Habitat - Indoor :: please make my filter better! - logistical question

[laurapa]

Here is a VERY detailed description of my above-tank DIY: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... above+tank

You'll have to at least read my first post in that thread so you can have an idea of what in the world I'm talking about here.

This filter cycled great, kept the water clear for months, and really worked well.

But the way I have the bottom bucket set up just isn't working. There is not room to fit as much carbon as I'd like, the way I have it set up. The bags are so thick that they push up against the holes in the bucket above, blocking the holes and backing up the filter. But if I fill them with less carbon (which was my solution up to now), there is not enough carbon to do a good job.

Please help me think of a different way to set up this bottom bucket! It's important to me that whatever I do is entirely clean-able. I thought about using silicone glue to attach cut pieces of plastic mesh across the whole area of the bucket floor and the bottom of the bucket above so I could just pour the carbon in straight. But I'm sure that eventually the glue and mesh will get scummy, and that will be pretty much impossible to clean, won't it?

Can you think of any creative ways to improve the carbon chamber in my filter without backing up the system?

I could buy a whole new bucket and put it between the biomedia bucket and the funnel output bucket (which right now doubles as the carbon bucket). Then the funnel output bucket would be nothing other than an output bucket, and I wouldn't have a huge hole to work around as I create a new carbon system.

[Chrisbarnett]

Carbon is basically useless. It's not worth putting into your filter especially for turtles. All carbon is really good for is removing DOC's(Dissolved Organic Compounds) and removing medication in the water...Just leave the carbon out. It's not doing as good of a job as you think.

[laurapa]

Hmm...that's interesting. The reason I had to do an overhaul cleaning of Oliver's tank was because of dissolved organic compounds. His water had become entirely murky and brown (like pond water) no matter how many partial water changes we did, and no matter how many times we cleaned out the filter (of course leaving the biomedia alone). I really don't want to have to do a cleaning this big (it took us 3 hours and got me very dirty!) every 4-5 months. I was hoping for more like every 6-8.

I was hoping to add MORE carbon to the filter because of all of the dissolved organic compounds (I assume by that you mean tiny particles of decomposed waste, food, etc) in his water.

But if carbon doesn't remove those things, what will? I'm open to other ideas!

I have finally taken everybody's advice and switched him to a different container to eat and poop. That should help a lot. Are you saying that if I do that faithfully and clean up any rogue poop that manages to happen in the main tank, I shouldn't need carbon or any other replacement media?

[Chrisbarnett]

I only use good mechanical filtration, varying from coarse up to microfiltration(filter floss, Pantyhose, etc.) and biomedia and my water is always crystal clear.

What size tank do you have?

Seachem Purigen is good stuff, check it out.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... 4587000000

[laurapa]

It's a 50 gal stock tank. Not filled up all the way, probably about 40 gallons in there, or maybe just under.. Oliver is about 4". The pump is rated 210gph.

I'm thinking about ordering some of the stuff you mentioned. It looks great. Although I'll still have to figure out how to keep it from backing up the filter. Hmmmmmmmm

[Chrisbarnett]

The bag it comes in isn't very fine. You shouldn't have to worry about it backing up your filter.

[laurapa]

So it turns out it probably wasn't the carbon. I took the carbon out a few days ago, and when I woke up this morning the filter was almost filled to the top, ready to overflow.

Nothing about the filter has changed except this:

When I first made the filter I bought 20 feet of tubing and just used all 20 feet. Most of it was coiled up in the corner, but the water flowed all the way through 20 feet of tube before it got to the filter buckets. I didn't bother cutting the tubing cause I was lazy.

After we cleaned the tank a week ago, I cut the tubing to fit the tank. Now there are about 5 feet of tubing for the water to travel through on its way to the buckets.

Do you think the 20 feet of tubing provided so much friction that it slowed the water down? That set-up was so perfect that I'm about to go buy another 20 feet of tubing just to see.

[Kemul]

Not friction as much as the weight of the water, I'd think. That can slow down your
flow. I say make the tubing as efficient as possible

[grem89]

Longer tubing can restrict the water flow (gph) and yes cause lots of friction (even if it is smooth). What you could do is cut more holes in each of the buckets so that the water can flow through faster. I made this same filter concept but used it as a sump. What i did was cut long/wide slits from the middle of the bucket towards the outside of the bucket (on the bottom of it ofcourse) which was much easier for me than to cut little holes. You can try this out which should help with the water flow. The filter media will slow the water flow down a little bit but if you provided ample drainage room in the buckets you should be good.
Good luck!

[laurapa]

^I can think of how to add more holes/slits to everything but the bottom bucket. If I let water drain out of there willy nilly it will be so loud falling into the tank.

Any creative ideas on how to increase the flow of that last bucket? Somebody else trying to make this filter had the same problem.

I'd like to keep some carbon in there, but I think the bags only worsen the slow flow problem.

I do like the idea of improving the efficiency of the buckets rather than slowing down the gph of the filter via tubing or water weight. I'd rather have an effective pump that really circulates the water.

[Sassamo]

Making the holes bigger then adding enough tubbing too the outlet so that the flitered water is delivered under water, not dripping would help stop the noise.

I plan too make one of these too when I get a rubbermaid tank for Sass

[AndrewP]

I was having problems with the last bucket. I still have the hose at 20ft, but what I did was cut a little of the tip of the funnel off.

[laurapa]

Thanks, andrewp. I cut off a good chunk of the tip of the funnel to really increase the width of the hole, and got the expected result - louder water. But I'm watching to see if I also have a faster filter! I'll report back when I'm confident that things are all good!

Louder water is OK. It gives me motivation to make some of the tank upgrades I've been needing to do. I need to:

a) Line the rim of the tank with some sort of unclimbable barrier.
b) Create an ATBA that sits on the same pieces of wood that hold up the filter
c) Raise the water level in the tank an inch or two from the rim!

(ETA: Once I raise the water level, the water won't have as far to fall and will therefore be quieter!)

[Chrisbarnett]

Can you post some pics of the new funnel piece? Maybe we could help you figure out a way to quiet it down.

[laurapa]

Turns out it was (as far as I can tell) the different (cheaper) brand of carbon I bought, whose dust built up FAST in the filter fabric. I think it totally clogged the fabric. Just the dust! The fabric was BLACK. I had rinsed the carbon for a loooooooooooong time before I put it in the filter, too.

As soon as I changed the fabric, the filter worked like a dream.

I also widened the mouth of the funnel (meaning I cut off a good chunk of the spout), which makes the drippage a tad louder, but it's no problem if I keep the tank filled to the max possible level (with enough lip left so Oliver can't climb out). But even after I had widened the funnel opening, the filter still backed up. Replacing the carbon-saturated filter fabric with new stuff is what worked.

Already the carbon is adding more black dust to the filter fabric. I'm going to order some of the stuff that chrisbarnett suggested above.

I also want to say that taking Oliver out of the tank to eat and poop has kept the tank and the filter SO MUCH CLEANER. I feel bad that I have been too lazy to do this in the past. What a difference.