Pump for fluidized bed

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DertyMerv

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 27, 2014
14
5
3
washington state
Do you have to use an air pump to fluidize the bed or can you use a small sump pump?

My sump has a wet/dry chamber above the bed so i was hoping that would be enough to oxygenate the water.
 
I first started with an air pump and now use a water pump just because the air pump ended up being a pos. looking at the media it seemed the air pump was better with bacteria on the media but I've not had any issue with it at all, I think my water pump pushed the media around a little harder and it all does not look like it did with the air pump, all I can say is if you get an air pump get a linear piston setup that will last a long time. water pump is quieter as well with moving the media around for some reason.
 
Do you really need to put new socks on your feet today or will you be ok for a few more days in the same ones?

The whole point of a moving bed is to saturate with air providing an oxygen rich environment.

Obviously they still work if they aren't used the way they were designed, just like using army men for bio. You could pile the stuff in a wet/dry and it would still work, but just like everything else out there you'll probably get best results if it is used as intended.
 
I second DB. Get yourself a big Alita or Jehmco air pump, PVC skeleton, and see what we all rave about. FBF are the truth.
 
I use a water pump. but either way can work.
And although the benificial bacteria in the reactor are aerobic, saturating with air is not really the main point, especially if using a sump, you want the water exchange from the main tank cycling thru the fluidized media.
Keeping the media in constant motion so old bacteria slough off, leaving the robust bacteria to do its job as water moves thru as new food is passed by them is more to the point.
Because my fluidized bed stands about 4ft tall and is outside my sump, I have a flow of about 500GPH pushing thru the media at all times.
And because I use about 5 lbs of aragonite sand as media, it not only acts as a biological reactor, the aragonite is also an alkalinity/pH buffer.

 
I understand your point DB and in the end i may go that route. The tank is set in the wall that divides my living room and bedroom so I was hoping to eliminate a noisy air pump for a quieter option. If the point of having the air pump is only to move the media around and oxygenate the water. Both of those things can be achieved without using a noisy air pump and 2 small sump pumps would prolly use less electricity than one beefy air pump.

A small sump pump or powerhead set inside the bed chamber would be silent and more than likely provide enough water movement to fluidize the bed. That doesnt do anything for the oxygenation of the water though. A common misconception about air pumps and stones is that they are good at oxygenating water. Which is true but, they arent actually the best most efficient way to oxygenate water. the best most efficient way is drops hitting the water or constant movement at the surface like what happens in a wet/dry or an oldschool HOB filter. Again a small sump pump that either pumps water back through the wet dry portion of the filter or just pumps it above the water line and sprays it back in would be more efficient way of "oxygenating" the water, and it would eliminate the noise of the air pump.

Appreciate the responses I have a few things im going to try before resorting to a big air pump. Been taking pics along the way will post it/them in a couple weeks once its up and cycling.
 
I'm NOT an aquaculturist. I don't work for a zoo. I actually don't even have any credentials that would lead anyone to believe I know my arse from a hole in the ground when it comes to this kind of stuff. So why would you listen to me? I'll tell you why- 95% of the people on this forum think that just cause something works for them means it's "right" when in all reality they are sadly mistaken.

I urge you to do what I did, contact the experts. Contact the people that sell and use the best of the best to support aquatic creatures around the world - Any time I had questions or saw conflicting info from people that just regurgitate the same old garbage day in and day out on this site I called Aquatic Eco Systems. I trust them to set me straight and they were always VERY helpful in explaining how stuff is designed to work and what the best approach is.

For the record all my tanks upstairs run off air pumps in the basement with airlines running up through holes in the floor some the same holes that were used to run coax for TVs. Are the airpumps loud? No louder then a canister filter.
 
I have two cheap 400GPH pond pumps in my FBF along with a dozen rubber pond air diffusers supplied by an AP100 air pump. 100 liters of K1. My sump is a 100 gal Rubbermaid. I like the extra agitation.
 
I wrote this earlier in another post asking about pumps,

DIDYSIS said:
I would recommend getting a Linear Piston air pump,NOT!!! one of those Pondmaster (Ap 100) pumps they are junk!!!!! Customer service wont even try to help you with your setup or explain what possibly you can do to make your pump last longer pressure wise or anything. I got one and it lasted 10 months and that was with 2 diaphragm kits one at about 4 months old and the other at about 9 months old and different adjustments to try to get it working well to last longer as they said it should, finally they sent a new one to me as the old one just burned up and would not run at all, second one lasted longer and only needed one diaphragm at about 9 months but them again after about 13 months again stopped working, shaved the internals down and sent metal shavings all through my tank, thank goodness I run a drip or it would have killed everything. I was told it probably can be rebuilt and ran again (want it ill send it for a good price) and I have 2 or 3 rebuild kits but that's just stupid if a pump cant even last a year without service and then has a problem to the point of eating its own metal components and sending them into your tank, I talked to them after the first one broke and they said that i should see three years without issue or needing a new diaphragm, well not even close is the results I got with two different pumps, Ap 100s, I asked about how I could set it up better and they said they didn't know and couldn't advise me at all. Seems odd for a company to make a product and then they cant help you set it up or advise you about a problem and make it better. Just seemed so stupid that they don't have anyone to help you with any questions about pressure or back pressure or pipe sizing or anything to help it run as needed.

if you do get a diaphragm pump don't buy a pond master and try one from Jehmco, they will at least help you and give you recommendations and what to make your pump last and yoursetup work as you want it to. And they actually help people did I mention that.

Myself I gave up and am running a water pump that has caused my 0 problems and just keeps going without any issues, if I did buy an air pump again I would get a piston air pump from jehmco or other but probably jehmco just so I can get help on how to run the pump and make it last as long as possible. This is my story and im glad im done with that stupid air pump from Pond Master I would never recommend anyone to buy one, yes the price looks good but that's about it.

http://www.jehmco.com/html/central_air_pumps.html
Click to expand...
 
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