Fluidized Bed Filters??

J

jersey412

Registered Member
Mar 25, 2008
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All,

Please let me know your thoughts on this type of filter?

Have not seen alot of talk about them.

I have a 75 gal with 2 AC70's running Sponge and Bio bags. Thought to add one of these . Only 3 small Yo-YOP loaches and 6 tera's curretly.

Looking to add couple show fish latter

What is the thoughts of the Board??
 
Regarding Fluidized bed filters

I've recently done a lot of research on FBF's as well as buying one. However I cannot speak to their efficiency first hand because both of mine the first and the replacement leaked within a short time of installing them from the bottom seam. (FB 300) So I would not recommend you get one of those. However it is my understanding that assuming you can constantly keep flow through them you would be well served to have them as a biological filter. However with your current bio-load it seems like a massive overkill. However if you do decide to go for it I must stress that once established FBF's can become toxic with waste very quickly if you do not keep them running. So If you are not currently running a battery backup or some other power backup for your pumps I would not advise using one. There are several great designs out there for a DIY unit and since you can control the quality of the product and how well it seals that might be your best option.
 
They are great powerful filters with very little maintainance if setup correctly. Unfortunately there is not a lot of information available about them.

I had 1 running for 5 months until the other day. My problem was all caused by my powerhead failing. I didn't have any replacement parts or a backup for it. Luckily I was able to disconnect the FBF safely before the bacteria dying off and killing my fish.

I do not recommend running them inline with anything like a canister filter. They can be very hard to startup again after doing a water change. Probably best running them through a good sized powerhead with a prefilter sponge on it. If I were to set mine up again, I would have a backup powerhead.

Aznewbie is right on about FBF being extremely toxic to fish if they lose power or become clogged. Be prepared to pay attention to it often and be concerned if you lose power. IMO it is probably easier just purchasing a FBF than building it. They are not expensive filters and most are good quality. I have a Rainbow 300 which worked fine for me. I believe they have resolved the check valve issue seeing how it worked for me. People have expressed concerns about the bottom seal.

I hope this helps some.
 
If your current system is not broken, why fix? Especially with the product/filter which went out of my window as soon as it came out 20 yrs ago.

Idea was good but the issue was to ensure eliminating/mechanially filtering water before pumping into FBF thus less or miminize accumulation of detritus/mulm which will affect the efficiency drastically as they accumulate/build up in the FBF.

It is close to impossible to clean/flush the detritus/mulm collected in FB w/o taking it apart.

I think I had easier maintenance with DIY NH3 towers (Needs Stong/High Pressure Pump to create jet spray) or gravity drained W/D filter tower using stones/gravel/pebles/sand.

Look into other easier filters as I believe there are enough mediums w/in tank where BB will colonize and perform their duty. Well, with time.
Idea is not to disturb too much at once (massive water changes or bioload)).

Have done fish tanks with nothing but aeration, even with overstocked tank by some member's standard. As long as feeding is control, no massive H2O changes are performed, no problems and ideal water condition is provided. My
Even tried w/ FOWLR with just bubbles.

Key is providing and maintaing Ideal conditions for fish being kept, IMO.
 
fluidized bed filters are the same as what's used on commercial systems. there's so much bacteria in that sand after a few many months of use its incredible.

one time, a buddy of mine had his power go out for a while and came home. he said the smell when he opened the bed filter up was like the sewer.

so much dead bacteria- never get that from an aquaclear or bio wheel.

to me, they are the way to go. in fact, i am condisdering buildinga diy fluidized filter soon over the summer for fun. fwiffo is on the move again...
 
Because one has FBF or any other fancy filters, it does not mean you gonna get/have more BB than your bioload. This is a reason why one should not add too many fish at one time. Sudden massive increase in bioload will require more BB which will take time regardless of filter type (Mini cycling as some may call it).
Another word, number of BB equal your bioload produced by fish, regardless of filter type.
More fish/Bigger fish/more food will yield higher amt of BB in time..

Understand that the smell is not from just dead aerobic bacteria, but from organic matters deteriorating in anaerobic condition by anaerobic bacteria/microbes because ones's FBF had lid which cut off O2 supply. Eventually bottom of FB will become anaerobic but not in few days with open top.
Efficient FBF should have open top, not sealed off.

Waste of money to buy FBF, even to DIY. Spend it on another tank set up.
 
Cerianthus said:
Because one has FBF or any other fancy filters, it does not mean you gonna get/have more BB than your bioload. This is a reason why one should not add too many fish at one time. Sudden massive increase in bioload will require more BB which will take time regardless of filter type (Mini cycling as some may call it).
Another word, number of BB equal your bioload produced by fish, regardless of filter type.
More fish/Bigger fish/more food will yield higher amt of BB in time..

Understand that the smell is not from just dead aerobic bacteria, but from organic matters deteriorating in anaerobic condition by anaerobic bacteria/microbes because ones's FBF had lid which cut off O2 supply. Eventually bottom of FB will become anaerobic but not in few days with open top.
Efficient FBF should have open top, not sealed off.

Waste of money to buy FBF, even to DIY. Spend it on another tank set up.
Click to expand...

well what i meant was that the filter had so much bacteria in it so that the bacteria suddenly lost the environment they lived in, causing rapid death. thats what the smell was from- lots and lots of dead bacteria.
 
i use a few of the red sea fbf called merlin great fbf.
 
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