My 3ft planted tank project

well done with that filter...
awsome idea...

where you get that sponge...

 

just curious guys,to me that type of filtration seems like an HOB type, powerhead and a sponge, i have that in my HOB filter...also, is the water is going to be flowing out of the green pipe or is it going to be sucked in by the green pipe? let me know guys, thanks

 

It's just a small under water pump behind the sponge. It will suck the water out behind the sponge and push it back into the tank via the pipe.

What I like about it is the surface area it creates for small fry to "eat"

 

okay, but in the pic there no filtration happening, cause the water is not being sucked through the sponge and there is a hole for the pipe in the sponge, so, where does the filtration take place?

 

JesseG: Have you had a look at the links I posted explaining how it works?
When there is water in the tank, both the area in front of and behind the sponge will be under water. The water pump 'sucks' up the water behind the filter, which then causes the water from in front of the sponge to be 'sucked in'. The water has to go through the sponge which when mature, is colonised with bacteria. The water goes through the pump and is returned to the tank via the tubing.

@Ace: Yip, that is another advantage as well.
@Slayer: Got the foam from Prof Dirk. The correct foam to use is Poret foam, but the stuff I got from him seems to be exactly the same.

Oh, just to explain, the tubing is above the water line. It is the return into the tank from the pump.

 

okay, thanks darryn, is it up and running?

 

Here is an examplete that shows the flow of the water.


JesseG: Not yet up and running. Still busy building it. Will be running by the weekend..

 

Hi Darryn I think all of us have seen the inside of our bio filters. The sponges packs up with that gunk which if I understand holds most of the bacteria.

Once in a while you have to clean those bio sponges and they make a big mess of it lands in your tank. You cant clean it all the way either because you would remove most of the bacteria that way.

Q: Will that stuff not be all over your tank with this filter and if you clean it all the time where are the bacteria gona colonize?

 

nice question vis...also, my HOB filter works very much the same way as your filter...but you are doing something very different to the norm and that is excellent stuff darryn...

 

@Vis: According to people who are using this method, some have had this filter running for up to 3 years without cleaning. You only clean it when the level of the water behind the sponge is significantly lower than in the tank.

People, please remember, this is not a silly idea that I have though up myself. This method has been used for years by MANY hobbyists in Europe with great results and is tested and proven. Please do yourselves a favour and read up on this system. I have earlier provided a few links to sites which discuss this method.All those people can't be wrong. Here is another: http://www.swisstropicals.com/Poret Filter Foam.html

Let's hope I don't have to eat my words ..... ROFL

 

no darryn, no one said you were wrong...we were just asking a few questions is all...i was just curious as to its operation...works like my HOB filter, but your inner workings are exposed, lol....

 

Ok that will help

 

No probs, I just was explaining my reasoning for going this route. I know that it is something completely new to us.
What you must remember is the volume of foam we are talking about here. That foam is 50mm thick. Can't remember the exact surface area of the foam. I have that on a machine at home. I will calculate the total volume of foam and let you know.
In comparison to a HOB, the volume is ENORMOUS.

 

I beleive it was guido who first introduced us to this principle of filtering. It is used extensively over in Germany I beleive... and I beleive it's very successful.

The foam I believe is not the same foam as you have in your HOB or canister filter. The foam in the HOB & canister is mainly used for mechanical filtration. The foam used here is a little more dense I think, and is used more for biological filtration. If I recall, when Guido was talking about it, the foam was shaped like corregate iron almost.

I would think that this would be an AWESOME filter for a breedig tank. The other nice thing about this is you can in theory do your heating and aerating behind the filter. I.e no equipement in the tank.

Darryn you have found a very valuable way of attaching it to the tank walls, which was my innitial question when I first saw it. Pity the sponge is blue though. I would have thought that a black sponge would be less intrusive to the eye? But I noticed Guido's also was blue... (might have been orange now that I think about it.)

 

Would be nice to get black or maybe green if it was a dark green.

 

Balck will show every single piece debris or deposit.

 

@Zoom: Does Guido already have one set up?
The foam is an open cell type foam. Quite different to the foam from an HOB filter.
Here is a pic of what types of poret foam are available:

The picture makes the foam look a lot denser than what it really is. I will take a photo of mine and post it tonight.
Unfortunately, the only foam that I could get hold of currently, was blue.
Apparently some people even put moss over the sponge as well. According to them, It does not cause any problems with the filtration, and has no negative effects.

 

I would guess the moss on the sponge would act at like a nitrate remover?

Not sure if Guido got one up and runnin... (I'm also not too sure if it was guido or Laure...)

 

It was Guido. It was his thread a while back that sparked my interest in this filtration method.

 

Here's the original thread...

It was Guido. The filtration system is called a Hamburg Sponge Filter. Follow the links in Guido's thread to see more detail... I think the links offer a huge wealth of information.

http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?t=1536

His thread also sparked interest for me... but I was just starting out back then, and wasn't so keen on trying something that the SA market has never heard of. I would assume that getting the right sponge into the country would prove the same price as buying a top end canister?

I know you can't compare the 2, as they are different types of filtration purposes... but back then I didn't know this.