PlanetCatfish.com

Hi there
i've just started to re-set um new filter in all of my pleco-tanks

i used a 6mm glass glued it simply in the tank. i've cut a corner out where the glass meet the silicon (in the corners)


for bigger tanks you can simply add another wall and squeeze a second sponge...or a third and so on...or set up another filter on the opposite side of the tank...

a second small glass peace on the bottom part keeps the sand out of contact with the mat. so i can easy clean the mat without having to deal with the sand/gravel.


the mat is cut 5mm larger so it squeezes well between the two glasses


+
1. easy to make not the cheepest version but as long you have the glass in stock ;)
2. easy handling and maintain...
3. view inside (small fishes,heater controle, bakterial/waterlevel etc...)
4. saves space and still hat a big surface for bacterias
5. also well uitabl for bigger tanks


the glasswall ist 9-9,5cm wide
airsystem run...http://www.luftheber.com/tschechische-luftheber.html (in german sorry but you get an idea)

this for example is my Hypancistrus zebra tank...

in my 900L tank i use the same system just with bigger surface and bigger airpipes...
http://veloofahren.ch/Aquarium/L90.htm


rgds
farid

I've seen various setups with these (yours and Harvaad's I think). They look very interesting and simple, but I am a bit puzzled as to where the intake is? is there a pump at the bottom of the foam block while an intake is inserted into the center? I like this idea for the smaller tank. Is there a picture page or DIY pages that shows how the thing is assembled? I must admit I'm a bit of a n00b to these foam filters. I'm currently using all canisters in my tanks, even in my 15 gallon.

They look very interesting and simple, but I am a bit puzzled as to where the intake is? is there a pump at the bottom of the foam block while an intake is inserted into the center?

They are basically giant sponge filters driven by powerheads instead of air pumps. The "intake" is through the sponge. As the pump pushes water away from behind the sponge, osmotic pressure forces the tank's water to pass through the sponge. The water is drawn through the sponge and the aquarist gets large amounts of mechanical and biological filtration. The powerhead also raises O2 levels in the tank and adds "flow" which is enjoyed by many fishes.
The only down side is that they are very hard to hide unless somehow built in to the tank from the beginning. So wonderful for a breeding tank, but an eyesore in a showtank.

PS Farid, fantastic design! It would be great to have a couple of these, well matured, on hand to move to breeding and fry rearing set ups.
-Shane

Ah...ok, thanks for the explanation Shane. I'm hoping to do something like this along with a sump in my next "planned" pleco tank.

Hi,

..for those of us incapable or unwilling to work with "real" glass, this type of filter can also be done with acrylic glass.
Have got a number of tanks now with this design (but acrylic filter "chamber", of course) and wouldn´t wanna miss it anymore.

Cheers, Sandor

thanks shane,
but i use a normal" Tschechischer luftheber" (check in google) not a powerhead as strong current should not be achieved by a filterpump! an easy flow is running through these filter working with these "Luftheber" a additional pump is depending on the spezies added for the strong current...

imagine you're the bacteria sitting in front of mac donalds and your hamburger passes through that fast you wont even get e bite of it...best results in biological filtration is achieved with a slow flow so the bacterias have enough time to work the water!
but at least 500-600L/h are possible with the air system, depending on the diameter and it's hight!

farid

Thanks again for the detailed replies everyone. I'll definitely hit you guys up again for it when I do my new tank build.

Just so I am clear on how it works, instead of a powerhead, Farid, you use this "Czech Air Jack" with a regular air pump right?

hi,
my airpump is maintaining 24tanks plus fry"inhanging" tanks plus othe fry tanks...not so regular i guess 3600L/h
and yes i use the self made CZ- system ;) most of my tanks up to 110L run with one 20mm diameter sized pipe...

if i got time i will open another thread to show the function about it...

in my 900L tank one pipe delivers up to 1800L/h i got four of them ! plus a 12000L/h Tunze stream for a current that brings back the mud to the filters ;)

farid

Thanks farid. Right, I forgot most everyone here is not "regular" and have fishrooms with huge air pumps.

2wheelsx2 wrote:most everyone here is not "regular" and have fishrooms

i'm also not regular without a fishroom i mean fish in my room...

smiles
more pics soon...

farid

For those interested in the 'Czech Air Jack' ............ http://translate.googleusercontent.com/ ... VZ2xJYP7qw

Hi all,
These Hamburg Mattenfilter type filters are very efficient. One of our sponsors uses them extensively.
http://www.swisstropicals.com/Swisstrop ... hroom.html

cheers Darrel

Happy New Years one and all. Well with a new year I have decided to look into my entire fish room process. I have sold off my 54 tanks I was running using wet/dry sump style filtration and am looking into more cost effective ways of running a more sedate 20-30 tanks.

To this effect I have been looking into side drop air powered filtration. I have seen plenty of folks in Australia using this on cichlid setups, but have not come across any armoured catfish keepers who are doing it.

If anyone within PC's world wide community is doing this or has tried it could you please (after recovering from your celebrations of course) pass on any pros and cons of this type of system specific to Loricariiad spp.

Thanks in advance.

I believe the reason you haven't found it here is just naming convention. Most here call it a "mat filter" or "Hamburg matten filter" or some variant. If you search for that, you'll find many threads here and people using them in their fishrooms for plecos, even panaque.

Here's one such thread where it was explained to me a few years ago.

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

Thanks mate

Once again the naming difference of things between countries and continents causes another thread. I'll run some searches with the info you have given me and see how I go.

Thanks for the fast reply too.

I can merge the threads if you like.

Jools

That would be great thanks Jools, may as well have all the various terms for the same thing linked in.

Firestorming wrote:That would be great thanks Jools, may as well have all the various terms for the same thing linked in.

OK, topics merged!

Cheers,

Jools