Can we design a new aquarium filter design?

[Art]

As we close out the year, I'd welcome your thoughts to see if we can, collectively, improve on the venerable canister filter design that we all know very well. I think innovation is critical to our hobby and, other than the Yugang reactor , we see very little of it on the freshwater side.

Did you know...

The canister filter design was created by Eheim about 65 years ago. The first canister filters were produced by Eheim in 1963 and Vortex launched theirs in 1973. Sixty-five years is a LONG time without much innovation in the basic design!

I know the wisdom of "if it ain't broke" but let's put that aside for now. The reality is that canister filters do have some downsides such as being somewhat painful to clean and, hence, they go long periods without proper cleaning. They also don't allow for easy swapping of materials or adding/hiding other equipment.

The question

If you had to design an aquarium filter that would improve on the canister design, what would you design?

 

[Art]

To me, I would first focus on the sump design because it solves some of the inconveniences of a canister filter.

 

[Pepere]

To me, I would first focus on the sump design because it solves some of the inconveniences of a canister filter

I will take the inconvenience of the canister filter over the inconvenience of drilled bulkheads or overflow boxes and the noise of trickling water and the head losses of sumps myself…

 

[*Ci*]

I have learned much from the world of koi ponding and this is one of the basic tenets - when waste is moved into the filters it is still in the water column, polluting the system just as much as if it were left in the main pond/display. Without regular cleaning, flushing or some form of continuous removal, it will still break down, creating ammonia and an environment for pathogens, docs (dissolved organic compounds) and other problems.

Years ago I wrote a comprehensive article about filter cleaning on a now defunct goldfish forum, which is preserved here on Koiphen: Guide to Cleaning Aquarium Filters as it is relevant to pond filters, as well. It is long, so scroll down to the bottom to read about the issues with leaving waste in the system, if you are interested.

As far as I am concerned, any redesign of a filter be it canister or sump, needs to have a way of self cleaning (or a greatly simplified way to clean by hand). In koi ponds, people are utilizing sieves and rotary drum filters for removing solids, sending only clean water through their biological filtration, but the concepts have not spilled over into the aquarium world.

A sieve is a gravity fed unit where the water flows over a wedge wire screen which causes the waste to shear off into a pipe or receptacle separate from the water column, while clean water falls through to be recirculated. There are a number on the market, as well as one that is pressurized (The Zakki Sieve) and always had me wondering if it could be created in miniature for aquarium use.

In rotary drum filters (RDF), the water is gravity fed or pumped through a rotating drum coved with a fine screen. Clean water exits through the mesh and as it clogs up the water in the unit rises and a sensor triggers a pump that sends jets of water to clean the surface of the drum sending the debris down a waste outlet. You can set the cleaning cycle to automatic or timed flushings.

RDF’s used to be very large (originally developed for hatcheries and other commercial uses) but are now being manufactured for smaller applications like large aquariums and smaller backyard ponds. I am in the process of setting one up on my new 130g goldfish aquarium for the goal of having a near maintenance free system.

So, with some of these ideas in mind, I would love it if some genius (definitely not me, lol) could figure out a nice neat all-in-one package like a canister that is quiet, small enough for under a cabinet, self cleaning, also incorporates biological media, plus heaters and/or other needed equipment and be inexpensive! Ready… go!

 

[gnatster]

I'd like to see some sort of quick disconnect for the power cord, where I don't have to drag 4 feet of cord across the room to service the unit.

 

[Koan]

when waste is moved into the filters it is still in the water column

Right?

This is also addressed in reefing with the automated-TP-approach filter rollers, on the flow into a sump



Since that filtration is based on surface area, it's similarly puzzling how we could minimize it to a canister form factor

 

[*Ci*]

This has got me thinking of an interim ease-of-cleaning solution for current canisters. The Oase Biomaster prefilters are easy enough to pop out and rinse (though automating that somehow would be an improvement), it’s cleaning out the main canister that is a pain.

What if the trays and sponges were removed, and replaced with just free floating media, like K-1 kaldness, and to clean that chamber, you turn an inline valve to send water to waste instead of back to the main tank? It might clean the chamber thoroughly enough with just water flowing through and would be easy to experiment with. If you did it enough so that the media doesn’t get clogged, stick together and start to channel. Flipping the valve each week would replace your usual water change (making that easier as a bonus).
Adding a method to agitate the media would make it more efficient and having an installed dedicated waste line and a timer so that it agitates and flushes itself, say, once a day, would be even more ideal (you’d need an ATO, with this method).

 

[snowballs99]

I have learned much from the world of koi ponding and this is one of the basic tenets - when waste is moved into the filters it is still in the water column, polluting the system just as much as if it were left in the main pond/display. Without regular cleaning, flushing or some form of continuous removal, it will still break down, creating ammonia and an environment for pathogens, docs (dissolved organic compounds) and other problems.

For this reason all my tanks just have a $10 internal filter with polyfill in the center. I can replace all the floss in 5 tanks in under 2 minutes. I used to use canister filters that I eventually threw away because the cheap filter was just more consistent and easier to maintenance.

I used to have the waterbox tanks with the fancy overflow into the filtration system attached to the back of the tank. It was some of the most inconvenient thing I ever had. Fish/shrimp would constantly jump/get stucked into it. Having so many things to rinse to remove waste just made you not want to do it. It would be cool to have literally the mechanical filtration portion just be polyfill and nothing else. It's extremely easy to see when its dirty, and you can remove it with aquascaping tongs and place a new ball of polyfill in, all without even getting your hands wet.

 

[Pepere]

The Oase Biomaster prefilters are easy enough to pop out and rinse (though automating that somehow would be an improvement), it’s cleaning out the main canister that is a pain

I only clean up the main filter every 6 months or so since the prefilters are so effective at mechanically filtering…. Hardly anything in them even at 6 months…

I like the Oase filters, but they could redesign them so they are not so restrictive. Actual flow through them with a few feet of hose and no media and no head loss is about half what they claim the pump is capable of…

Somewhere in that canister is a massive flow restriction, or their claimed rating of the pump is a fiction.

 

[cjday115]

This has got me thinking of an interim ease-of-cleaning solution for current canisters. The Oase Biomaster prefilters are easy enough to pop out and rinse (though automating that somehow would be an improvement), it’s cleaning out the main canister that is a pain.

What if the trays and sponges were removed, and replaced with just free floating media, like K-1 kaldness, and to clean that chamber, you turn an inline valve to send water to waste instead of back to the main tank? It might clean the chamber thoroughly enough with just water flowing through and would be easy to experiment with. If you did it enough so that the media doesn’t get clogged, stick together and start to channel. Flipping the valve each week would replace your usual water change (making that easier as a bonus).
Adding a method to agitate the media would make it more efficient and having an installed dedicated waste line and a timer so that it agitates and flushes itself, say, once a day, would be even more ideal (you’d need an ATO, with this method).

Even just having the ability to reverse flow and back flush a canister out through a waste line would probably remove most of the physical debris.

 

[Yugang]

I'd like to have an CO2 reactor integrated in the filter:

Post in thread 'Horizontal CO2 Reactor - Yugang 鱼缸 Reactor'

Sep 16, 2023

I am following up on an earlier post regarding using Fluval FX4 as a horizontal CO2 reactor .

View attachment 3072

Today was my FX4 canister monthly cleaning, and I used it to study the design in detail. Unfortunately, unlike what I thought before, injecting CO2 bubbles in the standard and unmodified FX4 intake is IMO not going to give a very good CO2 reactor function. I leave technical details out for clarity of this post, but happy to share in PM.

The good news is that by their unique design, I believe FX4 and FX6 are a very good basis for horizontal reactors, up to...

• Yugang

• 

For removal of organics from the tank system, I use a simple in tank pre-filter. My estimation is that the weekly cleaning of this filter, less than 5 minutes work, removes more organics than canister cleaning and all other methods combined.

Post in thread 'Cleaning Canister Filters'

Dec 23, 2023

I also have sponges on all my intakes which get squeezed once a week under the tap until clear. This keeps my canister prefilters good enough to only rinse out once a month. I squeeze the prefilter sponges under clorinated tap, as well, not worrying about the bacterial colony on them.

I am following same routine as @*Ci*

I try to remove as much organic waste from my tank as I can, and my prefilter does probably more than all other methods (soil vacuuming, water change, canister maintenance) combined. Same as @*Ci* I clean my prefilter weekly, and I am stunned how much...

• Yugang

• 

 

[Art]

One of the benefits of my AIO is the two basket pre-filters that I stuff with cheap floss. I have a reminder to change the floss every 3-4 days. As @Yugang said, they do more to filter my water than anything else.

I appreciate everyone's input here. Love the healthy exercise of thinking about a design with fresh eyes and intention. If I may take the discussion into a step-by-step direction...

If you assume that the filter will not be in the aquarium, then the first order of business is figuring out how to take the water in the aquarium and getting it to the filter.

Getting Water to The Filter​

Canister filters are closed systems that allow for a siphon and pump to work together that ensures water easily leaves the aquarium, passes through the filter and returns to the aquarium. It's also mostly quiet while minimizing the risk of leaks.

In modern designs, a sump filter can mostly be set up this way. Gone of the days of gurgling water and toilet flush noises. Moreover, leaks are minimized given the simple overflow principle.

The known downsides of this method using a hang-on overflow are that the siphon can break increasing a leak risk. This is solved with a water level shutoff that will turn off the pump if the water level of the aquarium gets above a certain point. Alternatively, a drilled overflow will not have this problem.

I'm thinking about the sump design because it allows for SO much easier access for cleaning and containing things like probes. We can also install a Yugang reactor over it that is gravity fed with water via a bypass making CO2 addition easier.

What do you think?

 

[snowballs99]

A calculated yugang reactor built into the filtration compartment would be dope.

U can have less area for mechanical filtration. Would work well with diy CO2 users tok

 

[Yugang]

A calculated yugang reactor built into the filtration compartment would be dope.

Really easy to do, either DIY or by manufacturer. In a FX4/6 the maximum reactor power would be enough for a 200 gallon, 750 litre tank but the manufacturer could offer some plastic parts that limit the effective area and can be attached to the canister top to reduce the power as required by the user.

 

[snowballs99]

I was more referring to those built in filter compartments u see on the all in one tanks.

 

[Phish Tank]

Really easy to do, either DIY or by manufacturer. In a FX4/6 the maximum reactor power would be enough for a 200 gallon, 750 litre tank but the manufacturer could offer some plastic parts that limit the effective area and can be attached to the canister top to reduce the power as required by the user.

View attachment 12616

Would adding a pocket of CO2 in the main filter compartment affect the beneficial bacteria growing there?

 

[Yugang]

Would adding a pocket of CO2 in the main filter compartment affect the beneficial bacteria growing there?

Not likely as the pocket of CO2 is above the water and filter media. The water in the canister, including the filter media, will have a very similar CO2 ppm as the tank water and is not likely to be detrimental to the bacteria.

When injecting CO2 bubbles into a filter from the intake, as some do, the situation may be different as these bubbles might interact with the media before they dissolve. In this case it seems hard to give a clear answer if bacteria will be affected or not.