Simple homemade filter

Marshall

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As some of you know I like to tinker with things and invent contraptions and this is one of them. I bought a new gravel vac and therefore had the old one not being used when I got this idea. I made a very basic filter with filter media and
charcoal + ammonia. I used a 80 gallon per hour fountain pump to run the thing and images are below to see how it basically works. It is two stage basically consisting of 3.5" media, 7" char/ammo and another 3.5 - 5" filter media.
DSCN3943.JPG
DSCN3946.JPG
 

Marshall

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A filter like this, containing charcoal and zeolite, though novel, would have limited usefulness.
Hence the term "simple" as I designed it as a supplemental filter to be added to existing setup to add a little more capacity. The filter media is packed at about an 14-1 pressure in that tube so you may not be as sure about it's design and effectiveness just by looking at the picture. Also that is a high pressure pump that although low flow is not gonna be bogged by the media or char-ammo so it will move much more than what a typical indoor piece of equipment would do
 
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Meyer Jordan

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Hence the term "simple" as I designed it as a supplemental filter to be added to existing setup to add a little more capacity. The filter media is packed at about an 14-1 pressure in that tube so you may not be as sure about it's design and effectiveness just by looking at the picture. Also that is a high pressure pump that although low flow is not gonna be bogged by the media or char-ammo so it will move much more than what a typical indoor piece of equipment would do
I am judging its effectiveness on the inclusion of charcoal and zeolite which both have time limited usefulness at which point they either need to be replaced or recharged. Neither of these materials are commonly used as part of a pond or aquariums normal filtration as both are chemical filtering media. Typically they are used for remedying isolated chemical pollution events. They add nothing to mechanical and/or biological filtration processes. Charcoal and/or zeolite, depending on the water quality, typically have a usefulness of about 2 to 3 weeks.
 

Marshall

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I am judging its effectiveness on the inclusion of charcoal and zeolite which both have time limited usefulness at which point they either need to be replaced or recharged. Neither of these materials are commonly used as part of a pond or aquariums normal filtration as both are chemical filtering media. Typically they are used for remedying isolated chemical pollution events. They add nothing to mechanical and/or biological filtration processes. Charcoal and/or zeolite, depending on the water quality, typically have a usefulness of about 2 to 3 weeks.
That is how I use it just as a supplemental filter as needed. Just as a fix as a problem arises. I already have bio-filter, UV sterilizer and a mechanical filter in every terrarium so I don't really have issues most of the time
 

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