fluidized bed filter
- Thread starter bkvreef
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3stripedamsel
Member
I had one before for freshwater. Other then occasionally the sand will get into the tank. It works (lifeguard was the one I had)
wattsupdoc
Active Member
This is twicw now Ive heard refference to using sand in a fluidized bed filter. Am I missing something here? It is my understanding that sand does not belong in a FBF. Filtration medis like phosban does. What would the pourpose of that be?
veni vidi vici
Active Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
This is twicw now Ive heard refference to using sand in a fluidized bed filter. Am I missing something here? It is my understanding that sand does not belong in a FBF. Filtration medis like phosban does. What would the pourpose of that be?
If I'm not mistaken it is surface area that the FBF provides for beneficial bacteria to grow in and not so much for chemical filtration.If that makes sense
This is twicw now Ive heard refference to using sand in a fluidized bed filter. Am I missing something here? It is my understanding that sand does not belong in a FBF. Filtration medis like phosban does. What would the pourpose of that be?
If I'm not mistaken it is surface area that the FBF provides for beneficial bacteria to grow in and not so much for chemical filtration.If that makes sense
veni vidi vici
Active Member
"Due to its unique shape, the Fluidized Bed Filter is an extremely efficient ... high capacity "biological" filter. Aquatic organisms excrete toxic ammonia as a metabolic waste product ... with additional ammonia produced as food and other organic matter breaks down and decomposes. This toxic ammonia (NH3) is converted to another toxic compound called nitrite (NO2) by the Nitrosomonas species of bacteria. The nitrite is then converted to a relatively non toxic compound called nitrate (NO3) by the Nitrobacter species of bacteria. This process is known as "nitrification". A "biological" filter is a vessel where nitrification occurs and soluble waste is removed. Beneficial bacteria attach to the media within the Lifegard Fluidized Bed Filter ... creating a thin film around the sand grains. Water is pumped up through the unit... lifting the sand into a "fluidized bed". The beneficial bacteria attached to the media utilize dissolved wastes (ammonia and nitrite), oxygen and other required nutrients from the passing water, converting them to relatively harmless nitrate.
"The sand grains are in continual free fall through the water resulting in an excellent transfer capability between the water and the bacterial film on the media. The enormously high surface area combined with this excellent transfer capability creates the perfect habitat for bacterial growth. In addition, the sand grains bump into each other frequently knocking off excess debris and providing a self cleaning function which allows new areas for bacterial growth. The Fluidized Bed Filter has been tested and proven to supply the highest level of effluent water quality and will respond quickly and efficiently to severe changes in ammonia levels caused by over feeding or the addition of too many fish at one time. To obtain highest water quality ... a Fluidized Bed Filter should be part of your filtration system."
"The sand grains are in continual free fall through the water resulting in an excellent transfer capability between the water and the bacterial film on the media. The enormously high surface area combined with this excellent transfer capability creates the perfect habitat for bacterial growth. In addition, the sand grains bump into each other frequently knocking off excess debris and providing a self cleaning function which allows new areas for bacterial growth. The Fluidized Bed Filter has been tested and proven to supply the highest level of effluent water quality and will respond quickly and efficiently to severe changes in ammonia levels caused by over feeding or the addition of too many fish at one time. To obtain highest water quality ... a Fluidized Bed Filter should be part of your filtration system."
bkvreef
Member
Originally Posted by wattsupdoc
This is twicw now Ive heard refference to using sand in a fluidized bed filter. Am I missing something here? It is my understanding that sand does not belong in a FBF. Filtration medis like phosban does. What would the pourpose of that be?
Are you thinking of a filter like a Phos - Ban filter?
This is twicw now Ive heard refference to using sand in a fluidized bed filter. Am I missing something here? It is my understanding that sand does not belong in a FBF. Filtration medis like phosban does. What would the pourpose of that be?
Are you thinking of a filter like a Phos - Ban filter?
wattsupdoc
Active Member
Originally Posted by bkvreef
Are you thinking of a filter like a Phos - Ban filter?
Yes like phos-ban, rowaphos, phosgaurd, anything like that. Including carbon. I dont think that the chemi-clean (By Boyds interprises) stuff can be ran in it efficiently because you have to leave it in the bag. But I dunno about chemi-pure. There are some other chemical filtration media also that can be used in it. I agree that there might be good bio-filtration through the FBF. But, IMO, bio-filtration is better to be left to other things. And the benefits of running chemical filtration media through it, seems more of a suiting task for it. Not to mention, that sugar sized sand will make it past the foam filter to be released in the DT. Aragonite,or other larger sized ganules wouldnt.
Are you thinking of a filter like a Phos - Ban filter?
Yes like phos-ban, rowaphos, phosgaurd, anything like that. Including carbon. I dont think that the chemi-clean (By Boyds interprises) stuff can be ran in it efficiently because you have to leave it in the bag. But I dunno about chemi-pure. There are some other chemical filtration media also that can be used in it. I agree that there might be good bio-filtration through the FBF. But, IMO, bio-filtration is better to be left to other things. And the benefits of running chemical filtration media through it, seems more of a suiting task for it. Not to mention, that sugar sized sand will make it past the foam filter to be released in the DT. Aragonite,or other larger sized ganules wouldnt.
dandsbernardo
Member
i am currently building a fluidized sand bed filter for my tank as part of a sump system, it helps with alot more than just biological filtration, so far the best media i have used is diatomatious earth, ( like in a pool filter)huge surface area, but more of a chance of getting some of it into your tank due to the small size. i have seen people put a screen on their filters. i am using a fluval 403 as chemical filtration, using the larger medias for phosphate and nitrate removal, along with a sump to grow beneficial copepods in the refugium, only issue would be that the fluval and the DE filter may remove the microscopic animals that the corals and other animals feed on.
snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
A DE filter is not made to be ran constantly in a reef tank. It's primarily ran to clear up the water column of all particulate matter before photo shoots and live shows. You need particulate matter in the water column for your corals to eat.
A fluidized bed filter does not remove nitrate, it simply processes ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate. Nitrate is still left in the water. A FSBF does not improve water quality and should not take the place of live rock in a reef aquarium.
Fish stores may use them to process ammonia spikes from large amounts of fish being in the water, sometimes more and sometimes less fish. Then you would need a FSBF depending on the setup. You may also see them in some setups that contain a lot of fish with a large volume of water and very very little live rock, such as a shark tank.
You should only use an approved media in a commercial FSBF, and not replace it with a different media. They make Phosphate reactors, which are much better suited for phosphate removal media and they make carbon filters which are also well suited for their application. Buy the proper equipment for the proper media and you won't have any problems.
Then again, all I can do is tell ya'll from my experience - it's up to you to take it or leave it.
A fluidized bed filter does not remove nitrate, it simply processes ammonia into nitrite and then into nitrate. Nitrate is still left in the water. A FSBF does not improve water quality and should not take the place of live rock in a reef aquarium.
Fish stores may use them to process ammonia spikes from large amounts of fish being in the water, sometimes more and sometimes less fish. Then you would need a FSBF depending on the setup. You may also see them in some setups that contain a lot of fish with a large volume of water and very very little live rock, such as a shark tank.
You should only use an approved media in a commercial FSBF, and not replace it with a different media. They make Phosphate reactors, which are much better suited for phosphate removal media and they make carbon filters which are also well suited for their application. Buy the proper equipment for the proper media and you won't have any problems.
Then again, all I can do is tell ya'll from my experience - it's up to you to take it or leave it.
dandsbernardo
Member
thnaks for all the info. origanlly i was going to use it as a temporary water polisher, something that i can instal and remove, due to limited space in my sump area. i agree to using the proper equipment for the proper media mostly. if you understand the concept and your a bit creative you could build the exact same peice of equipment that may cost a first born and maybe your arm.