homemade RFUG filter from CPVC pipe

[ruyle]

Hi folks, I'm still new at posting photos so bear with me. This RFUG has
grooves sawn in the underside and allows for a smaller granular substrate
rather than having just gravel. This is Tom Barr's design (a manifold style
rather than a coil or serpentine) and is easy to make. What will drive this
is an Eheim Aquaball 2206. This is an excellent filter for high fish loads and
planted tanks.


Regards,

Bill Ruyle

[gweesm1]

Hi Bill,

A little help here



Underside

regards

[ruyle]

Hi Bill,

A little help here
regards

Thanks, Sia Meng, color me chagrined I'm still behind the learning
curve, obviously. Gosh, I did the secret dance, the incantations, and used
flashpowder So when I see the red "x" in the box it's a no-show, huh?
Back to the drawing board....

Thanks for your help,

Bill

[RonWill]

Bill, I suspect a typo in your link;
http://www.angelfire.com/ban/w_ruyle/Images/rfug2.JPG
Do check whether some parts of the url are in Upper or Lower Case.

A couple of years back, I did something similar to Tom's design except that I link up some of the pvc piping because the slots nearest to the entry pipe (from my canister filter), has the highest flow and those furthest, had negligible output.


I used twin down-pipes, fed off a T-joint and for the slots, I used a 1.5mm thick disc going over two-thirds of the pipe facing bottom. The resultant 2mm slot was adequate to prevent substrate granules from clogging up the slots.

Later, I ventured further... removed everything and before replacing the substrate, I laid a fine grid (approx 1.5mm) mesh over the manifold. That worked much better in providing balanced flow throughout the entire substrate bed.... which wasn't such a hot idea if one's into constant rescaping since the roots do get tangled in the mesh!

Since the linked pic doesn't belong to me, it'll be here only temporarily for illustrative purposes and will be 'un-linked' in due time.

[gweesm1]

Hi Bill,

Don't worry about it. , you can always write to me if you need help like this.

The RFUG is very neat and nicely done. I know this system is widely used in planted tank by the Taiwanese as I have seen videos and magazine on this systems. Are there common in the US?

Regards,

[ruyle]

Ron, thanks for your ideas. I made the grooves or slots to where they are
farther apart closest to the manifold and smaller, as opposed to the ones
farther away. I ran water from the kitchen faucet (which is probably not as
good as the pump) and was rather pleased with the distribution of water
flowing out of the bottom. My tanks are heavily planted and I like filters to
be as unobtrusive as possible. The substrate will be sand, crushed black
lava rock and clay soil conditioner mixed approx. 1:1:1 and about 3-4 inches in depth. Nutrients will be introduced via the water column and I will
probably use a Hagen natural CO2 kit. Tom's only remark when I sent him
the photos was that he made the Ts as close together as possible. The
Eheim Aquaball filters have been well-reviewed in the US and I hope they are available in Thailand, too. They have variable flow and you can also
hook air to a venturi in the outflow. Deep rooted plants like crypts are supposed to do wondrous fine with RFUGs fed by prefiltered water.
I guess time well tell....

Regards,

Bill

[ruyle]

The RFUG is very neat and nicely done. I know this system is widely used in planted tank by the Taiwanese as I have seen videos and magazine on this systems. Are there common in the US?

Not extremely common, Sia Meng. I am trying this because of the extra
bioload capability plus the fact you don't have to have a tailored commercial substrate (like Eco-Complete, Flourite, Onyx, etc) to be successful with planted tanks--I don't know if the above products are available in SG, but am told they are not in Thailand. I could be so lucky
as to have tanks I've seen pictured by the Taiwanese

Thanks for your kind words,

Bill