Trickle Material for filter? Design questions..

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cbr shadow

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 28, 2013
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Schaumburg, IL
I'm finished with my DIY wet/dry EXCEPT I need to figure out the trickling over the bio balls.
I'm currently using a piece of 1/8" acrylic that I cut to size and drilled a bunch of 3/8" holes into (roughly 400 holes). It is only flat acrylic without a rim or a pan shape, so lots of water is going to pour through the gaps at the edge of the plate. I'd rather have some type of pan shape, but it's difficult since it's a custom size so I wont be able to find just a rubbermaid drawer or something.

An idea I'm toying with is using the PVC film used for shower floors. I could fold that into a pan or bowl-shape and drill holes through that. The only issue would be getting it to hold that shape with some kind of fastener. Staples will rust, anything metal is probably out of the question... thoughts?

Also are there any other ideas for what I could do? I've put a lot of work/time/money into this now so I'd like it to be as efficient as possible.

It's completed except for that drip plate.
So far:
75 gallon tank
(4) 7"x16" filter socks (100 micron)
15 gallons of bioballs
Mag 18 pump

This is going on a 220 gallon reef ready setup (72x24x30)View attachment 901285
 
Well you have quite a few issues with your design. First is the fact that your socks are above the top of the tank, when they clog and overflow (and they will at some point) you will have a huge mess. Second is your bio balls are going to be submerged which they are meant to be used above the water line. No reason for trickle if they are already in the water. Also 400 x 3/8 holes in the drip plate you have is way to much and to big. You would need at most around 200 x 1/8 holes if that many. I like to start with less and smaller then I think I will need and then once its in place and running I will modify the holes from there.

Heres one I made recently from a 55g, it utilizes 4 x 4 inch filter socks, 2 per side and 12g of bio balls.
uploadfromtaptalk1365436145197.jpg

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I have the same issue with my DIY drip plate- in addition to my son leaning on it and giving it a big fat crack down the middle.
I've been looking for a Rubbermaid lid or similar to fit in, but since it's a custom size it's hard to do.
If you have the time, I suppose a fiberglass one-off would work.
I am also going to see what happens when I seal around the tray with hot glue.
 
Thanks for the responses so far.
The bioballs are only partially submerged. The water line will cover about 10% of the bioballs, the rest will be above the water line.
I agree about the poor placement of the filter socks. I'll be proactive with keeping them clear, but I would think that with my low flow-rate plus there being (4) 7"x16" socks it will be a very long time before they overflow.

Any ideas on the drip plate though?
 
Also good catch on the drip plate holes. I meant 3/16", not 3/8" holes. There are around 400 3/16" holes in the current drip plate, which sounds like still too much based on what you're saying.
arrghh I'm frustrated because I've put a lot of time/money into this design but it's looking like it may not be a good way to go. Yours looks great - trade? :)
 
If you lay a piece of blue/white filter floss over your drip tray it will wick water away from the edges and disperse it over the whole plate better. A simple bead of silicon just under the tray and around the edges will also work well.

You can also try rubber vacuum tubing from Autozone split down one side and then placed over the edges of the drip tray to give it a rubber edge. Use a little silcone to help hold it on.
 
Well from the looks of your pic around 75% of your bio balls will be underwater as you will need around 8 or 9" of water for the pump. And everyone trys to be proactive with thier filter sock changes but you will overflow them at some point and when it does with that setup it will be a huge mess and it will ruin your pump and possibly cause your fish to die. As far as drip tray there is many different ways. One easy way is just use a plate with holes and then make a silicone bead all around for it to sit against at the level it is held up. You can also make a drip tray with sides completely from scratch with acrylic and weld on. I used modified acrylic picture frames on the one in the pic.

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Also, there's an easy way to fix your filter sock situation using zip ties. Drill four small holes (RED ARROW) in the plastic rim of each filter sock. Then you can lower them under the PVC frame and zip tie them (ORANGE) to the PVC frame.

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cbr shadow said:
arrghh I'm frustrated because I've put a lot of time/money into this design but it's looking like it may not be a good way to go.
Click to expand...

We've all been there.

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sincebeen said:
Also, there's an easy way to fix your filter sock situation using zip ties. Drill four small holes (RED ARROW) in the plastic rim of each filter sock. Then you can lower them under the PVC frame and zip tie them (ORANGE) to the PVC frame.
Click to expand...

Not recommended as that would make it a huge PITA to change filter socks. Imagine trying to replace 16 zip ties everytime and doing that while inside a stand.

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