Odyssea CFS 500 Can-filter review and circumference modification

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thebrandon

thebrandon

I like fish
Jan 29, 2009
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Tucson, AZ
I wasn't understanding why you were modding really. The filter it self seems like it would work fine. After actually reading your first post, this made it a bit clearer.

"Unlike the Sunsun the CFS 500 is a bottom pump design that pulls water from top to bottom and potentially from all directions if modified. "

Your mods are beginning to make more sense now.
 
CWO4GUNNER

CWO4GUNNER

USN/USCG 1974-2004 Weps
Apr 18, 2009
4,270
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Bullhead AZ
cwo4gunnerguscgretired.blogspot.com
The irony is that if they had only made the sponge 1/2 inch smaller in diameter with a plastic cage to hold it, it would pull water from all sides and have 4X times the stock surface area with room to add poly-blanket. God willing I hope to have a cage made up and cycling soon to see results.
 
nc0gnet0

nc0gnet0

Discus Breeder
Oct 31, 2009
577
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Grand Rapids
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Rick
Not a fan of the fluval 404 gunner, and yes, I do have two of them. Pretty poor performance IMHO. As much as I love the fx5, the rest of fluvals line is pretty lackluster. No offense to your cart mod, but the flow rate isn't up to snuff for larger tanks IMHO.

On another note, one of my local LFS's uses an fx5 stuffed with custom cut polyfill to polish all thier tanks, and the water sparkles when they are done. They have a somewhat central system, with the exception of the fact that only eight tanks are on one central filter. What I want to accomplish is something along that line, a portable high flow rate water polisher that doesn't need to run 24/7 to do its job.
 
koipoloi

koipoloi

Something fishy here.
Sep 17, 2009
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Alex
I would love to see some kind of real world comparison between this mod and the stock config. Something like add 4oz of fine dirt or other contaminant to a 55 and measure time to clear the water using modded and unmodded filter. I am not doubting your word but the lab tech in me wants to see empirical evidence.
 
CWO4GUNNER

CWO4GUNNER

USN/USCG 1974-2004 Weps
Apr 18, 2009
4,270
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Bullhead AZ
cwo4gunnerguscgretired.blogspot.com
koipoloi said:
I am not doubting your word but the lab tech in me wants to see empirical evidence.
Click to expand...
Don't worry so do I. Although I enjoy posting DIY's, Im doing this for my benefit and just sharing the improvement. But I must say that results or even proof does not change a persons mind to accept something, ultimately they have to decide for themselves regardless of the proof or evidence. Since my last entry I took the filter completely apart removing the motor housing and bulkhead fitting and now that I know it will be easy for me to trace around the motor housing accurately to create more sponges that fit tightly, Iv decided to further modify my original designed which will completely trim down the remainder of the sponge to allow Bluebond-polybatten wrap polishing and still have room for 360 water filtration. This means a plastic basket will no longer be necessary but I instead will be using a plastic mesh collar to insure the critical 360 circumference water-flow gap is maintained. Pics to follow.
 
CWO4GUNNER

CWO4GUNNER

USN/USCG 1974-2004 Weps
Apr 18, 2009
4,270
1
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Bullhead AZ
cwo4gunnerguscgretired.blogspot.com
Ok as you can see in the secession of photos below, I completed a smaller diameter circular cut in the to white and 1/3 the bottom black sponge. Then cut the correct width and length swath of Poly-blanket-batten to wrap and cover the entire sponge filter, tucked in at both the bottom and top yet leaving more then enough room for circumference water flow and surface-area filtration. There is actually enough room in circumference for another layer of Blue-bond, but for this test the polishing blanket is enough. Normally placing this poly blanket in a basket filter would clog rather early due to is limited 7x7 inch surface area or 42 square inch area. But on a circumference filter like this the dirty incoming water has a choice of 200 square inches of surface area which equals low restriction, high-flow, long-lasting, sustainable water polishing.



 
nc0gnet0

nc0gnet0

Discus Breeder
Oct 31, 2009
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So, correct me if i am wrong, the dirty water flows into the top of the canister and then anywhere on the outer cirumference thru the white poly fill, then thru the sponge into the pump and out thru the discharge tube and back into the tank....is this correct?
 
CWO4GUNNER

CWO4GUNNER

USN/USCG 1974-2004 Weps
Apr 18, 2009
4,270
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Bullhead AZ
cwo4gunnerguscgretired.blogspot.com
Correct, and before you ask me why the finest media would be first the answer is becasue that is the way its done on a circumference filter. The finest media is always on the outer circumference which has the largest surface area to allow the most water penetration followed by the progressively more coarse medias as you work your way toward the center strainer which has the biggest holes of all to allow water passage. So ideally I would have placed 1 layer of blue-bond padding over the sponge followed by the Poly batting on the very outside. All of this means not only is a circumference filter superior mechanically but also biologically as well. becasue no matter how much bulk media you have, if its not configured and designed for optimum flow the bacteria cannot as effectively colonize the media being used no mater what its made of. And if the alternative trade-off is marginal mechanical filtration for optimum biological filtration, how can that alternative be better.
 
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dundadundun

dundadundun

;sup' dog? ;woof and a wwwoof!
Jan 21, 2009
4,295
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S.E. PA
guys... gunners point on surface area has nothing to do with how much surface is in the media... it's all about how much surface the water first comes into contact with to get into the media.

here...
zzzz.jpg

notice the whole piece of paper...
by forcing water around that piece of paper to flow from the outside towards the center you can use the whole piece of paper as a media (for this example imagine it is media :hypnotized:)
before he did his mod, the top felt piece (blue bonded pad) had to have all the water pass through it. the surface area (actual outside surface like a counter top) of that bonded pad would be represented by the circle on the paper...


the other piece of paper rolled up illustrates this well... the hole at the top would be where the water would have to flow through if the top pad were not modified in gunners canister...

since he left area for the water to flow around the media it has more area to choose to enter the media through.

result...
less back pressure, less flow stoppage, more time between changes

zzzz.jpg
 
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