Ok, I got my Lifeguard Fluidized Bed today. I was pretty happy, I had always wanted one and 10 years later I finally got it.
I tore open the box and stopped my Fluval 203 then read directions so I could hook it up. Amazingly, everything hooked up easily and my hoses were just the right size and nothing leaked. Oh that sand looked pretty moving around in there for about 2 hours when I realized that hmm, if I disconnect the filter that I had my shutoff valve in not quite the best spot.
So I disconnected it and all the sand proceeded to travel backwards towards my filter. I stopped it before it made it into the filter but the fluidized bed plugged the inside water tube solid. No matter what I tried with the filter I could not force the sand back into the fluidized bed, too much pressure from the compact sand.
I finally decide to wash all the sand into a bucket along with the water. An hour later and lots of refilling and shaking it's all in the bucket. I carefully spoon it back into the fluidized bed, wet sand does not poor well and it's $10 a refill bottle. Connect it to the outlet hose then to the filter in shear joy knowing I defeated gravity and as I am hooking the inlet hose up I see the sand slowing gowing backwards again.
Yes, after all that work it was plugged up with sand again. Then all them physics, math, and engineering courses paid off. I looked at my Python syphon, at the fluidized bed, then back the Python. I hurriedly unhooked everything, ran it over the the sink and hooked the inlet connector to the Python hose and slowly turned on the water. Woosh all the sand pushed right back into the fluidized bed canister just where it should be.
I tore open the box and stopped my Fluval 203 then read directions so I could hook it up. Amazingly, everything hooked up easily and my hoses were just the right size and nothing leaked. Oh that sand looked pretty moving around in there for about 2 hours when I realized that hmm, if I disconnect the filter that I had my shutoff valve in not quite the best spot.
So I disconnected it and all the sand proceeded to travel backwards towards my filter. I stopped it before it made it into the filter but the fluidized bed plugged the inside water tube solid. No matter what I tried with the filter I could not force the sand back into the fluidized bed, too much pressure from the compact sand.
I finally decide to wash all the sand into a bucket along with the water. An hour later and lots of refilling and shaking it's all in the bucket. I carefully spoon it back into the fluidized bed, wet sand does not poor well and it's $10 a refill bottle. Connect it to the outlet hose then to the filter in shear joy knowing I defeated gravity and as I am hooking the inlet hose up I see the sand slowing gowing backwards again.
Yes, after all that work it was plugged up with sand again. Then all them physics, math, and engineering courses paid off. I looked at my Python syphon, at the fluidized bed, then back the Python. I hurriedly unhooked everything, ran it over the the sink and hooked the inlet connector to the Python hose and slowly turned on the water. Woosh all the sand pushed right back into the fluidized bed canister just where it should be.
Last edited:
