Bio Filtered Recirculating DWC

The Dopest · Jul 29, 2006

hi guys, [would wave but my damn smilie button is broke]
is anyone using a bio filter in their setup? i read in the very best of weed world magazine, an article by Noucetta Kedhi, recommending the use of one. well i went out and bought one almost immediately since it was cheap(under $20) and i wanted a filter anyway for my recirculating setup. so i get this model its made for 15-30 gal aquariums and my setup runs about 13 gals. i figured bigger the better. this bio filter sits in the bio/nute check bucket of my setup between the pods and pump. i have it running 24hrs and it aerates the nutes as well as filters them. if you run dwc, especially recirculating, you should consider a bio filter. my nutes are sparkling clean in every bucket and i havent done a nute swap in months[been veggin moms]. if you take a look at the root porn thread youll see the roots seem to love it! i had to have an outboard nute check bucket because my pump/float bucket is under my reserve. i use two 5gals for control and res and 2gals for nute check/bio and plant pots.

peace

RM - aquagrower · Jul 29, 2006

what ya got there is refered to as a HOB (hang on back filter) and they do work great at providing a bit of bio filteration. usually says somewhere in the instructions how many gph it filters. the TopFin brand from petsmart comes with a lifetime guarantee, too. just take it back to the store for a replacemant.

i like to put some brley flakes in the bio-bags. as the brley breaks down it releases an enzyme that keeps algie from getting a foothold. and it's completely safe for fish and plants.

The Dopest · Jul 30, 2006

oh, well it works look at this shit... and yes the package says what gpm the pump is, i forgot and thats not my actual model in the second pic, that was the closest to mine online. i lost my box, lol the thing really keeps it clean in there. :joint:

this was after a week and i had to do some drilling while the system was running. you see the black plastic shavings in there? better than in my pump!

peace!

btw where can i pick up some brly flakes? and how much to use?

Nate · Jul 30, 2006

Wow The Dopest, what a setup! Intense, that filter really seems to be doing the trick :joint:

LazyDaze · Aug 9, 2006

I would love to hear any additional wisdom on this topic. I am very curious, so ... bump.

Guest · Aug 9, 2006

Nice!

Guest · Aug 10, 2006

I'll be god damn! Hmmm....fish tank water stays nice and clean. Why didn't anyone else think of this sooner? This does sound like a VERY good idea. I'm just wondering if someone is gonna come along and tell us why it won't work in the long run?? If it's a bio filter, it shouldn't filter out chemical nutes...but what about organics? Those filters are carbon based, right? If that's the case, carbon is what's used in water filtration to filter out the organic material. I know this from when I worked for a large water filtration company. Those of us with chemical nutes shouldn't have an issue, but if you're growing organic I would be cautious.

The Dopest · Aug 10, 2006

good food for thought Stoned2Death there is a lil carbon in the filter. btw Aquagrower mentioned this is a hob filter not a bio but it still filters the crap out. i run GH nutes and have not changed the water out of my system in months. i have been vegging two monster plants while i waited for some clones to ready. the water is sparkling clean and has absolutely no smell. i would even drink it... but i know what i put in there:wink:

Steady Smokin, thats what i said! wow, no stinky water :pointlaug

Lazy Daze, thanks for stopping by. maybe some more experience will flow through here soon :lurk:

Nate

, seriously intense potna! filters are cheap and this thing is super effective! im gonna go with no reserve change for the whole grow and see how things happen. we'll see

:woohoo:

-VT- · Aug 10, 2006

RM - aquagrower said:
i like to put some brley flakes in the bio-bags. as the barley breaks down it releases an enzyme that keeps algie from getting a foothold. and it's completely safe for fish and plants.

Glad ya finally got around to trying that bro...I remember when you raised the topic on my OG thread....how does it work on eliminating algae? Oops sorry...I see it works fine on the algae!!! Cool....I remember when we discussed this last year

Hygrozyme....The main ingredient is a derivative of Barley....$36/qt for Hygrozyme

Nice thread The Dopest.....it's something I half-heartedly researched and looked into at OG....then I got distracted (police showing up and taking plants etc....

) there is/was an OG FAQ dedicated to the topic....according to that FAQ article...the aussies started it with rockwool....one can use sand as well....I suppose it's readily available for anyone wanting to read it. That's where I first found out about it...and trading posts with Rm-aquagrower

I agree with Stoned2Death, those of us using organics would want to avoid the carbon filtration, I'd think

peace

supermanlives · Aug 10, 2006

i ran a setup using those bio balls from pond\aquarium store. worked great.

DeVenT · Aug 11, 2006

Bioballs would be excellent for aeration......I wonder if some of what you are filtering out is what the plant needs?? I don't have a klew, I just know that my nutes usually turn the water brown...seems to me that if I put a filter in there, then the nutes are now clear, they are in the filter material....And besides, they have charcoal in them don't they? That is used to remove things from water, what elements is it absorbing? Good thing? Bad thing? No klew here as I said, just a few thoughts....
:pointlaug

I see this point has been addressed...as I read after I post :bat:

RM - aquagrower · Aug 14, 2006

i'm fairly certain that the charcoal is absorbing at least some of your nutes, but aint no law that says ya gotta put the charcoal in the bags. just save that stuff for the carbon scrubber.

The Dopest · Aug 14, 2006

dude i run GH nutes and have not had any problen whatsoever. there is no reduction in ppm, there is no signs of unhealthy plants in my system. i have had these two in there for a few months. NO reserve change, no flush. all i have done is add nutes once a week to keep my plants going. my water is auto topping so i have no idea how much water goes in. now i dont know about organic nutes. there is no warning about organic nutes in the magazine i have. it only says :
quote
Use a BIO FILTER. This is a new instrument that allows you to add extra oxygen in your water while purifying it from most pathogens.
In slower systems, if you dont want to invest in the bio filter, you may add an airstone or a stronger pump to increase your oxygen conten a lil more.
end quote

these plants look healthy right?

i think if the tablespoon of carbon sucked any of my nutes out i would have deficiency signs or something right?

DeVinT i didnt mean that the nutes went clear after adding them to the water. i meant that the nutes are still yellowish/tan in color but i would drink them in a heartbeat if i was thirsty. there is NO smell and there is no shit or slime or anything but sparkling CLEAN nutes flowing through there

BabyHughie · Aug 14, 2006

The Dopest said:
these plants look healthy right?

That one root shot is just insane man!

The Dopest said:
DeVinT i didnt mean that the nutes went clear after adding them to the water. i meant that the nutes are still yellowish/tan in color but i would drink them in a heartbeat if i was thirsty. there is NO smell and there is no shit or slime or anything but sparkling CLEAN nutes flowing through there

Dopest you crazy man! :biglaugh:

RM - aquagrower · Aug 15, 2006

coonass, huh. just noticed that. my ex-wife is a coonass. real fiesty, but a hell of a cook.

your plants look great. K+ to ya. but ya gotta know that the charcoal is absorbing SOMETHING. that would be like droping a sponge in the rez and expecting in not to absorb anything.

what is is absorbing? god only knows.

your hob (hang on back) provides both mechanical and biological filtration. (the biological being PH dependent. but that's another topic.) oxygen is added to the rez by way of the waterfall return. water clarity is inproved by adding adding any/all of these.

just trying to say that ya don't need the charcoal. i use hobs on all of my fishtanks, and the only thing that i put in the bags is some (well rinsed) barley flakes. but hey, to each his own.

pontiac · Aug 18, 2006

This is EXACTLY what i need, thanks AGAIN dope! Shit my dwc tub gets so dirty, that i hold off res changes for weeks! Thanks again man! :bow:

stealthpackage · Nov 4, 2006

Hell yea, I'll be doing this for sure if I ever build a recirc. DWC. Thanks for the tip.

Guest · Nov 5, 2006

LA in the house!

LA in the house!

D :wave:

, You got a nice setup!!! More rOOts than Alex Haley.Ha
I checked out some of your gallery! :yoinks:

Brilliant!

lateR, Willie :Bolt:

Maccabi · Nov 5, 2006

I've been into fish tanks for all my life. Using one of those filters will do wonders because they let the BB (Benifical Bacteria) prosper in side it. I have never used one but I plan on building a big Bio DWC setup and will 100% add a couple of these filters.

Get the filters that are blue, they contain activated charcol for the smell of fish water.

The Dopest · Nov 6, 2006

well someone said that the charcoal could actually takeout some of your organic nutes? what about just run a normal filter fo ryou organic guys. anyway i had a succesful harvest and changed the filter twice during flower. after harvest i could still drink the nutes they were so clean smelling. no trash floatin around in there or nothin.

hey Stealthpackage...you dont have to use a recirc unit. it will work on a rubbermade tote as well, any reserve will (in my opinion) benefit from this filter or one like it.

thanks for stoppin by guys, hey shot out to Willie in the N.O.

Bio Filtered Recirculating DWC

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