the German Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 this is my first attempt at building a fluid bed filter .i decided to build one as the ones you buy are to small to really do a large system .i only use these for purigen as thay give it great water coverage.any way hear is what i did . i got 90mm clear acrylic at 1m long then got 1 end cap and a screw on end cap with sleeve you allso need to get some fittings that fit in the end cap for a in and out bulkheads would be great but there's no room for them so hears what i used Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the German Posted January 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 then you need to drill the end cap and put the fitting threw i used aquarium silicon on all the fitting it might not be pretty but i hate leaks then glue your end caps on to the tube and let dry for a few days you also need to add a tube on the in coming water so that it travels to the bottom first then put the hole thing together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the German Posted January 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 then plumb it in to your system and away you go i filled it with 3l of purigen and it runs at about 300l/h Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mackayman Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Very nice mate, where do you get the clear pipe from ? Brendan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tech Den Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 X2 times two - not enough characters!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Very nice construction there. What i need to is where exactly you plumb it into the system. In the return to the sump or in the fill line. I noticed you have a tap to regulate flow into it. Oh and where you got the clear 90 mm pipe from. Cheers JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the German Posted January 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Plumb it in to the pipe that returns the clean water from sump to tank .you will defiantly need a tap to control flow . The pipe is from mr plastic at slacks creek of moss st BUT be warned it's not cheep a meter will cost you about $80 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the German Posted January 31, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 (edited) Sorry double post Edited January 31, 2012 by the German Double post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tech Den Posted January 31, 2012 Report Share Posted January 31, 2012 Someone who will remain nameless did a similar thing and has had me intrigued since, hence I remember this thread well. I think you ripped off his idea...lol http://www.qldaf.com/forums/product-diy-technical-discussion-11/rocken-purigen-57718/ Can you give a comparison between the Boyu, Otto and your DIY one in regards to flow, media holding and performance. It would seem you are the best person to ask.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the German Posted February 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 shore can. the boyu and the otto are all most the same in flow and volume of media .you fit about a cup full of purigen per filter and the flow is very slow about 200l per minute. the one thing the otto has over the boyo is that the fittings are screwed on and the boyu is only push on which i don't trust as you think thay will pop of one night when your a sleep.in saying that the ottos cost about $80 and the boyo about $40 so the choice is up to you. the diy cost me about $110 all up and the difference is incredible i fit 4l of purigen at a flow of 6l a minute. but on a single tank its over kill i would go the smaller units for signal tanks but if you have a large system go the diy ! iv already started a new one that's 2m tall its a monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tech Den Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 Thanks for getting back to us. Food for thought on if to go multiple units or have a crack at the DIY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadFishFloating Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 I actually started one of these years ago after talking to winston about them. I have the tube.......... lol wat? thats a start! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the German Posted February 6, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 It shore is and that's the expensive part as well the rest is easy .how long is the tube and what diameter ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadFishFloating Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 hmmmmm........ its actually wedged into a corner behind a heap of boxes. so not sure on actual size anymore probably a metre long and about 18cm diameter at a guess I half started turning it into a skimmer. well it skims but needs to be tweaked buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut I dont have marine systems at the moment, so its either a fluidised bead or fluidised sand filter. well once I change a few things anyway I do like the bead filters tho from my pond days so ya I wont be using it for purigen most likely but for a nuetral bouyancy plastic bead media most likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fish4fish3 Posted February 6, 2012 Report Share Posted February 6, 2012 to all you asking about acrylic tubes check out 372Acrylic.com.au or on ebay 372acrylic. they are based in BNE somewhere. I ordered sheets from them as they had the cheapest prices and the delivery was cheap too. He also makes all different acrylic tanks, fish tank coffee tables and other fish stuff of interest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayPee Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 Hows this going for ya mate. Still running a treat. I need to know how you stop the media flowing out the end. I made mine shorter so 2 tubes at 500mm high. But having trouble getting the media to stay put. I'm also using macropore don't know if that makes a difference. I'm guessing you left yours at 1m high so the media doesn't flow that high. If you give me some advice would be great. If I have to buy another tube i'll use the smaller ones for something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southfish Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 (edited) dont worry, cooool i want one! Edited October 19, 2013 by southfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 Nice build. I am not sure if purigen or macropore is the best media as these work on adsorption (not absorption) so tumbling would dislodge and reduce the effectiveness but if your getting good results then thats the main thing. I have been playing with FBF for a while now and some of my larger ones are made from 200L barrels. Others from 400 mm PVC pipe and acrylic tube. Either using sand as a negatively buoyant media or HDPE granules which float. You can get reliable water tight seals around pvc joins with a simple neoprene or rubber gasket. Either bought off the shelf or home made. You will also get much easier "fluidisation" if you glue a hemispherical dome on the bottom of your tubes. Arcylic glue will bond to PVC quite effectively. If you want to go bigger but keep costs down, its also very easy to use PVC pipe with a small acrylic viewing space. The acrylic does not need to be very thick and is easy to heat and bend. Or if thats too much effort you can put the viewing hole on flat top end. Nowadays I prefer an open top FBF for ease of construction and easy monitoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted October 19, 2013 Report Share Posted October 19, 2013 90mm tube. I'm having all sorts of problems copying and pasting from a tablet so I will leave photos till another time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
litigator666 Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 anybody with a spare tube they want to sell? Even used, just want to try it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquaholic99 Posted October 25, 2013 Report Share Posted October 25, 2013 You can also use PVC pipe. Using a torch behind this will let you monitor the media inside. Can also make a tall boxed version out of glass/perspex sheet or an open top version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...