My Dumb Projects: A Bio-Filter Better Than Any Sold In Stores

[JennerPomo]

Hi I am a Native Amairican Indian and I do not mean to pop your bubles but my Basket weaving plants clean the water for my gold fish and all I need is a Airanater.

[marthale7]

I have been doing something similar with aquaponics. interesting idea. Thanks for sharing.

[espirates2]

All a bio-filter will ever do is remove ammonia and nitrites. Any store bought filter will do this effectively. HOB filters and Canisters do in fact provide oxygen for the beneficial bacteria. To say this is better than the store bought filters is B.S.

[kokopelli314]

Sewage 101:

Anaerobic digestion-> without oxygen, requires heat, creates methane(removing nitrogen), slow, works best with continuous, higher concentration N and P

Aerobic Digestion-> uses oxygen, room temperature, creates CO2 and sulfur dioxide, faster, requires pulsed concentrations to allow endogenous respiration(the little bugs eat each other and themselves when times are lean)

Neither process removes phosphorus. It's only partially bound up in the bacteria. Plants are necessary.

[gustopf]

Interesting Idea, Not quite the way i would go but still worth the watch.

[jaimejo77]

If bio media "must" be exposed to air in order to work, then how do you explain undergravel filtration? No air exposure there...?

[gustopf]

@jaimejo77

The bacteria most folks are concerned with are anerobic, meaning they need oxygen. Now they dont have to be directly in contact with air, Just well oxyginated water will work. As far as undergravel filters go, relying on the gravel not being to deep the water flow is enough to get oxygen down to the bacteria. But you also get pockets that lack oxygen and so aren't the most effecient.

[jaimejo77]

@gustopf I see what you're getting at now. Thanks for the reply!

[cupcake1556]

Get a hair cut you Occupy Wall Streeter

[288CharlyBrown]

suggestion, pvc well pipe that is vented for the top and the bottom, place a air inlet in the bottom and make a connection for the water pump also in the bottom.. this will negate your air surge and allow flow.



[kooldoor69]

u tell'em dude! thx 4 the info



[SuperAaaaa123456]

do thy need light???

bacteria??

[cubaniton74]

The filter works, but you can make it much more simple, you can use just one plastic bottle, which you can cut almost across so you can open and introduce the bio media and the head fitting and close it up tied with fishing line, before hand, drill the plastic bottle all over with a drill bit, after that just attach a power head to the inlet, have the power head pump water and air, the water will come in well oxigenated and pass thru the bio media while the bubbles exit out the holes.

[nah33r]

Can't I just use my normal internal canister connected to a powerhead? I put the sponge in the lowest portion, and ceramic rings in the top. Its only been a day so I dont know about results.. Do I need aeration? These aren't k1 media so...

Thanks for the help :)

[waltmcmahon]

looks great, is it working like a wet/dry filter just using an airpocket under presure,or dose the air and water only have to rise up together not being presurized at all-making more oxygenated water in that area-i like using pot scrubers without the sponge

[consubandon]

@waltmcmahon The 1st one: Works like a W/D filter using an air pocket. Instead of dipping something porous in -and-out of the water, I'm just burbling air over the material. The point is not to "oxygenate" (tanks don't need oxygenation, anyway, as long as water stays moving via filters, pumps; there is no benefit from just blowing bubbles into a tank), the point is to provide a damp porous material with access to both water AND air. Unless bio filter material is exposed to AIR, it does NOTHING.

[consubandon]

Different companies sell porous ceramic or plastic. Sometimes crumpled plastic strips or foam. If it has lots of exposed surface area, guess what? It's a BioBead! (Really! It's TOTAL B.S.) If I were making my own, I'd pull apart filter sponges and use the chunks. The device I describe will want to float so be sure to weight it down with rocks or something dense. (And, yes, the bacteria will live on the rocks, too.) You could put your grandmother's teeth in a glass and call it a bio filter.

[enticed2zeitgeist]

What are bio-beads made of? Can I make them somehow?

[lesterclaypool1]

@enticed2zeitgeist they are ceramic beads ,,, any nutral material will work , the more porus the better but some material will change ph acid or basic ,, aquarium sponge , hair rollers , green army men , many thing work well as bio units ,, hope this helps