Excellent Aquarium Moving Bed Filter at Tyne Valley Aquatics

[GrizzlyGroundswell]

I could manufacture your clay marbles for you. I already make clay marbles and with the addition of different sizes in the same filter, you will get even more surface area in contact of the air and water with the media.

[pondguru]

There are some great medias available especially ceramic ones for static beds but the trick is getting a media which has neutral buoyancy for a moving bed. The one in this video has wear issues as it is an early type so its a balance of wear, movement (neutral buoyancy) and large surface area. Clay medias currently for sale are a good media but no good for a moving bed due to weight and wear issues so if you could crack that it would be great.

[Cur1yFrys]

How do you make this filter? could you make a video showing us?

[pondguru]

Just search for 'how to make a moving bed filter'

The first search result should be my video which explains the process.

[Phdflops]

Hello I'm back for more questions, I found a similar media, will Ehfisubstrat Pro work? Thanks

[pondguru]

If that is the Eheim media it is too heavy to be a moving bed media but it has alot of surface area. When there is air rushing over good media its not essential for it to move like K1 - as long as it rattles slightly it will harbour more hardy bacteria than static media.

[Phdflops]

@pondguru

Would this media work for the new filter? The one on this video?

[pondguru]

It will not move but it will still do a good filtering job, no worries.

[AndehX]

where is that shampoo bottle from? what shampoo was it? The shape is perfect for a filter...

[pondguru]

It is an original source body wash bottle.

[Phdflops]

Does a faster air pump increase the quality of the filter?

[pondguru]

More air = more water pulled through the filter but for efficiency, the air driven filters don't need anywhere near the turnover rate of traditional internal filters so you can run multiple air driven filters from one decent air pump - very handy if you have a fish house. Once we get the finished design back from China, we will convert all of our tanks in the shop to these filters.

[Phdflops]

I AM SOLD

[Phdflops]

Make How to please?

[pondguru]

I have a video called 'how to make a moving bed filter' the process is exactly the same and you could use any shape bottle. This one in the video has had a few mods and should be in commercial production soon.

[TheGchiu]

How does this differ from stuffing a corner box filter with this type or K1 media, and giving it some room to move around?

[pondguru]

Shape of the container (to allow free movement of media and proper release of air), It is raised off the bottom of the tank, the media used in this filter isn't available for sale yet. I'm sure there will be more differences but none spring to mind.

[TheGchiu]

@pondguru I gather this new media hasn't got any field data in comparison with the 11 years or so for the K1. Since a box filter already has some mechanical filtration, and a larger volume for biomedia, why not just modify a box filter to hold the K1 media? The main difference I can see is that in your design the air bubbles from below to move the media whereas box filters have the air stone above the media and use the suction to bring the water in.

[TheGchiu]

So, it may not be able to churn the media enough to provide the collisions needed to shed the older bacterial colonies. What do you think?

[pondguru]

Thats about it. The air causes chaotic motion and you already understand about the growth of super strong bacteria on moving bed media. The new media also has a massive surface area so it combines the benefit of moving bedmedia with the surface area of good ceramic static media.

I have done a new filter for some new aquariums so once they have been released at the Nuremburg show in the spring, there will be plenty of videos on that one. It sucks and blows - multi chamber design too.

[themoxthemoxthemox]

can i just ask, how does one maintain a filter like this? everyone has a post about moving beds, but not about maintenance. when the filter becomes horribly black/dark green (with the bacteria as it's supposed to), when if at all does one need to clean it, and how? and in what way? etc.

[pondguru]

The foam will need squeezing out to remove any collected muck once in a while and thats about it as far as maintenance goes. For ordinary media (the white plastic K1) filters without foam they will never need maintaining. Its only the foam in a moving bed filter which needs maintenance.

[themoxthemoxthemox]

@pondguru

thanks mate! also, how noisy is this device? i know it's a hard question to probably answer but i would like to make one similar, using a similar bottle (probably a bit smaller as i have only a 40L tank for home use) and don't want it to be incredibly noisy if it can be helped. any ideas? :)

[pondguru]

The bubbling water is the only noise from a fluid bed filter so if you add an airstone to the air line, the bubbles will be smaller and quieter. you may need to start without an air stone until the media moves freely then add one after a couple of weeks.

[themoxthemoxthemox]

@ponguru

thank you so much. sounds good to me, i'll let you know how i go :)

i like the bottle shape too. was thinking of that myself...but you'd already youtubed it before me! lol

[VicSayers]

What a superb idea and product. I breed Malawi cichlids and have 25 tanks, the area I live in is prone to power cuts. I could set one up in each tank and run the lot on one generator. Definitely buy me time till the power comes on. Thanks Richard.

[pondguru]

No problemo,

They would be great for a fish house as they are so cheap to run and very effective for cutting out ammonia spikes in tanks with high feeding regimes.

Hopefully a version will in commercial production around spring 2012 or before if I can move it on a bit.

[razzamanaz79]

Its an original source body wash bottle

[Gapcraft]

I want to make one of these, what is the brand of hair product that that bottle has came from ? I am from England as well so I can probably source the bottle, thanks, bye

[pondguru]

It is a 'natural source' body wash bottle.

[Kspottthings]

Cool stuff man

[paducahFishFan]

Is that my lava lamp I've been missing? :-)  Good video.

[mybackpocket]

Richard, what are the benefits of a 'moving' media filter as opposed to say a standard one with foam. How does the little beads moving make it better?

[pondguru]

Not enough room to write it here. If you watch my video called 'how to make a moving bed filter', that explains the media , bacteria etc. on there.

[mybackpocket]

@pondguru cheers bud

[johnathanajluni]

Great idea!

[95mnbvcxz95]

Good luck

[95mnbvcxz95]

Looks great, u should do a tour of you shop. I don't know how u would use the media in a sump would it work

[pondguru]

It would work but ideally would be housed in an hang on vessel or similar. I am in the process of designg one which can be used in a sump and also in pond filters as an after sales add-on.

[jwatsonatunc]

Have you tried doing any experiments comparing tank cycle time for your moving bed filters vs a traditional HOB or canister filter? That would be pretty cool to see.

[pondguru]

Haven't yet as that would probably be best tested with fishless cycling which I'm not a fan of. But if it could be speeded up....? Hmmmm...needs testing, man.

[mbezik]

are those ceramic balls similar to JBL MicroMec Bio-Filter Balls?

[pondguru]

Not familiar with that one but alot of different types of media could be used in this filter design.

[TheRossiboy]

It looks very attractive...I gave the other moving bed filters a try but I didn't like the look of them and they were noisy so I might give this one a try....good thinking :)

[pondguru]

Until the K1 gets a biofilm built up, you need alot of air to shift it. Once the media matures, it needs much less air to move it so will be quieter. This design uses the new media, has much more surface area so can be smaller, therefore require a smaller air pump to drive it, so should be quieter.

Once the media becomes available, I hope to distribute it in some capacity.

[4Botyok]

You're really a GURU ! ; )

[JACOBiiTE]

You rekon i could take the little beads outta my wife's rampant rabbit and fill that up with media and use it as a filter??

[pondguru]

That would be.....Awesome.

Make it so, number one.

[leannvlewis]

Are you concerned that someone would use this bottle design, which by the way seems perfect, to mass produce before you can?

Your idea,  your design could be someone else's profit.

I worry about situations like this.

I've had two ideas that I've shared with "friends" used to their advantages, and I hate it when I hear that it's happened to someone else.

Good luck. It looks very promising.

:)

[pondguru]

Even a patented idea / design can / will be copied but by putting the design on Youtube and explaining the build, I would hope that would offer some protection and proof. The very first moving bed filter for an aquarium video was one of the first videos I uploaded a few years ago and it started the craze of DIY moving beds for fish tanks.

I wouls like to get in with a manufacturer and put this design to production.

[ievolvedfrommonkeys]

so simple i don't have an excuse not to make one, now. but after seeing your videos, i'm really keen on ordering some of that new media once it's available. nice video

[pondguru]

I do hope to get some of the new media (the harder version) to sell once it has gone through testing process.

[Bazil1869]

You dont need shampoo xD

[JACOBiiTE]

That's working a lot better(no trapped air) Come on then m8 you gonna tell us wot kinda shampoo you use???

[pondguru]

Whatever my wife buys.

Being just about bald, its not the first thing on my shopping list.

[stupidself00]

i like this

[JUNAID187]

looks good keep us updated

[MrHoney2U]

good stuff. I like it.