fluidized bed filter, comment/suggestions pls.

[terror]

i've search thru the forum regarding fluidized filter.
am thinking of adding 1 to my tank as i have a powerhead that is too strong.

thinking of adding it as extra bio filter.
any suggestions, or comnments.
what are your experiences on using this filter?
what is the media in the container?

also does it easily clog up? how do you prevent it from clogging?

[JSchmidt]

Do you need additional biofiltration? That would be my first question....

FBFs are great biofilters. They can be a bit finicky to set up and run, and a fair number of people who use them occasionally have problems (on restart) with sand getting blown into their tanks.

You also have to prefilter the water entering the FBF so there are no particulates. A prefiltered pump or powerhead is good for this.

There are problems with the media getting compacted if the you lose power to the filter. With no water flow, the sand settles and compacts.

HTH,
Jim

[mogurnda]

FBFs are easy to build, but finicky, and not very useful unless you have a large biological load, such as a wholesaling facility. I tried my hand at them, using both store-bought and DIY, and the DIY is probably better. It's a modification of a standard design, and I can tell you more if you want. The parts consist of 3" clear PVC, an end cap on the botton, and a threded endcap/seat at the top, plus some threaded 1/2" PVC conectors for hookup. Hell, I'll even sell you a chunk of 3" PVC cheap.

Honestly, though, a hobbyist should not need that much biofiltration unless they are way overloaded or have really dirty fish. If your NH3 and NO2 levels are already 0, which they should be, you don't need it. It just becomes another thing to fiddle with. Plus, it will go anaerobic and die if your pumps stops for a prolonged period.

But to answer your questions:
The medium is sand, and I found that the stuff sold for raindow lifeguard filters is far better than the silica normally used. It is lighter and fluidizes much more easily.
If you use something like a Hagen quikfilter as a prefilter, then you won't have too much problem with clogging.
I would also strongly recommend ball valves on the input and output. First, to regulate flow to prevent your sand from blowing into the tank. Second, when it's shut off for maintenance, shutting the valves first makes it much easier to restart.

[elgecko]

I have a Sea Storm 60. It was going to be my only filter in my 40 gallon tank. The Hagen prefilter, when I went to change it, did not trap the fish crap that well and would fall back into the tank. So I ended up placing a Fluval 104 as my mechanical filter.

[ewok]

seems like a waste......

i can't imagine the benefits being worth the hassles in a "normal" home tank. i'm not really familiar with the filter type, so someone can convince me of the benefits if they like............

i think if i was looking for an excess of bio filtration i would try powered rugf first.

there are so many great bio filters out there that are easy to setup and maintain, or even so many great filters out there that you could use specifically for bio filtration. it just seems like the "normal" filters would serve the purpose more than adequately without getting into that type of setup.

just my opinion.......

[terror]

finally got myself a fluidized bed filter:)
it was given to me:D
really excited to use it. how do i clean the filter?
should i sterilize it?

[roliva]

fluidized bed filter is self cleaning since the sand is constantly moving. Only if there are dead spots where sludge will form need cleaning