Underwater spring in my tank?

[fullmonti]

You know how water from a underwater spring flows up through the sand? I want to do that in my 180gal tank I'll be setting up. It is already drilled in the bottom for a reef tank. Has any one already done this? If so how exactly was it done? I'm thinking make some kind of diffuser, maybe a 3-4" diameter short piece of pvc pipe with some kind of screen so water could go through but sand could not. I guess how much flow for how much & what size sand/gravel would have to be worked out.

Any thoughts, suggestions, ideas?

Jim

 

[shoggoth43]

Undergravel filter plates? Just cap off the usual spots the pipes go into.

-
S

 

[Biollante]

A Little Linen

Hi Jim,

This was a popular filter method for a while in the last millennium (that is like 1000 years ago).



I cannot remember what it was called; I do recall it was considerably less efficient than under gravel filters.

I would think channeling would be a serious problem, all that said I don’t think it would harm anything.



As Shoggoth43 said it is just an under gravel filter, capped.

I suppose if you mean a single point then cover the output with a fine screen, probably some linen from a sewing store.



Biollante

 

[jaafaman]

...This was a popular filter method for a while in the last millennium (that is like 1000 years ago).

Fluidized bed filters.

But they're fine if they're done right - still use 'em at the Tennessee Aquarium for quite a few tanks...

 

[fullmonti]

I'm sorry, I must not have explained my goal for this very well. This has nothing at all to do with filtration, strictly aesthetic. I wanted to simulate small spring in a stream. You know the sand churning in a area maybe a few inches in diameter.

jaafaman don't know if you noticed but I'm from Chattanooga too. Would love to have some one in town to visit with about planted tanks. Could you PM me, see if we could get together.

 

[Biollante]

A Visit To The Fabric Store


Hi.

The single point over the output with a fine screen, probably some linen from a fabric store.

Throttled back enough so as not to blow the sand out, perhaps a funnel to create a capture point and bit of a vortex.

Biollante

 

[fullmonti]

I like the funnel idea. I was thinking of window screen, but wasn't sure if it would be fine enough.

Has anyone seen this done?

 

[Tom Barr]

Good idea Jim, I used CPVC with 1/16th holes and made something like a slight fludized bed filter for a puffer. Sort of did the same thing, you could localize the region easily though and create this effect, add the CO2 through it too.

 

[fullmonti]

Thanks Tom. I have always wanted to do that. Now I finally have the right setup to try it.

I'm new to using CO2, but plan to use it. I have saltwater now, with CO2 for calcium reactor. It has a bubble counter with the reactor, I thought I would do something like that & run the line to the sump/wetdry filter. But it would probably be better to add it to the spring. How would you control the amount of CO2 adding it to the spring? I was going to ask about the different ways to inject CO2 into the system later, but now is good since it came up.