Going to do a Mattenfilter on my 55 gallon redo! Any advice?

platytudes

platytudes

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Nov 4, 2006
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Panama City, FL
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Nicole
Yay! Super excited :) I'm going to be breaking down my 55 gallon, which has looked the same for roughly 4 years, and do something completely different.

I have a 4' piece of driftwood curing as we speak. A HOB filter (probably an AquaTech 30-60) will be running carbon, since I expect tannins will be leaching out for months. The driftwood will be covered in needle leaf Java fern...that acquisition has already been made! :y220e:

Now, step 2. Instead of running two beefy filters, I want to have a Mattenfilter on one end. I'll be getting that from Swiss Tropicals. I can't decide if I should use a powerhead or make it air driven...anyone used both? What are your thoughts?

I am trying to find something on the web that isn't terribly old, all of the posts I see are from the mid 2000s when HMF was a new thing from Germany. I know it has caught on somewhat here in the states...

Anybody know of a good website or post which has step by step instructions for setting it up? I can be a bit of a dummy when it comes to technical things...the first time I ran a canister was kind of a hair pulling experience, until I figured out I had connected the valves backwards :duh:

I am so excited! I love a low maintenance filter, and I love how an HMF is sort of like a sponge filter on steroids, lol
 
The Swiss Tropicals website does show you different ways of installing this type of filter, so you could look through his pics to choose which style you prefer. I think the big question you need to decide is whether you want the filter to blend into your background or not. You will also have to leave enough room in the tank to be able to remove the foam from time to time for cleaning it.

I'm using the Poret foam in the corner style in my 30 gallon tanks with an air pump for the air lifts. I siliconed glass supports in the side & rear walls of the tank to hold the foam in place.

100_0853.jpg


Here is the foam in place with the heater & airlift behind it.

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What are your stocking plans for this tank? Besides driftwood and Java fern, what other decor or rocks will you be using?
 
I have mattenfilters running in 3 of my tanks and love them. Air ought to be enough unless you want high flow. I initially built my own risers with 3/4" pvc. It works ok. But really, you'll get way better flow with the tubing that they are selling at Swiss Tropicals. Not only do the sweeps provide way better flow than my elbows do, but the fitting at the base creates a nice curtain of air inside the riser that really maximizes your air power. I highly recommend them, and bought a set to replace my risers just this weekend after seeing them in action. http://www.swisstropicals.com/Web pictures 600 dpi/Jetlifters.jpg

There are a lot of ways you can configure a mattenfilter in a 55... Corner, the whole end, the whole back... One thing I'll mention is that mosses will grow great on the filter. If you're considering a planted tank, maybe you might want to do the whole background, and stick starter strands of moss all over the thing. It should look really nice in a matter of months. If you do a whole background, I'd suggest making several risers across the width, to keep flow even.
 
Thanks for all that!

I considered the corner, but I think I'm going to do the whole left or right short end - I think I will just get the black foam and not let moss grow on it, so that I can clean it easier. I don't think I'm going to try to hide it, I might tape a piece of black background on that side to hide it from that view.

I'm not sure what other plants I'm going to get, I'm considering a background of Vals. For rocks, I'll probably have black cobbles and some granite. Play sand will be the substrate. I'm probably going to use Osmocote fertcicles once my Flourish tabs get used up.

I considered groundcover, but I think I'll just leave it open. I may change my mind later :)
 
if you think you're going to remove it often for cleaning, you will find it challenging to remove and clean the foam if it is up against sand. I'd recommend building a baffle on the floor to hold the substrate back and keep the foam in place.

but the reality is, you won't need to worry about cleaning it very often, even more so if it's heavily planted, you can usually remove anything that needs removing with your siphon. I have not needed to remove mine in over a year of use.
 
mellowvision said:
I'd recommend building a baffle on the floor to hold the substrate back and keep the foam in place.
Click to expand...
Great idea - I will do just that.

You might be hearing from me, Mike! First I have to actually get everything together...apart from purchasing the NLJF and being in possession of the [almost cured] driftwood, nothing is ready yet.
 
I put one on the side of my 90 when I set it up, and tried one in the corner of the 33 long. The 90 works great, but the blasted BN kept getting behind the foam in the 33 so I took it out and put in a hydrosponge. I used the clear plastic airlift tube and head from an UG filter, with one outlet of a Whisper AP 300 air pump to move the water.
 
Thanks for the pic! And the advice, Todd...I have plenty of UG airlift tubes and heads, I may try that. Although the "jetlifters" from Swiss Tropicals are not unreasonably priced.
 
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