My Diy Sand Filter. I'm sick of filter socks!!!

[d0ughb0y]

I'm sure the sand filter does the job. Just want to make an objective comparison and understand the reason why the sock filter did not work.

This is from another thread with 1300 gallon tank using 7 filter socks

 

[reeferheadlouie]

I don't believe his argument was that they did not work, he was just tired of cleaning them I believe.

 

[cabinetman123]

I don't believe his argument was that they did not work, he was just tired of cleaning them I believe.

Exactly... The filter sock worked they just suck to have to take out and clean. Physically having to remove them and take them somewhere to clean sucked. Having to let the drain and then having them dripping all over the place... I hated them. With the sand filter it's just turn a few valves and I'm done. And the bonus is it keeps my water cleaner than filter socks used to.

 

[cabinetman123]

I'm sure the sand filter does the job. Just want to make an objective comparison and understand the reason why the sock filter did not work.

This is from another thread with 1300 gallon tank using 7 filter socks

Those look like they'd be fun to get out!

 

[cabinetman123]

So those of you following the viniger dosing here's an update:
Update on the viniger dosing. So When I first set the dosing up I had it dosing into my capartment directly below the sand filter. I noticed some sort of white algae growing right where the water drains out of that drain into an acrylic box to keep bubbles down. So I got thinking I should try dosing directly into the sand filter which I did for a day and then I set it up to dose into the 150 which drains directly into the sand filter. So far the display looks better than it ever has. No strange algae and everything looks healthy. Did A backflush Monday night and this morning I had to backflush again. This was quite a bit shorter time. Usually before I could go 4-5 days no prob and it still wasn't backed up enough to drain out of the emergency overflow. Well this morning it was all but backed up with a lot going out the emergency. So I though I'd just turn my pumps down to reduce flow to get thru to tonight. No go. Had to backflush. Even with low flow she was still going out emergency. The backflush water. is a lot whiter and way more of it. So I think dosing either directly or just upstream of the filter is better. I might leave the 150 running for a while to use as a dosing spot and to give the bacteria that eats the the viniger...and the nitrates and phosphates somewhere to propagate and grow, I hope. I'll try leaving it dosing there for a while and see how long it takes to back up then I'll try dosing right into the sand filter itself to see the diff. So far I'm hopeful this is working. I'll know if nutrient levels start to drop. The main thing I've come up with is I think the closer I dose to the intake of the sand filter the better. No sense feeding the bacteria right at the beginning of my system. Might as well feed it right before the spot that will trap them instead them having to travel thru the whole system before reaching the sand filter. I'm really hoping they will actually grow in the sand filter and enough will survive the backflush to start right back up. Time will tell.

 

[stage3-s4]

Filter socks are great for smaller tanks(probably anything less than 300 gallons or less). Once you start getting above the 300 gallon volume of water with a large bio load, the amount of filter socks you need to keep up with the load becomes very inefficient from a maintenance point of view.

Sand filters are actually a great means of mechanical filtration. Just look at any of the commercial aquariums out there. Almost all of them use sand filters. As long as they are back flushed frequently, They are very effective. I'm not sure I agree with not using a skimmer though.

 

[stage3-s4]

I'm sure the sand filter does the job. Just want to make an objective comparison and understand the reason why the sock filter did not work.

This is from another thread with 1300 gallon tank using 7 filter socks

That looks like a nightmare to change out filter socks.

 

[cabinetman123]

So it's been a while and figured I'd update. So I've been dosing my system with viniger and mainly using the sand filter to catch the bacteria that grows as a result and I had my nitrates down to .25 but my phosphates were At 1....not good. So I stsrted looking at phosphate removers. I looked at phos ban but dam that stuff is expensive. So after further research I learnrd about Lanthanum Chloride. I then learned that ATM makes it for tanks called agent green. So I managed to get a bottle and used it on my system. Usually guys dose this into a 10micron filter sock so the precipitate is caught and can be removed but...I hate filer socks so instead I dosed it into my sand filter in hopes it was able to catch fine enough material. Well it did. It clogged the filter up pretty quick but I just kept reducing the flow by turning my pumps down and I kept dosing. After about 3 or so hours my phosphate went from 1 to .16 and when I backflushed the sand filter it was definetly catching the precipitate. It was white as ever. Anyway. I did a vid and I'm uploading it now. I'll post the link as soon as its up. Had to share

 

[cabinetman123]

Here's the video I did of the process. I truly love this sand filter!!
http://youtu.be/ScM0CEilw84

 

[karimwassef]

I thought the sand was moving? How does it trap such fine particulates (finer than the sand and with the sand moving to allow flow)?

 

[cabinetman123]

I thought the sand was moving? How does it trap such fine particulates (finer than the sand and with the sand moving to allow flow)?

You'll have to watch the earlier vids. This isn't a fluidized sand filter but more like a pool sand filter

 

[Isayso]

Nice, well documented

 

[Ron Reefman]

Cabinetman (CM to me in the future), I just came across this thread today for the first time. I don't do the DIY thread very often because I have 4 tanks up and running for about 6 years (10-11 years in the hobby) now and don't see much chance of some DIY item causing me to do a big change. But you never know and I do visit here occasionally.

First, your video with you using the 'wand' to help stir and flush the sand is exactly what I did to clean used sand from a move. Only I did it in a 7g bucket and with a garden hose! So that looks very familiar to me.

Second, I run 4 tanks on 2 systems, 1 is 400g and the other is 200g. And between the 2 I run 6 filter socks. Now I don't mind changing them every 3 to 5 days, but it isn't something I look forward to either! And I have about 50 or 60 of them, so I hold the dirty ones in a big Rubbermaid tub with a lid in the garage until it's about full. That's roughly 30 to 35 socks. Then I flush them a bit with the garden hose and then run them through a double wash and rinse cycle in the washing machine. It's not that bad, but it's not fun either.

So, I like your sand filter system. It made perfect sense to me even before I saw the video, but the videos have also be a big help. Especially the one of the build before it had sand in it. How many gallons of water, in total, do you have in your systems? And roughly how many cubic inches or cubic feet of sand do you have in your filter? Or how big is the footprint and how deep is the sand? Since that's even better info that just the total cubic volume. Have you ever considered putting a filter sock at the effluent end of the sand filter for a day or a week just to see if it catches anything?

I'd like to continue to watch your progress while I start to organize my thoughts about setting up something similar. My 400g system has a 180g sump/refugium (8'x2'x18") divided into 4 chambers of 45g each. From left to right there is a refugium full of Chaeto and 2 filter socks, a DSB that is 8"+ deep, an evaporation and return pump section and finally a section with a skimmer with 1 more tank drain and filter sock. The 180g sps/lps reef drains directly into the AquaMedic Turbo 5000 skimmer by gravity. My 180g has a higher than average bio-load IMHO and I do tend to feed a bit heavy. If I set up a sand filter system, I'd keep the skimmer and a filter sock just as a check on how well the sand filter was working.

Thanks for posting this interesting idea. I'll be following closely and probably be asking more than a few questions!

 

[cabinetman123]

Cabinetman (CM to me in the future), I just came across this thread today for the first time. I don't do the DIY thread very often because I have 4 tanks up and running for about 6 years (10-11 years in the hobby) now and don't see much chance of some DIY item causing me to do a big change. But you never know and I do visit here occasionally.

First, your video with you using the 'wand' to help stir and flush the sand is exactly what I did to clean used sand from a move. Only I did it in a 7g bucket and with a garden hose! So that looks very familiar to me.

Second, I run 4 tanks on 2 systems, 1 is 400g and the other is 200g. And between the 2 I run 6 filter socks. Now I don't mind changing them every 3 to 5 days, but it isn't something I look forward to either! And I have about 50 or 60 of them, so I hold the dirty ones in a big Rubbermaid tub with a lid in the garage until it's about full. That's roughly 30 to 35 socks. Then I flush them a bit with the garden hose and then run them through a double wash and rinse cycle in the washing machine. It's not that bad, but it's not fun either.

So, I like your sand filter system. It made perfect sense to me even before I saw the video, but the videos have also be a big help. Especially the one of the build before it had sand in it. How many gallons of water, in total, do you have in your systems? And roughly how many cubic inches or cubic feet of sand do you have in your filter? Or how big is the footprint and how deep is the sand? Since that's even better info that just the total cubic volume. Have you ever considered putting a filter sock at the effluent end of the sand filter for a day or a week just to see if it catches anything?

I'd like to continue to watch your progress while I start to organize my thoughts about setting up something similar. My 400g system has a 180g sump/refugium (8'x2'x18") divided into 4 chambers of 45g each. From left to right there is a refugium full of Chaeto and 2 filter socks, a DSB that is 8"+ deep, an evaporation and return pump section and finally a section with a skimmer with 1 more tank drain and filter sock. The 180g sps/lps reef drains directly into the AquaMedic Turbo 5000 skimmer by gravity. My 180g has a higher than average bio-load IMHO and I do tend to feed a bit heavy. If I set up a sand filter system, I'd keep the skimmer and a filter sock just as a check on how well the sand filter was working.

Thanks for posting this interesting idea. I'll be following closely and probably be asking more than a few questions!

As far as the size. I don't have a tape home but I'm sure the unit is 18" wide x 10" deep x 20" tall with about 12" of sand in it. I'll varify that when I get a tape home. As far as putting a filter sick on the end there is no sense. Before putting this in place my water was not even close to this clear and clean looking. I used to have a large like 8x16 filter sock that used to last 3 days or so but never even came close to keeping water as clear until it was nearly clogged. That sand catches everything and it's amazing concidering the flow going thru it. I got 2 jebao dc 12000 running about half. Sand size is important. To fine don't work right. Anyway, well worth the effort to set one up. No way I'd ever go back.

 

[Ron Reefman]

You say sand size is important, are you using pool filter sand? Do you know what brand you used? Or what the grain size is?

I see it range from $5 for 50 lbs of Quikrete Pool Filter Sand (not cement... I've done my share with cement as I just created a new shower stall floor in our master bathroom) to over $50 for 50 lbs for Mystic White II Pool Filter Sand. That's a crazy amount of difference in price.

 

[karimwassef]

Doesn't pool sand release silica that encourages diatoms? I know Quartz is reasonably stable but my experiences in using play-sand did not go well

 

[cabinetman123]

You say sand size is important, are you using pool filter sand? Do you know what brand you used? Or what the grain size is?

I see it range from $5 for 50 lbs of Quikrete Pool Filter Sand (not cement... I've done my share with cement as I just created a new shower stall floor in our master bathroom) to over $50 for 50 lbs for Mystic White II Pool Filter Sand. That's a crazy amount of difference in price.

The stuff I used was sable island natural. The reason why I say that size matters is cause a buddy of my set one up too and the sand filter sand he got was quite a bit finer and it wouldn't drain right. Play sand is way to fine. The stuff I got almost seams to coarse but it works like a charm.

 

[sam.basye]

The stuff I used was sable island natural.

Got a link or where you got it from?

All I get from Google are links to the wild horses that live in sable island.. lol


Your thread was an inspiration and I'm making one out of an old MTC ozone reactor.

I went to my local pool supply store to get a lateral and was told silica 20 was the finest sand I could use with it.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Sam, I tried as well and the only thing I got that was about sand was this thread!

CM, any help here?

 

[aqua tech]

interesting but seems like more work than changing socks...