Carbon Filter Revisited

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 9:09 am

I'm really enjoying this filter! I can now do a water change on a 20 gallon tank in about 10 minutes. Turn on the python that is connected to my overflow sump and suck the tank down to half, turn on the hose out of my filter and fill the tank back up. Refill rate is 4 GPM so the tank is back up to normal in about 2-3 minutes.

It is so easy I'm doing some mid-week water changes now.

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Thu Nov 08, 2007 10:04 am

It is so easy I'm doing some mid-week water changes now.

Both you and your animals benefit

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 8:34 am

Today I got a confirmation of sorts that the water quality has really improved. While my red cherry shrimp population was holding its own, it was not expanding very fast. Before the water company change, I would have about 60 extra shrimp every month, and after I rarely was comfortable parting with more than 10 or so every other month.

Today I counted about 40 hatchlings on the tank glass picking away at the bios film, along with an explosion of copepods. All the females are berried or saddled, so I may be back in the shrimp business again! Yea! Call me Bubba Gump!

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:15 am

Great news, congrats Bubba Gump

!

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:50 am

This is at the limit of my camera and through a layer of biofilm, but I think you'll get the idea. This is a shot of several square inches of the glass.

This is a 40 gallon long and 3 sides are pretty much like this right now. The 4th side I keep clean so I can see in. No baby shrimp on that side. It seems pretty clear what the babies like to eat

The little white speckles are copepods. I did a 50% water change on Friday (2 days ago) so you can see it did them no harm.

Cactus Bastard · Post by **Cactus Bastard** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 8:59 pm

Holy!

That's a lot of copepods!
Glad your shrimp are all doing so well too!

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Mon Nov 26, 2007 8:45 pm

It is going on a month now with the new filter. The females are all either in berry, or well saddled and the males are always searching for that female ready to mate. Better still, the babies are turning to juvies in great numbers. I've l aways been able to keep the population growing, but never anything like this.

To paraphrase Bill Clinton- "Its the water stupid!"

Neonshrimp · Post by **Neonshrimp** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 4:47 pm

Great new

! The water must be some good stuff

!

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Tue Nov 27, 2007 5:03 pm

I'm also glad to hear about your new success! Water problems are SOOOO infuriating, so it's great that yours seem to be over (*knock on wood*).

So let me get this straight: it's not an RO/DI filtration system you have hooked up. It's just a series of micron and carbon/chemical filters?

I apologize in advance for possibly diverting your thread, but would it be possible to set up a low-flow, drip-through system where the first stages are an RO/DI filter, and the purified water would then have to be reconstituted for hardness and minerals before going into the aquaria?

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 6:28 am

My filter is made by Poly-Bio-Marine. Google it for details. It is a high flow filter system that uses their filter media along with pre-filters and activated charcoal.

I tried R/O reconstition. It did not work nearly as well and it was lots of work and expense with chemicals, mixing, testing. With my system you turn on the tap and add water. It's been a year of limping along as the problem started late October 2006. It is such a relief to get it behind me.

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:00 pm

badflash wrote:My filter is made by Poly-Bio-Marine. Google it for details. It is a high flow filter system that uses their filter media along with pre-filters and activated charcoal.

cool, thanks! I'm definitely interested in getting a semi-automatic system going on my tanks. However, it won't be until I own my own house. Landlord probably wouldn't be too happy if I started fudging with the plumbing. As you said, though, it can be a long time in the works, so I figure it doesn't hurt to start gathering ideas now.

The only thing I could think of for re-adding the minerals would be like a holding pond. But, as you mentioned, it's pretty difficult to get the amounts just right and maintain a constant hardness and TDS.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:37 pm

Mine isn't permenant. I'm using a garden hose connection on an indoor spigot for a washing machine. I will eventually add an electronic timer now that I know it works.

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 5:57 pm

badflash wrote:Mine isn't permenant. I'm using a garden hose connection on an indoor spigot for a washing machine.

I may ask you for the details sometime. I have all my tanks in my laundry room right now, so hooking it up to the washing machine spigot would work perfectly for me.

badflash · Post by **badflash** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:41 pm

I just went to home depot and got a Y-Valve connection for the hose fitting. Nothing fancy, just don't do the laundry at the same time as you are doing tanks.

Baby_Girl · Post by **Baby_Girl** » Thu Nov 29, 2007 6:33 am

badflash wrote:I just went to home depot and got a Y-Valve connection for the hose fitting. Nothing fancy, just don't do the laundry at the same time as you are doing tanks.

neat, I am encouraged!

So you can't put a valve control on either side of the Y? It's either both on, or both off?