The Next Generation Filter Media - look here

[Rich L]

several hobbyists can purchase the product JR uses and not have several boxes lying around their basement.

On the other hand, maybe you can help JR reclaim some room in his basement by buying his excess from him.

See this subject from time to time but this time you folks have come up with two new items I havn't seen before.

[JasPR]

yep, this does come up every once in a while. Its kinda fun seeing the creativity and energy people have for this subject. I think that pot scrubbers was creative and well, let's face it, plactic army men was THE winner for creativity for a long time! I alo liked the creativity of car wash brushes there for a while! Then there was that honey comb box and hair curlers.

here is a nice media but crazy expensive because it is priced for the aquarium industry and sold in tiny quantities. But pretty good surface and spaces making it a quick conditioning and therefore, quick cycling surface.-JR

[Rich L]

Looks kinda dense. (I'm familiar with dense.) How do you keep it clean.

[JasPR]

it is kinda hard to keep clean after the lush growth starts. Good current and a 'dunk' now and then when flushing the chamber is about all you can do. You notice it is drilled thru the center for circulation. I suspect this is also why Maeda drills his new bacteria house thru the center now. You double the surface and allow for flow thru the media and also create/increase flow. JR

[ageinghippy]

Siporax ?


If you`re going to use the bottle tops, experienced word says that you`re supposed to cut them into quarters first. Helps the packing and water flow problems. Mixed with k1 in the modern `easy`filter idea, cuts the cost of the k1 a bit, AND looks nice if you use blue bottle tops.



Chris

[Sallybet]

So, JR, it's bioballast - google never heard of it - did you find that last bill? Our club needs something for a nursing home pond we care for.

Thanx --

[JasPR]

any Brit in the hobby, for more than ten years ,worth his salt knows siporax! LOls , JR

[Sallybet]

JR, someone pm'd me with the info. Thanks, anyway.

[bekko]

James, I agree they would be better than bottle caps in a TT application, but bottle caps are better in a submerged nitrification application because you can make a moving bed. Bottle caps do not have the surface area of Kaldnes, but they will move with less aeration energy because they catch air and force their way to the surface - pushing everything else aside. Punching holes might defeat that. I also thought you had the larger size bio-barrel (1.5 inch diameter).

For a TT arrangement, my poor-man's preference is still coral rubble. It provides lots of surface, micro-niches, buffering, and yellow cosmic rays. A little heavier than plastic, but that is not really a concern in a TT.

-s t e v

Quote: Originally Posted by JasPR Bioballasts have been around for a generation and are used in both oil recovery area and in the waste treatment industry. In the 1980s they were being bought in bulk by ornamental fish industry folks and broken into small packaging for the hobbyist ( and then sold for a fortune!) and also used in TT applications at modern trout farms. The size is KEY, with the 1/2 and 1 inch castings giving the most surface space compared to the 'fist size' units made for waste treatment. Because they are made for massive applications, a typical order is by the truck load. I buy large boxes full ( almost the size of a home washing machine) for about $75. On this price you need to add a $150 'nuisance tax' in the form of a handling charge. But this is a fixed cost so it can be amortized over several boxes- this explains WHY I have six full unused boxed in my garage! LOls These are ideal for TTs as they are untrapping, unlike bottle caps that would hold water pools and also be trapping ( a counter productive thing in a TT). A koi pond is about both organic and inorganic waste management and bottle caps will trap due to one closed end. They will also not allow for self cleaning the way a bioballast would. See picture below for packing characteristics of bioballasts-- Steve, the reason you would need blocking with TP in a waste treatment application is because they are non trapping and the flocs need both retention time and organic accumulation. We, on teh other hand , need the opposite for inorganic management. We separate out inorganic and organic processing and are therefore needing different applications. One of the tests for a long term self sustaining biofilter is it's ability to cleanse itself. TTs give flow and spaced Jmat even give flow so that natural mechanical and genetically programmed sloughing ( a form of 'shedding' needed for healthy biofilm) of the biofilm surface can take place. A closed end bottle cap will not allow for this and organic fouling is greatly increased, changing the nature of the biofilm over time. In addition, efficiency of a biofilm is directly effected by media design. You want eddies within and around biofilm- and NEVER any dead space. If one really wanted to use bottle caps then perhaps placing the caps on the bottle and using a hobby soldering tool to punch-heat several holes thru the top might create a better design. JR

[velvetbone]

Sallybet,
Could you post the info that was sent to you on where to find the "Bio-bales"?
Or, could you please pm me?
Thanks Vince