can you explain how you made it in more detail? sounds like it might just work for a project im working on.
Biological filter media..Whats the best out there?...
- Thread starter el wadd
- Start date
can you explain how you made it in more detail? sounds like it might just work for a project im working on.
sounds like the filter i have running in my tank. i used fluval bio max in it and well if i had to do it again, i would'nt buy them.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=171231
i would just go to jo-ann fabric store and buy some sea sponges to fill it with.
the bio max is white so it discolors, collects algae spots on it, and is just an awful color for the tank.
all this talk about bio media...why not just get a big hydro sponge and a small air pump. those things are great.
more details!
thanks for the link, it was interesting to read about so many media!
But I want, f'r 'xample data on odyssea "Super Porus Bio Glass" media. What's the useful surface area, how does it compare with, say, Siporax.
I'll tell you, the manufacturers don't like to give technically useful stats on their material. It's BS, because there are a lot of us hobbyists who like to know this stuff but the aquarium supply companies provide only vague and self-serving information.
I bet the first aquarium product company to start providing that info would develop a loyal following. After all, we'd finally know what we're buying!
I use a lot of Jebo-Jebao-Odyssea products because a) I'm poor, b) I'm poor, and c) their stuff is so cheap I'm not afraid to experiment with and modify it and finally d) I'm poor.
thanks for the link, it was interesting to read about so many media!
But I want, f'r 'xample data on odyssea "Super Porus Bio Glass" media. What's the useful surface area, how does it compare with, say, Siporax.
I'll tell you, the manufacturers don't like to give technically useful stats on their material. It's BS, because there are a lot of us hobbyists who like to know this stuff but the aquarium supply companies provide only vague and self-serving information.
I bet the first aquarium product company to start providing that info would develop a loyal following. After all, we'd finally know what we're buying!
I use a lot of Jebo-Jebao-Odyssea products because a) I'm poor, b) I'm poor, and c) their stuff is so cheap I'm not afraid to experiment with and modify it and finally d) I'm poor.
Yes, but for what? I keep a very large biomass in a small tank and in order to keep the water as good as it is (which is excellent) I need heap big biofiltration in heap small space!Plain gravel as a substrate in the aquarium works.
Oh, and I have a 3" (approx) FW DSB so no gravel for me
:
I agree gravel is an underated source of bacteria. Especially clay based, or porous gravel. Lots of surface area down there.
easy peasy
I got a weak powerhead from a discarded filter barely rated for a 5gal tank. Gph I don't know but not many. Then I
got a plastic tennis ball can and put a hole in the bottom,
(note that I created no spout, spigot or other conduit, just the open top of the can, even all 'round)
jammed the outlet of the powerhead into the hole,
Jammed some poly-fil into the bottom,
Poured sintered glass rings on top,
Super-glued two suction cups to the can,
Placed the filter in the tank, suctioned to the back wall and just deep enough that the top of the can was around 1/8" or 1/4" below the surface,
and then I plugged it in!
The filter is placed just barely underwater so its outflow turns over the surface to expose more water to the air, producing a very gentle, low turbulence aeration.
I'm hoping these rings have the right structure to encourage denitrification in the conditions my filter creates. The specifics of the biomedia can greatly affect the functioning of my filter since I'm trying to maintain a pond-like stillness while at the same time supporting lots of fish 'n other critters. So very good nitrification/denitrification in a small volume (small tank) was an important goal for this little filter.
So if substrat pro works better and Odyssea bio glass is inadequate, I'd like to know ahead of time instead of having to start with the cheapest biomedia I guessed could handle it and using the stuff for a while until I could tell if it works or not and then maybe having to buy and try out a more expensive alternative.
More thorough knowledge of one's tools and materials expands one's imagination. I mean, fish keeping is more than a hobby, it is truly a very broad craft and craftspersons, even hobbyist-craftspeople, should know the properties of what they have to work with.
DIYers CREATED this "hobby." The industry should honor us with a little more data.:wall:
I hope this tangent from the topic is OK but I can't imagine starting a whole, new thread for this. Hopefully I can make it relevant.
I got a weak powerhead from a discarded filter barely rated for a 5gal tank. Gph I don't know but not many. Then I
got a plastic tennis ball can and put a hole in the bottom,
(note that I created no spout, spigot or other conduit, just the open top of the can, even all 'round)
jammed the outlet of the powerhead into the hole,
Jammed some poly-fil into the bottom,
Poured sintered glass rings on top,
Super-glued two suction cups to the can,
Placed the filter in the tank, suctioned to the back wall and just deep enough that the top of the can was around 1/8" or 1/4" below the surface,
and then I plugged it in!
The filter is placed just barely underwater so its outflow turns over the surface to expose more water to the air, producing a very gentle, low turbulence aeration.
I'm hoping these rings have the right structure to encourage denitrification in the conditions my filter creates. The specifics of the biomedia can greatly affect the functioning of my filter since I'm trying to maintain a pond-like stillness while at the same time supporting lots of fish 'n other critters. So very good nitrification/denitrification in a small volume (small tank) was an important goal for this little filter.
So if substrat pro works better and Odyssea bio glass is inadequate, I'd like to know ahead of time instead of having to start with the cheapest biomedia I guessed could handle it and using the stuff for a while until I could tell if it works or not and then maybe having to buy and try out a more expensive alternative.
More thorough knowledge of one's tools and materials expands one's imagination. I mean, fish keeping is more than a hobby, it is truly a very broad craft and craftspersons, even hobbyist-craftspeople, should know the properties of what they have to work with.
DIYers CREATED this "hobby." The industry should honor us with a little more data.:wall:
I use Rein Biotech's Biohome sintered glass. The stuff is expensive, though, and a little hard to find. 1Kg will set you back anywhere from $35 to $50. I like it much better than Eheim stuff. I have about 2.5Kg of it in my canister along with the Eheim ceramic rings, sponge pad, and a bag of Purigen for a 55G. This stuff will last for at least a decade without needing replacement. I figure having alot of the good bacteria will crowd out the bad ones and help prevent disease in your tank.
biohome on the range, where the deer and ....
I read the Biohome info online and would like to try it. Now I need to find out where I can get some around here!
Really, just knowing FEW relevant facts about a product like this makes me want to use it over the unknowns, even if it is several times more pricey!
Sorry to be so persnickety but I just got sold a lot of activated carbon, epoxy-coated gravel, and small fish which grow much much too large as I've learned how to keep fish. Once this guy nearly sold me this bridge in Brooklyn...
Anyhow thanks for the tip on Biohome. Sounds like a good product!
I read the Biohome info online and would like to try it. Now I need to find out where I can get some around here!
Really, just knowing FEW relevant facts about a product like this makes me want to use it over the unknowns, even if it is several times more pricey!
Sorry to be so persnickety but I just got sold a lot of activated carbon, epoxy-coated gravel, and small fish which grow much much too large as I've learned how to keep fish. Once this guy nearly sold me this bridge in Brooklyn...
Anyhow thanks for the tip on Biohome. Sounds like a good product!
