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Opinions on the users who use these filters and jetlifters for their tanks, vs. HOB filters and cannister filters.. pics please if you have some of your setups.Im thinking of converting all my tanks into this setup and curious as to how it works and how well it does for you guys who currently use them.. Im still trying to understand how it works and if you guys also still use other internal filters/wavemakers/air diffusors(eheim aquaballs for oxygen etc., fluval plus 1 or 2 etc..) in the tank with it for current and water turnover/circulation).. i wanna use this setup on my L#'s breeder tanks awhich are sizes = 15 high and 20 & 30 gallon longs .
picture is taken from swiss tropical good friend stephen tanner.. im thinking of using these setups.. anybody else has experience with them?

Have a read of these .....

http://www.janrigter.nl/mattenfilter/

http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... google.com

You will find most of your questions answered in this recent thread

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =4&t=29332

I have seen them run via air driven devices as well as powerheads. Probably the two most important things are 1) They work great and 2) They are ugly as sin and hard to hide.
One other difference between these and HOBs/Canisters is that HOB/Canister actually contribute to the tank's water volume. These will not add any water and will displace 5-10% of the tank's usable space. More on small tanks, less on larger ones.

I would not use them on most of my tanks as I do not like to see any equipment in my "living" aquariums. On the other hand, I would love to have four 20 long tanks equipped with these for utility (quarantine, hospital, etc) and fry grow out tanks in the fishroom.

-Shane

I have been using air-driven and HOB power filter driven HMs now for a year and am satisfied with both the mechanical and biological results. I would recommend their use for any aquarist not overly concerned with the aesthetic aspect of their tanks. I have not gone so far as to fashion anything more complicated than the pictures you see on Stephan's web-site. The air-driven ones are on 38 gal. tanks and I use 2 air stems to create flow through the HMs ( 18"x14" ) . On 5 20 gal. low ( 36"x18"x7") I used the existing and cycled Hagen Aquaclear 50 (?) to flow over the HM ( 18"x7" ) by fashioning a spillway from clear plastic containers used by retailers for green salads. The power filters did have to be elevated a couple of inches, but that was a matter of simply using a couple of clamps to hold a piece of slightly higher glass on to the end of the tank for the power filters to mount on to. This way the HM didn't have to have holes cut for the returns and all I needed was a piece of sponge slightly larger than the tank end. I was also concerned about if enough lift would occur in a 7" deep tank. This also kept things simple, quick and easy, things so necessary for me to succeed when I get in the do-it-yourself mode.

I just started one of the square, red sponge filters in my L-134 tank. I wanted to try one before buying a lot of them. I'll be saving my pennies for more of these. I want the in-tank fry incubators.
Amanda

yes Shane, these were mainly for my fry growout tanks as hob or cannisters would suck up small fry. Im never tried the intank sponge filters either driven my airpumps so im looking into this style of sponge filters... but i just curious to the amount of filteration this does compared to say a HOB whisper 60

but i just curious to the amount of filteration this does compared to say a HOB whisper 60

Are you talking about biological or mechanical filtration ?

I have been doing quite a lot of research on the HMF as i am thinking of using them on 13 of my 24in tanks and everywhere that i have looked, everyone has said the same thing.
That the HMF is PURELY a biological filter and NOT in any way shape or form a mechanical filter, even a cheap air driven sponge filter is a basic form of mechanical filtration.
I think also there are a lot of variables in your question.
IE . . . size of the HMF, thickness of the sponge, pore size of the sponge, size and length of uplifts, amount of air passing through uplifts etc etc.
The list of variables can go on and on and on and on and .....

Willem Heijns (famous Dutch cichlid keeper) uses this type of filtration on his 2 x 600g and 2 x 300g cichlid tanks, so they must be able to handle the waste of messy fish like cichlids.
He recently gave a talk at a cichlid club I belong to and everyone was surprised on the size ratio of the sponges to tank size that he uses. Personly I would have use the same size sponges that he uses on a 600 gallon on a 50 gallon ! ! !

Somewhere in here is how he uses the HMF ... http://www.cichlidae.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=79

I think any filter using a sponge (and most other media) will do some work as a mechanical filter. However, the way that a HM filter works will probably have the side-effect of releasing some of the bacteria gunk that grows in the pores of the filter back into the water column. To prevent this, you'd have to place a fine-grain sponge/floss-mat on the back-side of the sponge - and clean that relatively often.

Of course, the fact that the flow is relatively low (per square cm of filter surface) through the HMF, it may not "pick up" so much mechanical dirt, compared to other types of filters that "suck" water through a smaller surface area.

--
Mats

My experience thus far has been that most of the detritus ends up within 4" of the bottom of the HM due to the circulation which makes it easy when performing water changes. I also vacuum the tank-side surface of the HM which produces some obvious signs of mechanical filtration. The reservoir side of the filter does accumulate a layer of detritus as well, which again is easy to deal with.

I use them on 50% of my tanks and think they work great. They are a great big sponge filter. Much more surface area than the ATI's and such. Plus I stick my heater back behind it so its no in the way either. I usually take the bell or whatever you call it off the siphon hose an use the hose itself to clean the filter every couple of months. Also if you have a filter problem its there as a backup. If the power goes out a computer ups will keep an air pump running a long time so its a good backup filter as well. I also use them as tank dividers. Gives me filtration while dividing my tank at the same time.

If you don't want to use a power filter and need some current then you can use a power head behind it instead of the pvc/air combo thing and your all set.

hi guys,
i use them in all of my tanks! from 12L um to 900L

here are several systems i use...










another system








80x70cm for 900L of course the sponges reach from the botom to the top!




two of my blockfilter systems
http://veloofahren.ch/Aquarium/klotzfilter.htm

and of course the top shown model over the whole width...

farid

Farid,
Your first two pictures have just solved my issue with the HMF!
Many thanks for sharing your setup.
I had wondered how to support the side of the filter mat.

I notice you do not have a clearence at the bottom of the air lift.
Any particular reason why you don't leave a clearence of about 5cm?
I also add some ceramic rings at the back of the HMF too.

hi there,
about the clearence,
i just forgot but i use as much lenght as possible so i also achieve the max of the water transport

farid