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Thread: Just for the record

  1. #1
    Registered Member Cosmo's Avatar
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    Wink Just for the record

    I haven't mentioned this as of yet, although it is rather obvious in the pics.

    Yes, it is an undergravel filter, but, it is the evolution of undergravel filters, not your father's undergravel filter. The idea was born many many years ago when I was a moderator on BIDKA though I think we had parted ways before I actually implemented it.

    Substrate is composed of about 30% fine gravel, and 70% Eheim bio media (ehfimech, ehfisubstrat, and ehfisubstrat pro). The air is provided by a Linear Piston Pump that puts out 26liters of air per minute (via Jehmco) so the flow of the water through the substrate is always considerable. The outflow is directed in 12 different directions, so water distribution is unparalled. I estimate the bio media is the equivelant of approx. 13 Eheim cannister filters, give or take.

    The entire bottom of the tank is vacuumed daily during water changes to remove uneaten food and turds etc. which is the rough equivelant of cleaning the media in your cannisters on a daily basis.

    It keeps the water pristine, and the fish are thriving, but to be honest I wouldn't do it again. The bio media is expensive, and, the vacuuming is considerably more work than that of a BB tank. Having said that, I have no plans of removing the media as of this time at least.

    Now I have to write Paul Butler and let him know I've "come out of the closet" as he said he wants to get in on giving me **** as he is sure many of you will do
    ... Born under a Bad Sign ...

  2. #2
    Registered Member rickztahone's Avatar
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    Default Re: Just for the record

    What pics Jim?

    Click here to view my 75g Acrylic Tank w/ Bean Animal Overflow with 40g Sump Thread

    Also, click here for my 25 group of discus grow out thread


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  3. #3
    Registered Member Cosmo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Just for the record

    all the fish pics I've posted Ricardo, they all show the substrate and the lift tubes. Maybe more obvious to me :P
    ... Born under a Bad Sign ...

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    Default Re: Just for the record

    Sometimes I throw a few handfuls of biomedia into a tank just to keep it going until it is needed, and I thought thats what you were doing. I have read about reverse-flow undergravel filters where you use a pump instead of air, which makes sense as it would tend to keep food & turds from getting down into the recesses. Not giving you **** but it would be pretty easy to put a little pump on it and flip it around. Tempted?

    A long time ago when UG filters were all the rage you could buy these kits that were a bunch of rigid perforated tubing with little elbows and unions. The idea was you cut the tubing to fit your tank and make a grid. I built one for a 90g tank but I had the tubing way too far apart, about 5 inches, and there were only two lift tubes in the back corners. I guess it worked but I killed plenty of fish... hardly ever changed any water.

  5. #5
    Registered Member Cosmo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Just for the record

    Quote Originally Posted by DJW View Post
    Sometimes I throw a few handfuls of biomedia into a tank just to keep it going until it is needed, and I thought thats what you were doing. I have read about reverse-flow undergravel filters where you use a pump instead of air, which makes sense as it would tend to keep food & turds from getting down into the recesses. Not giving you **** but it would be pretty easy to put a little pump on it and flip it around. Tempted?

    A long time ago when UG filters were all the rage you could buy these kits that were a bunch of rigid perforated tubing with little elbows and unions. The idea was you cut the tubing to fit your tank and make a grid. I built one for a 90g tank but I had the tubing way too far apart, about 5 inches, and there were only two lift tubes in the back corners. I guess it worked but I killed plenty of fish... hardly ever changed any water.
    I thought of the cleaning issue, which is why I created the "Mother of all Syphon Tubes" <echo><echo><echo> I have a 30 inch python gravel tube hooked up to about 10 feet of Eheim 5/8ths tubing which connects via Eheim quick connects under the tank to a 3/4in PVC drain line that runs down between the walls and empties into a drain in the basement bathroom. If I were an engineer I could calculate how much water weight was pulling the turds etc out of the gravel, but I have timed the flow at approx 7.5gpm. My greatest concern is not allowing the substrate to travel all the way up the tube and go down the drain, though that does happen at times. the syphon is so strong it hurts my palm if I use my hand to switch it from one side of the euro top to the other, and since the water travels about 25 feet down, I can actually lift the tube out of the water, let it completely drain, and put it back in and reestablish the syphon so long as the last of the water hasn't hit the basement yet. It's actually pretty cool - the substrate spins around inside the tube like a washing machine lol I'll have to make a vid of it one of these days.

    I remember those grids you're talking about - way too much work and I never liked the idea of pushing the detritus back into the water column. They also had kits for power heads to reverse the flow but never tried those either. With the 26lpm Linear Piston Pump, there is more than enough air to keep the water moving down through the substrate and hold the **** there until it's vacuum time bwahahaha
    ... Born under a Bad Sign ...

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