# Other Aquarium Forums > Freshwater Fauna > Killifish >  Henri deBruyn mini wet/dry filters

## ruyle

Hi folks, don't know if anyone over there has a copy of JAKA May-June 2001 but the above filter is featured in it. I've sent an email to Lowell Patrick (audio-video guy for AKA, or was) who has videotapes of step by step construction for $18. Yeah, NTSC tapes, not PAL  :Sad:  Hopefully someone
in SG has dual-format VHS machines? LMK. These filters require airpumps
to work. I imagine most of you "fishroom guys" use the excellent Japanese
-made linear piston pumps. 

Regards,

Bill Ruyle

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## RonWill

Bill, I think we started having AKA members in 2002, not 2001. Being a ex-AKAer between '99~'00, I'm afraid none of us have that issue (happy to be wrong though).

Could you email Lowell Patrick again to check if they have VCD/DVD of the same title? If that is available, I'd appreciate a copy and will remit payment for that, plus incurred expenses. Otherwise, NTSC VHS will also do.




> Yeah, NTSC tapes, not PAL. Hopefully someone in SG has dual-format VHS machines?


I'm not sure if this sound strange to you but as early as 1984, there're people, including myself, who started owning *'multi-systems'** VHS players and also TVs that support these 'systems' or 'frequencies'.

The term *'Multi-format'*** does not apply to VHS (other than Stereo and Long Play capabilities), but to players that will playback VCD, DVD, Audio CD and even LD (the Pioneer DVL-9 is one such machine, albeit for Region 1 DVD Decoding on mine).

In this case, I think it's not so much the 'system', but rather the 'format' that's in question here. VCDs have almost totally replaced VHS, just like it had ousted Betamax. I wouldn't be surprised, to *not* see a VHS recorder in homes these days... except for those who still record children programs for their kids and sports match telecasts.




> I imagine most of you "fishroom guys" use the excellent Japanese
> -made linear piston pumps.


... and which might that be? What I do know is that many of the LFS here uses HiBlow and it's a very reliable unit.

**'Multi-systems'* refers to PAL, NTSC 3.58, NTSC 4.43, SECAM, BG, etc.

***'Multi-formats'* It is possible to 'convert' VHS tapes to a digital VCD format, but that will infringe on copyright/ownership issues which I'd rather avoid. When I do get my hands on that tape, interested forumers can either view it at my home or take it out on a short-term loan. It would be great if those who're keen can come together and work on the 'Henri filter' as a group project!.

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## ruyle

> Could you email Lowell Patrick again to check if they have VCD/DVD of the same title? If that is available, I'd appreciate a copy and will remit payment for that, plus incurred expenses. Otherwise, NTSC VHS will also do.
> Would love to, except I don't have his current email address: the message I sent got bounced back. Will try killietalk (have to subscribe again) and see what I can find out.
> 
> 
> The term *'Multi-format'*** does not apply to VHS (other than Stereo and Long Play capabilities), but to players that will playback VCD, DVD, Audio CD and even LD (the Pioneer DVL-9 is one such machine, albeit for Region 1 DVD Decoding on mine).
> 
> I really like the new Daewoo, Philips zone-free players that recognize and
> play DVDs, VCDs, CDs, CD-R, CD-RW, etc, etc and recognize automatically what voltage outlet you plug them into, that will play over either an NTSC or PAL tv. 
> 
> ...


I'll keep you posted! :wink: 

Bill

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## ruyle

Ron, et al, here's an URL to illustrate one of these filters in use in Ken
Normandin's fishroom, one of the most successful breeders of SAAs in the
US: http://chika.aka.org/library/tanklids/tanklids.htm hope I did this
right. Still waiting from Lowell Patrick about the filter videotapes.

Bill Ruyle

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## MCSim

I have built a similar version of it.. unforunately, it does not seem to work very well for me.. very good biological wet/dry filter. Mod for some simple mechanical filtration using fine wool.. Maybe my tanks are too small to get good effect.  :Smile:  With the amount of $$$ and time spent on building it..in the end bought some cheapo sponge filters instead.

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## RonWill

Kenneth, could you elaborate more on how this Henri filter work? I'm keen to DIY some for my tanks and will be using air-lift, bringing water up to the filter. I'm just unclear what happens after that!  :Opps:  

From what I understand so far, it uses lava rock as media for the nitrifying bacteria and the returning water is like rain-drops falling into the tank... drip drip drip :wink: 

With such slow flow rate and maximum exposure to circulating air, I _suspect_ it'll help lower temperature somewhat. I suppose a 2ºC reduction is a realistic goal and since I'm a big fan of wet/dry trickle filter and will have that running over sponge filters anyday. Maybe I can look forward to maintaining _diapterons_ too!

I have some unused *OHF (Over Head Filter)*, those black colored ones that rest on the tank. Bigger pic here. These are commonly used with LouHans and Goldfish setups. I suppose some modification is necessary... but that will have to wait till I get a better idea what it's all about!

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## ruyle

Ronnie, your overhead filter reminds me of the tanks I kept in Japan 88-93
the first time I was there. I don't think those parts will serve very well in
what is needed (Wright can certainly correct me on any of this since he's
built these filters):1. raingutter cut to fit down about a 3rd of its height in
the tank with perforations on the bottom. 2. In the middle of the raingutter is drilled a larger hole to receive the *outer* tube (5/8"OD) that is glued in place and runs to the bottom of the tank where there is sponge wrapped around it as a prefilter (or commercial equivalent). 3. The inner tube 1/2"
OD fits inside the outer tube (what a shocker :wink: ) and is 3 inches shorter than the outer tube. To this tube is affixed a v-shaped perforated
trough that runs the length of the raingutter with lava rock running along
both sides underneath it. 4. Place an airstone or tube down the inner tube
to where it is close to the prefilter sponge using 3/16" hard plastic tube and
when it is emerging from the trough use a bottle cap 1" diameter or so to
keep the oxygenated water from shooting over the filter. Airline runs thru the middle of this cap and onto the airpump. Water bubbles up the inner tube then down the perforated trough to wet the lava rocks then drops like rain through the holes of the raingutter. Wright doesn't like the looks of these filters, and I tend to agree. The white plastic raingutter on a black-trimmed tank is not ideal. I'm going to be looking for some charcoal-gray raingutters, but may not have much luck. These filters also require tanks being topped off with RO or DI or perhaps rainwater, water with near-zero conductivity.
HTH, till the tape shows up,

Bill Ruyle

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## MCSim

Hi Ronnie, I'll try my best to describe how it works..

Like you mention, you'll need a container filled with lava rocks. Above the rocks, you'll need a piece of drip plate (similar to the clear plastic with lots of holes in the OHF). So using air-lift, water is being brought up to the drip plate. Water is then "spread out" and allowed to drip down the lava rocks. This creates a "wet/dry" trickle filter which the beneficial bacteria loves because of its large exposure to Oxygen. Water will just drip back into the tank like rain drops to simulate "rain" in the natural environment.

I have a couple of problems previously. Since I'm not using a rain gutter, trying to get the water to spread out evenly is kinda tough.  :Smile:  The other is that there should have enough depth for the water to trickle down the lava rock. I mean the effect would be greatly reduce if water only flows pass 2 piece of rocks. :wink: Of course there are stuffs which are better than lava rock but its more expensive. 

Eh.. I'm not too sure about reducing the temperature of the water, but I'll have to remind you that water does evaporate faster this way..  :Laughing:

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## RonWill

Bill, there're a couple of things I'm not interpreting right...




> 1. raingutter cut to fit down about a 3rd of its height in the tank with perforations on the bottom.


How do I read this? ... that a 3rd of this 'raingutter box' is inside the tank ... or, a 3rd of the bottom inside the water? (see Fig.A)





> 2. In the middle of the raingutter is drilled a larger hole to receive the *outer* tube (5/8"OD) that is glued in place


Also, where is the position of the tube hole? Is it a Point 'A' or 'B'?
================================================================




> To this tube is affixed a v-shaped perforated trough that runs the length of the raingutter with lava rock running along both sides underneath it.



Is the V-trough 'bent' from rain gutter material as well? Why a 'V' and should the trough resemble Fig.B?
================================================================




> 4. Place an airstone or tube down the inner tube to where it is close to the prefilter sponge using 3/16" hard plastic tube and when it is emerging from the trough use a bottle cap 1" diameter or so to keep the oxygenated water from shooting over the filter.


 
Whereabout should this bottle cap be... at Point 'A' or 'B'? If at Point 'A', should the pipe, running along the length over the V-trough, be drilled to drip like a rain-pipe/spray-bar?




> Airline runs thru the middle of this cap and onto the airpump.


If this cap is at the top of the lift-tube, from where does the water enter the trough? Bill & Wright, please feel free to edit the images where applicable... a picture is worth a thousand words!
================================================================

I was thinking about the V-trough which doesn't really spread the water evenly through the lava rocks. A drip plate or flat trough with multiple rows of holes, like those found in wet/dry trickle, would be better... don't you think so?

In the illustration above (Fig.D), if water is allowed to spread, drip and flow through a wider area of lava rocks, the colonies of bacteria should be many folds more than that, which drips from the trough.
================================================================
Finally, how 'slow' should this flow-rate be? Given that it's air-driven, I don't expect it anywhere near a power-head aided flow.

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## ruyle

> How do I read this? ...


No, it will not be as fast running as a powerhead. You want to adjust the airflow to where the top of the water is being hit by a gentle rain. Does any
of this help? Too bad there's nothing on the web to illustrate the top view of these filters.

Bill

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## MCSim

Haiz, type until like siao.. kenna "no post mode" error message..whatever

Ronnie,

Fig. A, uplift tube should be at A.
Fig. B, V-shape will give a very even spread of water when lifted. I'll suggest using a rain-bar because holes have been neatly drilled.  :Smile:  
Fig. C, uplift tube in the middle. With a V-shape trough, water will spread in both directions. Bottle cap is to allow the air-tube to go down the middle of the uplift tube and prevents lifted water to spill everywhere.
Fig. D, the second case would be ideal..but near impossible unless you can have a very flatly layed drip plate. i.e. NO SLOPE.  :Smile:  

Yes, flow rate is ultra slow using air lift. Fig. D also explains why I suggested to use a deep container on my earlier reply.  :Smile:

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## RonWill

> Haiz, type until like siao.. kenna "no post mode" error message..whatever


Kenneth, it has happened to me as well. Click 'back' to previous page and copy the entire unsent post. Then go back to the thread, hit 'Reply' and paste. Works for me... sometimes! :wink: 

Received further details from Bill and together with what both of you have described, here's another pic.

... ought to be it.

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## ruyle

Ronnie, that has got to be very close, if not dead-on. I wonder if it would
be ok to have plants in that filter (like pothos, etc, with their roots trained
down in the lava rock). It might improve the aesthetics of this filter which
isn't exactly eye-candy  :Smile:  

Bill

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## RonWill

Bill, you can grow aquatic plants emersed in those filter but find a species that doesn't have too massive a root system, eg. most _Echinodorus_ will establish themselves very easily but you'd soon find roots dangling out and plugging the drainage holes. _Micranthemum_ species has finer roots and _Hydrocotyle_ will spread and drape over (disguise) your rain gutter filter.

Like this?

You might want to have the plants facing the front tho. Think hydroponics and you get the picture.

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## MCSim

Ronnie.. thats it!!  :Very Happy:   :Very Happy:   :Very Happy:  
Good luck! heh.. you very good at pictures..

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## RonWill

> Good luck! heh.. you very good at pictures..


Kenneth, thanks! Now I can go modify one of those OHF and see if I can come up with 'real' pics. BTW, MS Paint is better than me... it can copy & paste, while I can only draw lines :wink:

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## ruyle

Ronnie,
Some of my former info is all wet so here goes: the uplift tube is 1/2 inch
diameter which has an 1/8inch inner tube that is glued in place 1/2 inch
from the bottom of outer tube and sticks out 1/2 inch above the outer tube
on the top so airline can be attached. There is no mention of an airstone
and indeed, 1/2 inch tubing would allow little room for such. The cap fits
over the 1/2 inch emerged inner tube allowing enough space to attach the
airline. The V trough is pre-drilled PVC V-shaped profiling used for corner
pieces in plaster walls (has perforations all over it). PVC profile is laid over
the perforations in the bottom of the raingutter to prevent lava rock from
clogging the holes. HTH

Still don't have the tape, yet, hopefully later this week.

Bill

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## ruyle

Hi gang,
Found Tyrone Genade's SAKS (South African Killifish Society) de Bruyn filter article that has a pdf version that is nearly identical to the JAKA article at http://tgenade.freeshell.org/saks/archive/1_5_2001.pdf Hope you find this informative and useful.

Bill 
farang9

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## zmzfam

Ron,

you managed to build the filter or modify the OHF?

Do you have any idea where to get the small lava rocks?

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## PohSan

Hi Ronnie,
If you are short of OHF container, I have picked up two for you just behind one of the LFS in Serangoon north. They still looks very new.

Regards,
Ong Poh San

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## stormhawk

I was surfing around the web for other sites done up by fellow killie hobbyists elsewhere and I came across this DIY page by a guy named Ricardo Nuno Santos. 

Here's the URL - http://killies.no.sapo.pt/EN/DIY_EN.html

There's several projects of his fully illustrated on the page itself. I think the last project whereby he made this wet-dry filter looks pretty much like something that utilises the wet-dry de Bruyn concept.

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## ruyle

Hi folks, I'm sending the tapes one of which outlines the building of the de Bruyn filter. The other tape is Jim Robinson's flow-thru system for killie fry.
He shows how to drill glass tanks, make valves, etc. The tapes will be airmailed this Wednesday, hopefully take a week to arrive to Ronnie.
Tyrone Genade's pub has the de Bruyn article featured and should be fairly
intuitive as to how to build them. 

Lava rock? Go to a store that sells gas barbecue grills: they should have bags of lava rock for sale. De Bruyn mentions ideal size to be 1/2" to 1" in diameter for the lava rock. I would hesitate substituting other media for
the lava rock as de Bruyn (and fellow Floridians) exhort its benefit in these
filters. Landscaping centers should have lava rock, or try looking into volcanoes  :Laughing:  

Bill
farang9

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## zmzfam

> ... or try looking into volcanoes


  :Very Happy:  I would love to do that...only if Singapore has some....  :Laughing:

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## RonWill

Zul, I've not started on the de Bruyn filters owing to time limitations and partly also because I don't the filters at hand. I've given 2 of the OHFs to Sia Meng but since he's not gonna use 'em, I'll re-collect after his exams.

Have no idea which LFS would have the smaller lava rocks. Can anyone here update us?

Poh San, thanks for becoming a 'garang guni' (rag-and-bone person) on my behalf. It's a waste when people discard things that aren't hopelessly 'dead'. I'll collect 'em from you over the weekdays, work schedule permitting.

Bill, thanks for the tapes. Will let you know when it lands.



> De Bruyn mentions ideal size to be 1/2" to 1" in diameter for the lava rock. I would hesitate substituting other media for
> the lava rock as de Bruyn (and fellow Floridians) exhort its benefit in these
> filters.


Care to expand on the benefits? I'm sure there are other 'curious cats' out there.

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## ruyle

Hi Ron,
Lava rock is plentiful and cheap in the US. De Bruyn and others cite the
fact that it is used as filter media in Florida fish farms. Being porous it has
enormous surface areas to collect beneficial bacteria. Easy availability plus
low cost (free for collection in some areas) plus enormous surface area
are what makes it so popular. You guys in SG could hire a boat and go to
Krakatoa, it'd be fun!  :Laughing:  

Bill
farang9

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## timebomb

> You guys in SG could hire a boat and go to
> Krakatoa, it'd be fun!


Krakatoa, East of Java - that was the title of a movie I enjoyed many years ago. Seems like when Krakatoa exploded, it sent shock waves that circled the earth several times. 

I don't know if its the same thing but I once bought pumice from Far East nursery at the foot of Caldecott Hill. So no need to go so far as Krakatoa volcano, Caldecott Hill would be good enough  :Laughing:  Pumice, as far as I know, is either the same or something similar to lava rock. It is highly porous and very bouyant. It floats in water. I mixed them together with peat and base fertiliser and they are under the substrate in my cube tank. Its been years since I do anything to the gravel but the plants are still growing well.

Sia Meng and Au tried to look for pumice sometime back but couldn't find any in the nurseries. Seems like Far East is no longer selling it.

Loh K L

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## zmzfam

> Do you have any idea where to get the small lava rocks?





> Have no idea which LFS would have the smaller lava rocks. Can anyone here update us?


Ok, to answer my own question  :Cool:  and Ron's, I found this link to a lfs PetProvision. 
The link is from their on-line mall. Seems cheap enough.

The direction is here.

Hmmm, very near where I stay.  :Smile:

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## RonWill

> I'm sending the tapes one of which outlines the building of the de Bruyn filter. The other tape is Jim Robinson's flow-thru system for killie fry.
> He shows how to drill glass tanks, make valves, etc. The tapes will be airmailed this Wednesday, hopefully take a week to arrive to Ronnie.


Bill, the tapes arrived today and frankly, I'm surprised it wasn't 'with-held' since you declared the package as 'Videotapes'... pretty 'wet' movies too!  :Laughing:  

Hopefully, the instructions will guide me along the mods on those OHF over the weekend.

No prizes for guessing what I'll be watching later :wink:

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## ruyle

Glad you got 'em, Ronnie! Of course using those nifty OHF filters for the
containers is cheating  :Laughing:  That should cut out 3/4 of the work involved
for us in the states: cutting gutters to size, cutting endpieces from pvc sheets, cutting and gluing tubes, etc. Hope to see a pic when you have one
finished!  :Cool:  

Bill
farang9

ps You know, I could've written on the customs form: "Debbie does de Bruyn filters XXX" but decided to go with "videotapes."  :Laughing:

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## ruyle

Hi folks, I'm building 2 filters: one for a 10 gallon and one for a 15. Here's
some pics of the 10 gallon (hope this works)



and this one



It takes a fairly strong airpump to drive these type of filters but my fish
(A. australe orange) sure seem livelier since I've installed this filter. It
also kept it 3 degreesF cooler than my other tanks.

Bill
farang9

Mod's notes: Image thumbnails created and images hotlinked to Killies.com's gallery 040623

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## RonWill

Hiya Bill, nice pics! but it seems like Angelfire doesn't allow hotlinking now. Lemme see if just the URL alone will work.
http://www.angelfire.com/ban :drool 2: /w_ruyle/de_Bruyn1-2.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/ban :drool 2: /w_ruyle/de_Bruyn2-2.jpg

I notice that the water level is almost to the tank's rim, so I'm guessing that the filter is not set inside, but on the tank... ya?

If you can, take a closer shot of the water output at the air-lift tube and that 'V-trough' (was it a 'V-shape' thingie or did you have to 'fold' it yourself?). Is the trough sealed against the walls of the filter?

The 'ends' of the filter is not flushed with the width of the tank, is that a precaution... in case you need the mop? :wink: 

Contrary to common belief, sometimes non-annuals do thrive better when there's some current in the water but that few degrees reduction is a real incentive to get me off my butts and encourage the fish to spawn. The weather lately has been scorching and the heat is killing the sex drive!  :Laughing:  

Alas... I'm still in the midst of re-organising my tanks and setting up new ones, possibly rigged with 'Henri-filters' (when time allows me to mod the OHFs!). Tank updates, briefly, is at;
http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/fishz/TankUpdates.htm

Oh... and nice lights too! You DIYed 'em yourself too?

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## ruyle

Hi Ronnie,
The filter sets down in the tank about 1 inch (notice the cut outs where it
rests on top of the tank?) I made it 16 inches wide as to the lava bed be-
cause I'm only using one uptube and thought it would be too much to go
the full 20 inches across. Wider tanks, it is wise to use one uptube per 12
inches of tank width (Allen Boatman). The V trough is not glued in, the
uptube is not glued either and don't use silicone cement for this: sand
down parts to be glued and just use pvc cement (using the vile purple
primer is not necessary--Wright Huntley). Sounds like a babbling or
bubbling brook, very restful sounding and when looking thru the side glass
up to the surface of the tank, it does look like rain falling into it  :Cool:  No
noticeable current (no plants swaying, etc) with this filter but my fish are
more active, probably due to the increased oxygen. I can see tiny bubbles
of oxygen where the drops hit the surface, tiny like CO2 bubbles out of a
diffuser. The tank has only black lava for substrate and I fert with plantex
plus B, KNO3 (dry) once a week. Plants are very healthy and I'm hoping
that the plants will like this filter--Tom Barr told me they should do fine.
Light strip is DIY: Plastmo raingutter (Canadian) and a 13w cf kit from
AH Supply--6400K bulb.

Very disappointed in Angelfire, and no, I don't think it is due to MY using
the bandwidth afforded me: I've used less than 1MB out of 20MB. Will 
take more pictures later, still have to do the 15gallon which will have 2
uptubes. I'm going to see about another webhosting site.

I can see why some AKA-ers changed all their tanks over to these filters.
They may be a bit of an eyesore, but they really keep the water sparkling
clean!  :Surprised:  

Bill

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## RonWill

Hiya Bill,
Yes, I see the cutout now... not really obvious until you mention it, but I'm guessing it won't do any harm to set 2 uplift tubes for better, evenly distributed, water flow throughout the trough.

You didn't answer what that V trough is made from and if the tube is not glued to it, would the tube slip down? I'm getting a little brain-dead and can't figure what is made from plastic and is 'L' or 'V' shaped... any suggestions (anyone)? Would a 2inch diameter PVC pipe split in half (length-wise) work the same?

The filters looks well made, not an eyesore, and as for the bubbling, my corner already sounds like a brook... any louder and I'll start hearing my neighbours 'babble'!  :Laughing:  

Still, I wonder how Wright constructs one out of 'document boxes'. (Wright, are you with us?)

I'm searching for alternative *free* hosting and that 20MB which Angelfire allocated, is the disc/storage space, not bandwidth. Will let you know if I come across one and you likewise, ya?

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## ruyle

Hi Ron, the only things that are glued in this filter are the 2 endpieces, and
the 1/8" hard airline tube is glued inside the 1/2" uptube. The uptube, after drilling the hole, I found to be quite adequate with a "friction fit"--no glue. This is also handy when you want to remove the uptube filter sponge for rinsing: pulling the uptube up a ways so the sponge is clear to be removed.

Henri said that construction is not critical: use whatever that is similar. The
V-trough is pvc profiling material that is used in plaster wall corners. Drilling a half inch hole deadcenter in th v-trough is impossible? IMHO. I used a jeweler's sawframe and a #2 blade to cut the hole which worked well. I have a drill press and a fair amount of tools at my disposal but these filters would be easy to build with a hacksaw, cordless drill, period.
Do you have raingutters like these in SG? Curious. These filters are very
CHEAP to build. My wife wants these filters on all our tanks  :Shocked:  

Bill

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## ruyle

Hi folks, 
I've completed the 15 gallon de Bruyn filter and would like to see if I can
post pics:






Heartily recommend the time it takes to build these filters. I will be getting an external flash (on ebay) to help with taking fish pictures. I don't think
Au has anything to worry about, his pics are great!

Bill
farang9

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## ruyle

Sorry, folks, one more try:


That's it! Sorry for the waste of space, KL, and if the image is too large,
please delete. Thank you.

Bill
farang9

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## timebomb

> That's it! Sorry for the waste of space, KL, and if the image is too large, please delete.


Bill, if you hotlink the images which was what you did, it won't use much of our space. You will however use up quite a lot of the space alloted to you on smugmug.com. 

I edited your thread so the images will show. The mistake you made was to put them in brackets of [url] instead of [img]. You're getting close, Bill. A little more and you will figure out how everything works. 

Good to have you back with us again. For a while, I thought you left the planet  :Laughing: 

Loh K L

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## ruyle

KL:



> Good to have you back with us again. For a while, I thought you left the planet


Glad to be back, KL! And thanks for the help, I think I almost have it now  :Opps:  

Yes, I finally decided on smugmug.com for pictures, very easy to work
with and offers upgradeable packages if more space is needed. Of course,
it correspondingly costs more, too.  :Rolling Eyes:  

Thanks again, for the help!

Bill
farang9

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## RonWill

Bill, at long last... managed to get 2 Henri filters up & running.


Double stack Henri at top tank


Lower stack has ventilation holes


Henri at 3rd tank


Dripping sound is very soothing... like sitting beside a creek.

Will be rigging up another four Henri's.

BTW, how's the 'manual'? Viewable?

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## ruyle

Ronnie, I'll look at the VCDs this weekend. The de Bruyns are working ok?
You have them more distance from the tanks' surface than I do: mine are
1/2 inch above the surface which is according to de Bruyn's specs. The
double stacked one, what's the principle behind that? Is this to delay re-entry into the tank?  :Question:  And has more media for the water to pass thru?
Also are you using lava rock? What is that blue stuff I see?  :Think: 

Sorry, lots of questions.

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## RonWill

Bill,
The Henri's are further from surface as I've yet to figure out how to lower it, without use of additional bracings or struts.

With a greater distance, I was thinking... perhaps the water can get a chance to cool off. Nice thoughts, but it doesn't work that way and it's probably due to high flow. Will need to tune it down to a trickle. [what was the logic behind half inch clearance again?]

Double-stacking is to extend wet/dry period... in theory at least.

The brownish media is lava rock while blue is filter wool to help reduce surface tension in drip tray and to spread water droplets through lava rocks.

Tanks average approx 25.8ºC ~ 28ºC. Went down to 25ºC with an additional 4" AC fan at the sump... but I'm not thrilled about AC near water  :Shocked:

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## whuntley

> Still, I wonder how Wright constructs one out of 'document boxes'. (Wright, are you with us?)


I'm back from the visit down south, and having a helluva time just catching up.

I built up only one of the file boxes and have a bunch of young FIL (from Tyrone's eggs) in there, doing pretty well. The pre-filter is just one of those from Airstream:

http://store.aquariumguys.com/aifi.html

I took some pics, but the plastic is pretty cloudy, so they don't show that much. I lifted the lid and got one of water running onto the gravel in the groove along one end. Again, not enough to be informative.

I'll probably use sponge filters in most of my tanks, since I now have a huge surplus of glass tanks in 5, 10 and 20G sizes. Maybe build a few more like Bill's come next summer if I want to do colder species.

ttfn

Wright

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## whuntley

Some general comments:

Red lava rock is highly prized by some horticulturists as it has the chemistry of laterite in a convenient "pelletized" form. There is an outfit near Portland OR, USA that will ship it in modest quantities, but I'd have to do a web search to find them and you can do it just as easily as I can. I think they mostly sell to orchid growers.

Be aware. You do not want big chunks like they sell for barbeques. The biggest chunks should be the size of your little fingernail or smaller. Big stuff is just too hard to keep wetted all over.

Black lava is more basalt, and may not provide the free iron that the red stuff does. IDK. Both can be very porous and still not float. Pumice is more glass-like (i.e., SiO2) and has little or no nutrient value. You may have to boil it to drive out enough air for it to sink.

Wright

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## RonWill

Wright,
I'm not sure which type of lava rock is packed for Eheim but here it is, mostly 1.5cm grit;



1st single-stack in testing phase


Double-stack Henri while still in the works.

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## whuntley

The logic of the low profile and small drip distance was too simple to be obvious.

You can lift more water volume if you don't have to lift it very high. Running a whole bunch of filters off a real air pump quickly can overtax it. Ergo, don't lift any higher than absolutely needed.

Wright

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## ruyle

> You can lift more water volume if you don't have to lift it very high.


And be sure to use your legs, not your back, when lifting  :Laughing:  

Also, having the dripping closer to the surface cuts down the noise, and
helps to keep CO2 in the tank, if plants are a consideration. Still looking
for the Oregon place that sells the small red lava rock. I want to change
out the black for the red, when I find it.

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## RonWill

Dear all,

For those who were following the thread, this update should tell it all. Three 'Henri filters', salvaged from discarded OHFs, are now in operation and I'm pretty pleased with them.

Images are clickable and probably self-explanatory. Would be great if someone can complile all the info and pics into an article. Any volunteers?


We start off drilling drip holes at the bottom of the main OHF casing. Don't be lazy now. The more drip holes you have, the better it works!



There's usually a slotted strainer provided with the OHF but for areas that aren't covered, a custom-fit piece of filter pad will do nicely.



... like this. The purpose of the strainer and filter pad is to prevent drip holes from being 'plugged' when the lava rock goes in.



With the weight and volume of lava rock, the sides were bowing outwards, and the OHF lid couldn't sit well. A hole was drilled into the side, just slightly above the top of the lava layer.



2 cable-ties (CT) were used. After the 1st CT passed through the two holes, the 'head' from the 2nd CT was cut off and slipped into the 'tail' of the first. I find it neater this way but there should be more than one method. I'll leave you to try and experiment.



The OHF's lid was riddled with bullet holes as well, modified to function as a drip plate, to spread water flow throughout the lenght of the lava layer. [now can you see why I can't afford to have the OHF's sides bowing outwards? The lid needs to sit on the rim to stay level]



3rd Henri-filter in place. Water flow is fed directly via overflow down-pipe from the tank above.



For those who don't mind the noise, it does sound very soothing... really.
"_Listen to the rythm of the falling rain, tell me just what a fool I've been..._ "
_"Rythm Of The Falling Rain" by The Cascades_.



The original Henri-filters are designed to be operated from air pumps, using air-lift to bring water up to a V-trough, as discussed in earlier segments of this thread.

My filters are fed from plumbing manifold and down-pipes, and will need to tweak down water-flow to a trickle, mimicking the dedicated wet/dry section in a sump.


2nd Henri-filter at work.

The output from the plumbing manifold was adapted to fit a flexible hose and connected to a spray bar. Feel free to modify and adapt design to better suit your setup.



The 3 Henri's in my rack system, last functional filter is situated at left of the middle tank.



It wasn't very warm today. Overcast skies and quite windy, which should account for the nice temp reading from the sump. [impressed now?] *Look ma, no chillers!* :wink: 


Game for anything...

With such a nice drippy, it would be a waste not to experiment and try growing plants and moss emersed. Here I have a patch of "Pellia" (*now renamed Monosolenium tenerum*) that's doing quite well.

Feeling the itch now? Don't wait for those 'Round Tuits' to arrive! Get off 'ya butts and run 'ya own 'Henri-filters'!  :Rolling Eyes:

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## ruyle

Well done, Ronnie! Keep us posted as to how the fish like these filters and
fluctuations of temp on warmer days. :wink:

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## Al Baldwin

Excellent post Ron........like the old saying "pictures are worth a 1,000 words"..

Always very satisfing to do a project like that and have it work correctly :P

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## RonWill

Thanks for the heads up, Bill and Al. Other issues aside, I'm glad the Henri's are up and running for I've procrastinated way too long.

I'll be keeping tab on temp difference ambient and water inside tanks/sump. FWIW, ambient temp was about 28ºC on the day the pics were taken, so effectively, we looking at a 2ºC dip. If I may say so, that ain't too shabby.

In the worst case scenario, that those Henri's aren't effective at cooling, I'm still thankful for a larger secondary biobed since the rack tanks are intended for breeding and outgrowing juveniles. Bioload should be considerable since I'm heavy-handed with feeding.

Bill commented that the Henri's will increase the level of dissolved oxygen, which in turn, means healthier fishes. If this be true, the occurence of less killies fallen ill is also music to my ears. [I really can't afford to keep losing killies  :Opps:  ]

Oh yes, Al, it's very satisfying when what one has been working on for months on paper finally materializes. It may be tweaked further to improve 'efficiency' but meanwhile, I can afford to kick back and grab that malt (sitting by that 'creek' :wink: )

Hopefully, with the slightly cooler water, also comes a bountiful harvest. That will be my reward.

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## brett

Ron I understand that you are using lava chips/rocks as the filtering media . Will it increase the water hardness in the tank ? 

Cheers

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## RonWill

Bernard,
Most of the setups I maintain are 'fish tanks with plants', not 'planted tank with fish', and I'm not a number-crunching person but rely more on gut feelings and observation of my fishes' behavior.

Neither am I into numbers associated with water perimeter or their chemical composition, but now, there're 2 things I look into; pH and TDS (thanks to Wright's pounding on the issue  :Laughing:  )

Straight off the tap, pH is now about 7.5 and my TDS meter reads approximately 150ppm. I'm not sure of the extent that lava-rock will increase hardness but I have nylon bags of peat and ketapang leaves in the sump, which maintains pH to approx 6.5 and my TDS reading from the sump is about 250ppm. I understand that my water is still considered 'soft', compared to the 'liquid rock' that our overseas friends are getting and having to resort to RO to lower their water hardness.

I must admit that a fish keeper *should* know his water but as long as my fishes are breeding, I'm not complaining.

Bill, it was drizzly almost throughout the whole day with moderate breeze. Ambient was about 27ºC but the digi-thermos read 24.4ºC :wink:

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## ruyle

> Bill, it was drizzly almost throughout the whole day with moderate breeze. Ambient was about 27ºC but the digi-thermos read 24.4ºC :wink:


2.6 degree C is very good Ronnie! My tanks got up to 26C during the 
hottest months, not bad. 27% more oxygen during warm spells adds to
the comfort of the fish despite higher temps (de Bruyn).

I realize this is a subjective, but do your fish seem happier, more lively?
Mine seem to, and the natural raining effect on the water seems to be
something they enjoy.

Glad they are working out for you, keep in mind it will take awhile for the
bio-bed of lava rock to kick in to reach the full potential of these filters.

Bill

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## timebomb

> Bill, it was drizzly almost throughout the whole day with moderate breeze. Ambient was about 27ºC but the digi-thermos read 24.4ºC :wink:


Now how on earth did you get 24.4 C without a chiller? I would have been happy with my DIY chiller if I had not read your post. Damn, now if I don't see 22 C in my tank, I won't be satisfied. Grrrrrr....

Loh K L

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## RonWill

> 27% more oxygen during warm spells adds to
> the comfort of the fish despite higher temps (de Bruyn).


 Bill, how do you quantify or come up with the 27% O2 level?

Fishes are somewhat more perky and have better appetite but they'd better be. Having endured 4 levamisole treatment over the past 2 mths or so, they were really restless and tired.

There's still one more BIT that didn't get Kenny's 'clean bill of health', so it's another treatment at middle of next week. By next weekend, any fish that can't get the butt-worm out of it's system will be euthanized.




> Glad they are working out for you, keep in mind it will take awhile for the bio-bed of lava rock to kick in to reach the full potential of these filters


 Yes, I'm aware of that. Any and all bacterial colony will need time to establish itself into a system.

BTW, were the 'manuals' on the Henri viewable??

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## RonWill

> Now how on earth did you get 24.4 C without a chiller? I would have been happy with my DIY chiller if I had not read your post. Damn, now if I don't see 22 C in my tank, I won't be satisfied. Grrrrrr....


  :Laughing:   :Laughing:   :Laughing:  Tank gawd Kenny was at my place to 'health inspect' the killies in the main rack and I pointed out the thermos to him. It's true and he can be my witness... not trying to shower on your parade  :Twisted Evil:  

The weather is into it's next season and the Monsoon rainfall is already upon us. As usual we can expect wet days and lower temps.

The corridor top tank (in the 2tier stand) is able to achieve 24ºC on cool days without Henri's. I'm just surprised that with Henri's, the main system didn't hit 23ºC  :Exclamation:   :Shocked:  Grrrrrr....  :Laughing:   :Laughing:  

Oh.. and on days when there's thunderstorms + the whole windy package, those gusts are strong enough to topple potted plants and even 'push' my Henri into the tank!! (no kidding... ask Azmi. The rain was pouring into my corridor *horizontally*... he saw that too!)

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## ruyle

> BTW, were the 'manuals' on the Henri viewable??


Quite viewable (as good as the source) thanks, Ronnie.

The 27% was comparing the de Bruyn to an air-powered sponge filter,
both 10 gallon tanks, with presumably the same volume of water.

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## RonWill

ok Bill, now you've gotten me curious. Where was this comparison done and what was used to measure the O2 level?

If the info was gotten off the grapevine, how about a linkie? I've gotten more clear plastic tubes for uplift and will work on another Henri later.

This filter is for the former home of the ZIIs, a 24"L x 12"W x 18"H tank, that has 4 slotted acrylic partitions and held in place with suction clips (plenty of these partitions and clips available at LFS since the demise of the LouHan trend).

Acrylic pieces are only 12"L which means I have more than 6 inches from the surface of the water to the tank's upper rim, definitely very hard work for airlift to function properly.

Instead of sitting on the rim, as in earlier setups, the Henri will sit directly on these partitions. With 3 suction clips per partition, it should be stable and strong enough to support a lava-filled OHF. Water will be filled about 2inches away from the filter's base.

Hard to imagine now and I may make more mods along the way. Will take pics as I work.

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## ruyle

Ron,
The comparison test was done in Florida by Charles Nunziata using "electronic equipment" (oxymeter? oxymometer?  :Laughing:  ) This was
mentioned in the JAKA article which I have a link to Tyrone's site here in
this thread that also has the article :wink:

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## RonWill

Bill and all,

I'm running out of tank space and partitioning seems like the next best idea. This is how I plan to implement Henri-filtration for a few more 2-footer tanks.

Cool-looking neon acrylic partition that appears to *glow in the dark*. Each partition is held in place with 3 suction clips (2 at rear, 1 at front)


Trial seating of OHF & support bracket


Almost completed *lavarock-filled* with a spread of '*Singapore moss*' on drip lid. I'm thinking 'algae scrubber'...


Water dripping from 1st to last slot... working as intended


Functional Henri filter running and partition dressed up with potted _anubias_


Airlift sponge filter kit, with slotted tube for intake
 

Modified uplift with prefiltering using a different *coarse-sponge filter*

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## ruyle

Ronnie, is there an uplift tube in each partition? Or are they "loose" enough
to where they share a common filter. ie the air driven filter in the photo.

Looks pretty nifty so far! :wink:

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## RonWill

Bill,
Single uplift at right side of tank. Drips to 3 other partitions and return through the partitions, via 2 long slots and gaps between partition and tank.

Breeders won't be able to squeeze through except for fry (if eggs happen to drop from mop and hatch in tank) but I'm only interested in the hopefully egg-laden mops.

Dumped expendable guppies this morning to cycle setup, getting ready to receive next lot of killies :wink:

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## RonWill

Dear all,
I've gotten another 25 litre pack of lava rock and it's reddish like what Wright described in *his post*.


Straight from the pack, there're various grit sizes and it does feel somewhat crumbly. Hope what I bought is the correct type and that it doesn't cloud up the water. [worst case scenario is to 'recycle' it for my orchids]


The packaging label and if you can't see, *click here*

Will rig up another 4 Henri's with this material and see if works comparably with Eheim's "EHFI LAV".

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## ruyle

Ronnie, looks like you'll have to rinse fiercely with this stuff :wink: Red
lava like Wright has mentioned, contains more iron and should be great
for the plants! All the department stores here are out of red lava rock, but I'll be getting some this spring! Winter is finally upon us, got down to 33F
last night.


Good luck!

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## RonWill

Bill,
No amount of rinsing could rid the turbid nature of red lava rock and it's now used for orchids instead. I console myself that at least it didn't go straight into the bin. Anyway, the tank revamps are still very much work-in-progress but my little corner is much neater now.

One of the low-maintenance tanks, previously sponge-filtered, now uses a Henri from another torn-down setup. Water is turbid from the gunk in the tank but here it is...

It's a warm night and no breeze, with thermometer hanging off at right-side of tank, reading 28ºC.

The Henri bubbling and dripping away...
 

I previously dumped a few Otos fry into this setup to see if any will survive but instead, found a single *Coral Red Pencilfish* fry (_Nannostomus marginatus mortenthaleri_). The adult pair were transferred to another setup some weeks back.
 Ain't it cute?

Will update temp reading difference during the coming warm months (think it started already  :Crying:  )

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## ruyle

Ron,
That's some nice-looking driftwood! Looking at the pic of red lava rock in
your hand, it looks like you'd have to blast it with steam to remove all the 
loose and caked-in particles. The stuff I'll be buying tomorrow (they finally
got it back in stock) will look much cleaner than that where you can see
all the holes/pores in it.

And yep, that's a cute fish!  :Wink:  

Regards,

Bill

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## ruyle

The Eheim lava rock has some red rock in it. I'd stick with that if it's not
too expensive.

Bill

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## ruyle

Ronnie,
Was curious if you ever coupled the de Bruyn with an UGF filter like you
mentioned you wanted to do, some time ago. I'm getting a 40 gallon
breeder tank next month and am seriously thinking about your idea.

Bill

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## stormhawk

Eheim's lava rock product or Ehfilav is a pretty great buy. A 1 litre box costs roughly $10 at the regular LFS I visit and its by far the best filter media in the Eheim range.  :Wink:  

I'm not sure how much it costs over in the US but if its too expensive an alternative cheaper product would be a better choice if one's running on a tight budget.  :Very Happy:  

I've seen Ronnie's Henri filters in action and I must say the results are satisfying. Coupled with windy cool weather during the later end of 2004 I recalled seeing two thermometers hit a cool 24 deg C. 

As for that little pencilfish fry, I saw it today and that cute bugger has finally developed his horizontal stripe pattern.  :Very Happy:

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## ruyle

> I'm not sure how much it costs over in the US but if its too expensive an alternative cheaper product would be a better choice if one's running on a tight budget.


Oh yes, there are cheaper alternatives: one cubic foot of red lava rock
in a bag goes for $3.69 which would fill 4-5 2-liter bottles, maybe more.
I don't mind busting it up with a 3 pound maul, then washing it thoroughly  :Wink:  




> As for that little pencilfish fry, I saw it today and that cute bugger has finally developed his horizontal stripe pattern.


Very cute fish..I'm told they are rather expensive over here, too, if you
can find them.

Regards,

Bill

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## TyroneGenade

A crazy idea just popped into my head. 

Instead of using lava rock in any shape or form why not opt instead for a filter floss layer with coarse sand ontop into which plants (such as _Hostas_ or other bog plants) can be planted? Such plants would soak up any N-waste. Has anyone tried this?

Regards

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## stormhawk

Tyrone, you mean something like a vegetable filter for ponds?

I've seen them online but do not know of anyone locally in SG who has adapted the method for the home aquarium.

I understand Ronnie tried to grow some moss and liverworts on a small drip tray placed above the filter box. It works to a certain extent I think. Probably thats the only adaptation of the veggie filter method that I know of.

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## RonWill

> Was curious if you ever coupled the de Bruyn with an UGF filter like you mentioned you wanted to do, some time ago. I'm getting a 40 gallon breeder tank next month and am seriously thinking about your idea.


 Bill, I have a bare-bottom tank in my 3tier-2ft rack that will implement UGF/Henri but it's on hold as the _Cory habrosus_ are spawning in there. There's no reason why this combo wouldn't work but since the water level is quite high and near to the tank's top rim, figuring out how to DIY a screen/cover would be top priority... no point having a 'cool' tank when all the killies have jumped!

I suspect that unless you have a decent air-pump and an uplift tube that's not too large in diameter (where there's more turbulence than water-lift), you ought to achieve a decent upflow over the drip plate (or V-trough, going by your earlier designs).

Wright was right when he said that smaller pieces (about 1cm grit) will wet better than a large chunk but if you overworked that maul and end up with powdered-lava, you can always pound it further, recycle that and implement a fludized-sand filter (not difficult to DIY and water can be fed via a bleed-off connector from your powerhead, if the Henri is not air-driven). Should you find the waterflow from a powerhead-driven Henri too swift, the bleed-off current can still be used to provide circulation in the water column.

As Jian Yang mentioned, low light plants eg. moss, grows slowly but steadily on the drip plate, will help reduce Nitrate (Nitrite?... fish gunk, whatever  :Wink: ) Also, this moss-spread actually help reduce surface tension throughout the surface of the drip plate so that water distribution/drip is quite even. Just go ahead with the idea. As far as I can see, you can't lose and when I get mine up and running, let's check back and compare notes.




> A crazy idea just popped into my head. 
> 
> Instead of using lava rock in any shape or form why not opt instead for a filter floss layer with coarse sand ontop into which plants (such as _Hostas_ or other bog plants) can be planted? Such plants would soak up any N-waste. Has anyone tried this?


 Tyrone, that idea is neither crazy or new  :Wink: . Think hydroponics and we're essentially talking about the same concept. My tanks are not lit, relying mostly on ambient lighting, so I'm limited by low-light plant species but I have considered emersed _echinodorus_, _bacopa_ and _wisteria_ (sp? Indian/Water Sprite). What I'll change from your idea, is the choice of media. Coarse filter pads and smaller grit expanded clay is, IMHO, a better combo. Of course it'll help if the plants of choice doesn't throw complex and long root systems that'll grow unsightly, through the OHF and into the tank.

[Side note]



> Very cute fish..I'm told they are rather expensive over here, too, if you can find them


 Locally, these are also not cheap but a single accidental Coral Red Pencilfish fry (_Nannostomus marginatus mortenthaleri_) isn't considered breeding in my books and since I'm figuring new ways to fund killie-purchases, I'll be setting a partition up just for them and see if it's worth the effort.

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## ruyle

Thanks, Ronnie,
I do believe this is what I'll do, then. I use eggcrate diffuser panel cut to
size for the tops of my tanks to keep the critters in. Works great...  :Wink:  

Bill

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## whuntley

I'm using a variant on the eggcrate diffuser. I found a surplus yard that had a huge stack of light troffers that each had a 2X4' panel of 1/4" eggcrate-looking material, but it was actually clear, with aluminum reflective material on the vertical surfaces but there was a solid clear plastic layer that makes them into a beautiful, ultra-light, stiff solid cover with high light efficiency. I bought a bunch!

I can saw the stuff on my table saw and have made a few covers, already. I'm holding off to decide where the inlet and outlet water lines will go, as I want to notch for those at the proper end, as well as a notch for each heater and each sensor. [I bought 20 stainless 50W heaters with external control and separate sensor, so each needs two holes/notches.]

[Obligatory on-topic comment:] I have no current plans for DeBruyn-type filters, though I like them and believe they are a superior system for Henri, who must leave his tanks for others to tend for part of the year (he commutes between Belgium and Florida). Missed water changes are much less problem with them. My constant water change system will be even better, I think. ...I hope.

My two current Metro (steel wire) racks have 10 5G tanks on the first shelf below the top, and 8 10G tanks on the next one down. [Both comfortable viewing levels] The bottom shelves each hold a 20G long tank. The top shelf will be reserved for a large insulated cooler for my inlet to a constant-flow or automated water-change system, and for storage of light-weight "stuff."

I'd sort of like to document the assembly of this system, somewhere. Is it possible that I could have a bit of gallery space here to make the pics available to anyone who wants to learn from my mistakes, without having to make them by themselves?

In addition to the metro racks, I'll eventually be populating three Baker's Racks with tanks, too. They each hold about 8 5G and one 10 or 15G tank. These racks are epoxy-coated steel and have been around for at least 5-6 years without any sign of rust! Remarkable.

Note: the bottom (and one end) of the current 10s are painted black, but I used some floor panels under the 5s, as most fish hate open bottoms that make them feel vulnerable to attack from below.

Now, back to your regularly-scheduled thread...

Wright

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## whuntley

Bill,

I hope you aren't trying to use eggcrate light diffusers for RIVs or wild Bettas. I have had the latter go through a 1/4" airline-hose hole that was at least 2" above the water surface. Amazing as I thought the fish was about 3/8" in diameter!

Many of my smaller RIVs have also liked going for a stroll. I used to have a floating piece of wood or styro o/e for them to climb out on. That seemed to work a bit better than the carpet.  :Wink:  In south and central America, they like to go wriggling through the grass beside their stream, looking for insects.

My male _K. marmoratus_ used to like to stick himself, by surface tension, to the side of his tank, well above the water. I would see him jump down when I walked into the office where he lived. The biggest hole in his lid was about 1/32" in diameter.  :Very Happy: 

I was told the original collection found them deep in a hole in a mangrove root, well above the water line. That conflicts with the report that they were in pure rainwater of near zero tds, so I do not know what is fact and what is fancy. Mangroves do not live in rainforest conditions, AFAIK.

I ain't stickin' my hand into any hole in a mangrove, either!  :8=):  

Wright

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## ruyle

Thanks for the warning, Wright,
I've had only one jumper which I was able to catch off the floor and put
back in his tank. I have some Epiplatys that I just received a few days
ago that look like they could jump thru the holes, too. I may have to get
some styrene "cracked ice" fluorescent panels for a few of my tanks.  :Wink:  

Bill

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