falling as well. This will eliminate all the pipes.

and, how about placing another air blowing pipe in the middle of the K1 area along the width of the tank like you have/had them b4 to give the k1 more movement?

Another thing I noticed in your plan to knock off the k1 from the suction left pipe with air is that a lot of air will probably be alos sucked in, thus placing a lot or air in pump section and maybe tank?

 

[joey02]

Why not just put in another baffle an inch away from the first that goes to the bottom and then water flow over the top?

That could work as well. I would have to see how it effects the k1 first. I think i would have to run the extra baffle all the way to the top of the tank so it were to not have any impact on the K1. This would also take away for available space for K1. I would still have the issue on the other baffle as well though.

Or, take the left baffle out and move it all the way down to the botttom, this way the water will be coming from the bottom right side, up mingling with k1 and flowing down to your pump area. With a mesh screen on top to prevent the k1 from falling as well. This will eliminate all the pipes.

and, how about placing another air blowing pipe in the middle of the K1 area along the width of the tank like you have/had them b4 to give the k1 more movement?

Another thing I noticed in your plan to knock off the k1 from the suction left pipe with air is that a lot of air will probably be alos sucked in, thus placing a lot or air in pump section and maybe tank?

If i allow the water to flow over to the pump area, all of the K1 will try to go with it. I have tried this already with my original design when i had a wet/dry in this filter. It doesn't work well at all i found. Long term, i risk the net clogging as well.

I have since moved the airlines around to form a "T". One air line runs the width of the tank at the exit, and one runs right down the center. This is working much better, but i am still not satisfied with the over all results.

K1 is 10mm in diameter, and 8mm in width. The holes i plan to make in the standpipes are to be 6mm. Now on two 1.5" stand pipes that are each 18" tall, i can make a lot of those holes. There wont be a lot of suction on those holes due to the shear number on them. I dont think a lot of k1 will actually get stuck on it. The air bubbles that i am creating are large ones. They travel up the water column fast enough not to get sucked in im guessing.

The bulkheads are now on there way. More acrylic and other supplies are already here. So i'll attempt this idea, and see what happens.

If i dont get the results we want to see, then i'll be doing epond83's idea to run the extra baffle on the right side. But will have to figure out something for the left side still. If i do the net idea, i'll need a large pore net. And will have to secure it in place very tight, as the k1 will build up there and eventually rip it down.

 

[joey02]

[YT]GeyinTwGbZ0[/YT]

 

[Egon]

I love the vids!