TUBING AS FILTRATION?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
S

SemperFish

Gambusia
MFK Member
Dec 25, 2007
743
0
16
Hubert, NC
I was using some wiring loom to manage all the wires for my filters and lighting when I saw all the mung growing in my clear filter tubing. How much bio filtration potential is growing in our hoses? If I ran say 20 feet of tubing in and out of my filters would it make any difference? Would that corrugated type hose improve it? I dont have much more space available for more filtration but if it would have any effect I could easily zig zag tubing along the back of my aquarium stand on its way to the filter.
Crackpot ot Jackpot?
 
Not sure what "mung" is, but in theory you could put bio-media in a hose and run water through it. It would serve the same purpose as a canister filter. But, how would you ever clean it? Plus I think it would be tough to get a decent flow through a tube filled with bio-media.
 
It's true that any surface that supports bacterial growth will act as biomedia. However, increasing tubing length is not the right approach. First, tubing is a completely two-dimensional surface, and as such, does not provide enough surface area to compensate for the problems it causes. The major problem is resistance to flow. The longer the length, the more resistance and this adds up quickly. So, you would gain some biologically active surface area, but you would slow down the movement of water through the system....perhaps dramatically. With regard to the corrugated tubing, the depressions will quickly fill with crud and this will choke-off much of the aerobic bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle. This is why surfaces that allow the collection of sediment are not good for use as biomedia. Get some Ehfisubstrat Pro.
 
Wow, good and fast responses. MFK is awesome. Your responses make alot of sense and explains why I havent seen it done already. Oh, and by "mung" I meant the slimy crud that grows in my hoses.
Anyone have any unconventional "space saving" filtration ideas?
 
get better bio media.
 
Look up a coil denitrator. It works on this principal but takes it to the next step. Although tubes dont have alot of surface area they are completely air tight aka no source of oxygen. Now most people would say "No you want oxygen!" which is true for converting ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate but what few know is that in water with no oxygen another kind of bacteria can grow. This bacterial eats Nitrate! The full concept of this device requires a lengthy explanation but its a very interesting idea. I built one but I do not have a strong enough pump.

Just something to think about.
 
however tubing as a normal bio filtration system is incredably inefficient
 
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