Hamburg mat filter

[strawbx]

Hello guys,
Has anyone got any info on using this type of filter?
Pro's, con's.
Alan Alberry.

[Caol_ila]

Hi!

All my tanks run with this filter and its extremely good imo.
Its cheap, long runtime without cleaning
If its in the corner it looks quite allright after a while especially if you put Javafern, Anubias or Javamoss on it (although i have it on the side on all tanks)

downside is that it takes away space and if you dont put old water/sludge from running tanks in it takes a longer time to cycle.

good pics are on http://www.deters-ing.de (german)

[joern]

Hello guys,
Has anyone got any info on using this type of filter?
Pro's, con's.
Alan Alberry.

Hi strawbx,

this filter is comon in german tanls and works pretty fine !

Dealers npt like, it's more "effective" to sell a 150,-â?¬ Eheime canister than 20,-â?¬ for a foam mat plus a small power head...

Caol gave you a link to the original german web site, that also gives information to other topics in aquariums.

There exists a contruction guide, that is translatet into english (link see below). There you will also find a link to a dutch web site, that is a translation of parts of Olaf's site in english:http://www.janrigter.nl/mattenfilter/

Contruction guide to corner version:
http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc/e ... 5616028865
If not registered, click:
http://aquabotanicwetthumb.infopop.cc
than: Wet Thumb Forums
than: Hardware: Equipment
Than page 7: "A NEW (??) Filtration Concept: the Hámburger M....."
opened by user joerg in Feb 2004

There you find a generel description how to make it. It looks simple, it works simple..but that makes it very effectiv and easy. Try it.

[strawbx]

Re the HMF info - Thanks guys. Now I've got my head round the brilliant simplicity I'm certainly going to use them in all my tanks when my fish-house is completed. Just have to find a supplier for the foam.
Alan.

[joern]

Re the HMF info - Thanks guys. Now I've got my head round the brilliant simplicity I'm certainly going to use them in all my tanks when my fish-house is completed. Just have to find a supplier for the foam.
Alan.

Hi Alan,

for detailed problems you are invitd to Olaf Deters Forum, following the "Diskussion" button on his website or direkt und http://www.AquaristikimDetail.de. Although it's in German, english contributions are wellcome.
Or, of course, we discuss it here....might be also of general interest for pleco keepers as an alternativ to other filterung concepts.

Olaf's page had an update, which is not in the english translation on the JanRighter-Site. But you don't miss very much, formulas and generell infos are quite the same.

[Tapio Martimo]

Strawbx: the mat filter is getting all the more popular here in Finland also. I've used it some of my tanks and it seems to do the biological filtration extremely well. I have no plans to buy expensive extrenal filters anymore.

Couple of issues though: if you build it (which you should), according to the original instructions, provided at Deters' website (http://www.deters-ing.de/), you'll soon notice that the mat filter is not very effecient in mechanical filtration - hence with big and "messy" plec*s and c*****s it can be a good idea to use internal filter as an extra garbage collector. Another thing is that I would not recommend it to be used with wood-eating Panaque-plec*s as their decay matter, consisting largely wood dust, would soon stop up the flow of water in the mat.

About the availability: several german Internet shops provide good selection and of different mat sizes. e.g. http://www.aquaristic.net

Finally, I would strongly recommend you to read the theory behind the mat filter from the Deters website. It is, in my opinion, very important to notice e.g. that the flow rate of water in the mat should not be too high so that the nitrogen bacteria inhabiting the mat can oxidize the ammonia and nitrites into nitrates.

[joern]

Hello Tapio,

there also exist a Finlandian translation of Olafs site, isn' it..

... is that I would not recommend it to be used with wood-eating Panaque-plec*s as their decay matter, consisting largely wood dust, would soon stop up the flow of water in the mat.

your right, another thing is, that Panaque (more the big Panaque, not yet observed on "Panaqolus") also like the foam...i don't know why, i personally believe, that these species may be to hungry...as not all panaque do it...
Look here: http://forum.planetcatfish.com/viewtopic.php?t=6948

Finally, I would strongly recommend you to read the theory behind the mat filter from the Deters website. It is, in my opinion, very important to notice e.g. that the flow rate of water in the mat should not be too high so that the nitrogen bacteria inhabiting the mat can oxidize the ammonia and nitrites into nitrates.

The flow rate should be between 5 and 10cm/min, optimum is near 7,5cm/min. Don't go lower than the recommended 5cm/min, as than the filter might work as a nitrat.reductor...this causes oxygen need and lowers oxygen-content. Now having even more experience from several aquarientists, it looks like it's better be slightly above optimum than below.

And don't try to calculate the filter to exact / pedantic on two or more decimals..this doesn't work. ....I would guess, plus / minus 25% of the calculated mat area is o.k.

My pleco tanks work fine with this filtering concept, without additional "mechanical" filter, very nice for L134,135, 239 and 262. Turn over rate of the tanks is 3 to 4 times p.hour. I use a diffusor to create a high oxygen content (look at picture 7 & 8 from my contruction guide). Diffusor also makes the currents a little more "jet like", you can follow the small air bubble nearly throughout the tank.

[Tapio Martimo]

there also exist a Finlandian translation of Olafs site, isn' it..

Yes, at least parts of it has been translated into finnish (with Olaf's approval, as fas as I can tell). Should you, or any of the other readers, be interested, they are at http://www.aquahoito.info/suomi/akvaari ... index.html

... Panaque (more the big Panaque, not yet observed on "Panaqolus") also like the foam...i don't know why, i personally believe, that these species may be to hungry...as not all panaque do it...
Look here: http://forum.planetcatfish.com/viewtopic.php?t=6948

Ah, I forgot to mention the eating issue. Yes, your'e absolutely right on this. But anyways, this it the only exception that I know of, where and when the mat filter is not the best biological filtering device. Pretty good achievement from such a cost-effecient technique :-)

(Edited some typos)