230 Gallon In the Making Biotype

[Second Hand Pat]

An easy way to make a fluidized bio reactor out of it, would be to remove the two chambers, and wedge 4" thick Poret foam across the sump from top to bottom, making a divider, and extra mechanical filtration in one. Put your Kaldness bio media in the divided area, add air stones, and replace the pre-filter. It may be useful to put Poret foam under this pre-filter to the water line in the reactor as well, to cut out the noise of running water. The water would drain from the tank through your drain hoses, enter the pre-filter, drain into the fluidized Kaldness bio media, leech through the Poret foam into the pump area of the sump, and be pumped back into the tank. It works great, I have my 240 set up this way, only my sump is an old 55 gal. aquarium. (Note: I eventually removed the pre-filter altogether from my setup, and just let the drains exit under water in the reactor to prevent the water noise. All mechanical filtration is done by the Poret divider. It's just much simpler, and the tank water is just as clear. That 4" thick foam traps everything, and can go a long time between cleanings. Amazing stuff. I clean the sump every few months anyway, so it's no big deal.)

Darrell, what do you think about this. Remove the egg crate dividers but keep the tray for a layer of quill batting and IALs. There are two sprays bars above the tray. Add poret foam at the water level below the tray (noise reducer) and the rest as you describe except will not need the airstones.

[Second Hand Pat]

That will be quite a tank Pat! Big as the old fashioned phone booth on it's side. Will look forward to following the tank set up, good luck with it all!
Barb

Thanks Barb, I may need to don scuba tanks to clean the silly thing.

I'm plus one one the fluidized bed idea...I've been running wet/dries for 25 years, and now I'm changing them over one at a time, as I can see the advantages already..P.S. I didn't know you had this one up your sleeve..have fun with it!

Gary, I am running two sumps that the moment. One of them is a wet/dry and the other is the sump from my reef and being run in a similar manner as Darrell describes except I am using a mesh bag for prefiltering and have pot scubbies instead of Kaldness bio media. I have been looking for a 180 for about 6 months and this one became available. I am alittle scared of the 31 inh height. I have not figured out yet how to do wipedowns. Sucks being only 5 feet tall.

[jcardona1]

Cons are they are noisy (some of the newer designs are more quieter), and one or more overflows in the tank and more opportunities for leaks (similar to a canister filter). I am sure there are more and bet more folks will chime in.

Tank looks great Pat! Sumps have no cons IMO, but I'm biased. I hate all other forms of filtration! As for noise, you should run a Herbie overflow on that thing. You'll be glad you did. It will make your setup dead silent! You can also make it even quieter by getting away from the standard wet/dry setup. I like using submerged ceramic media with no drip trays or dividers. Filter pads can be very messy on wet/drys. That's why I love filter socks. They do an amazing job at keeping the water clear. When the clog, the water overflows out of the sock. Just swap it out for a new one and toss them in the washing machine. I've been using sumps for a long time. I've also used several pre-made store bought wet/drys and I've never liked them. I like my design better Easier and cheaper to build, and maintenance is a breeze. The sump stays very clean with no debris build up in the bottom.

[jcardona1]

Gary, I am running two sumps that the moment. One of them is a wet/dry and the other is the sump from my reef and being run in a similar manner as Darrell describes except I am using a mesh bag for prefiltering and have pot scubbies instead of Kaldness bio media. I have been looking for a 180 for about 6 months and this one became available. I am alittle scared of the 31 inh height. I have not figured out yet how to do wipedowns. Sucks being only 5 feet tall.

About fluidized beds and kaldness-type media. They work great, but I think it's overkill for the typical aquarium. These types of systems are great when you have ponds or stock tanks filled with several pounds of large fish that create massive bio loads, like heavily stocked koi ponds. But for a small show tank, it just isn't needed IMO. For example, if you're current setup with pot scrubbies already gives you 0 ammonia/nitrites, you won't get any benefit from going to a fluidized bed with different media. It's just an expense that isn't needed, IMO.

[Darrell Ward]

Darrell, what do you think about this. Remove the egg crate dividers but keep the tray for a layer of quill batting and IALs. There are two sprays bars above the tray. Add poret foam at the water level below the tray (noise reducer) and the rest as you describe except will not need the airstones.

The thing is, the compartment needs hold the Kaldness media, and stay full of water, while the added air keeps the small media rings moving and tumbling at all times, thus the term "fluidized" or moving bed bio reactor. It's highly efficient, and 10 times better than a static based system. Once you try it, you'll never go back to trickle type systems again. This type of system was originally developed in Europe for waste treatment plants.

[jcardona1]

The thing is, the compartment needs hold the Kaldness media, and stay full of water, while the added air keeps the small media rings moving and tumbling at all times, thus the term "fluidized" or moving bed bio reactor. It's highly efficient, and 10 times better than a static based system. Once you try it, you'll never go back to trickle type systems again.

Yeah, you could even use bio balls in a fluidized chamber since they float. They key is that the media has to be buoyant and being constantly agitated, with a strong air pump or power head. You could use any plastic product that floats really. Hair curlers, army men, straws, etc. Kaldness has 260 sq ft of surface area per cubic foot of media. Bio balls have about 160, so the difference in surface area is not that much. You can also use the little plastic beads that are used in pressurized bead filters, those float easily. And they have a surface area of 400, over 1.5x that of Kaldness media.

[Darrell Ward]

Tank looks great Pat! Sumps have no cons IMO, but I'm biased. I hate all other forms of filtration! As for noise, you should run a Herbie overflow on that thing. You'll be glad you did. It will make your setup dead silent! You can also make it even quieter by getting away from the standard wet/dry setup. I like using submerged ceramic media with no drip trays or dividers. Filter pads can be very messy on wet/drys. That's why I love filter socks. They do an amazing job at keeping the water clear. When the clog, the water overflows out of the sock. Just swap it out for a new one and toss them in the washing machine. I've been using sumps for a long time. I've also used several pre-made store bought wet/drys and I've never liked them. I like my design better Easier and cheaper to build, and maintenance is a breeze. The sump stays very clean with no debris build up in the bottom.

I used to run a system similar to yours with the filter socks. In all honesty, filter socks suck! They clog way too easily, and then they don't filter at all. The water just backs up backs up over the rim of the sock, doing nothing. They do this way too often IMO. They also wear out after a few washings, and have to be replaced. That's why I scrapped this type of system after a couple of years. If you like it, that's great. I was just pointing out the major flaw in the design.

[Darrell Ward]

Yeah, you could even use bio balls in a fluidized chamber since they float. They key is that the media has to be buoyant and being constantly agitated, with a strong air pump or power head. You could use any plastic product that floats really. Hair curlers, army men, straws, etc. Kaldness has 260 sq ft of surface area per cubic foot of media. Bio balls have about 160, so the difference in surface area is not that much. You can also use the little plastic beads that are used in pressurized bead filters, those float easily. And they have a surface area of 400, over 1.5x that of Kaldness media.

Yep, you could. The Kaldness works just a bit better, since it's designed to be self cleaning.

[jcardona1]

I used to run a system similar to yours with the filter socks. In all honesty, filter socks suck!

LOL, you sure you were using filter socks? I've had these same set of socks since late '09. They get constantly washed and they're still holding up great. I buy them from mcmaster.com. 25 micron socks. They last about a week before I change them out. As for their filtering ability, you just have to see my tank in person. The water is crystal clear. And of course they're not going to filter anything when it backs up and the water is spilling over the edge. Water takes the path of least resistance. As they clog, the water level rises until it spills over the edge. Then I take 2 minutes of my day to change them. I won't ever run a filter pad or sponge again!

[Darrell Ward]

LOL, you sure you were using filter socks? I've had these same set of socks since late '09. They get constantly washed and they're still holding up great. I buy them from mcmaster.com. 25 micron socks. They last about a week before I change them out. As for their filtering ability, you just have to see my tank in person. The water is crystal clear. And of course they're not going to filter anything when it backs up and the water is spilling over the edge. Water takes the path of least resistance. As they clog, the water level rises until it spills over the edge. Then I take 2 minutes of my day to change them. I won't ever run a filter pad or sponge again!

Oh yeah. McMaster Carr used to send me the same ones from their warehouse in Ga. They filter fine while they are not clogged! LOL! Like I said , if you like them, that's cool. They do work. They are just better ways "to skin a cat" IMO.

[Second Hand Pat]

Thanks Jose and Darrell, thanks for all the great information. Definitely more than one way to skin the cat and all good. Most likely I will do a mix and match for my particular situation.

[Second Hand Pat]

Started tank cleanup this morning. Used the house vac to suck up most of the remaining sand and doing a vinegar wash for the lime buildup. Later will do a beach wash.

So you folks with tall tanks, what do you recommend for arm/hand extenders for cleaning. My first thought was a extra tall kitchen stool and a pair of kitchen tongs. Also anyone with an acrylic tank have recommendations for cleaning tools and/or techniques?

[geodehunter]

What about one of those 2 step folding stools? When you are done with it just throw it in the closet.

[Second Hand Pat]

Robbie, I have one of those for my 24 high 100 gallon. Home depot has a three stepper so considering one of these. This tank with stand is around 6 foot high.

[geodehunter]

Pat, What about one of those ladders that folds out into a scaffolding? That way you could walk back and forth.