The Micron Filter Bags
Below is a description of the filtration system of my 240G tank when the micron filter bags were still being used. Although this part of the filtration system has been replaced by Poret® Filter Foam, this page provides valuable information about the pros and cons of using micron filter bags for aquarium filtration.
The micron filter bags attached to the manifold that forms the lower part of the drain pipe. It attaches to the upper part of the drain pipe via a 2" union coupling (on the left).
The micron filter bags in my setup provide the bulk of all mechanical and biological filtration. I am using six 16" 25μ micron filter bags with draw tie from Customaquatics (Part Number: FI-ATPE25P1R). Each of my 2" drainpipes branched off into three endings with female slip connections. These become a bit wider at the end, so that the filter bags don't slip off when they are secured to the narrower part of the hose using the draw tie. This is the budget way to hook them up and obviously not quite tight, so that some water will slip through near the pipe and not be filtered by the bag. Customaquatics also sells special micron bag adapters, which presumable provide a better connection, but are expensive and I never tried them.
The bags are very sturdy and can be reused multiple times. After five years of active duty, mine showed no appreciable signs of wear. The draw strings are very long and very solid, allowing it for the bag to be pulled very tight around the pipe. Due to the air collecting in it, the first of the three bags in each sump sometimes floats to a large part above the water like a balloon.
This view into the sump shows all three micron filter bags fully submerged. The manifold is on the very right. On the left is a colander with crushed coral that had a titanium heater lying on top.
One major problem with the micron filter bags is that they close off the bottom of the drainpipe making it difficult for air to escape. This can cause considerable noise issues. I managed to overcome these by tilting the drain pipes slightly. For details about this problem and it's solution, please visit the drain pipes page. Alternatively, this problem can be avoided altogether by using Poret® Filter Foam instead of micron filter bags.
Addendum September 2009
One problem with the micron filter bags I could not overcome was that tiny fish fry that accidentally got swept through the drain pipes got stuck in the bags. The picture below shows the catch from my filter bag cleaning in June 2009. Since I clean out the bags only twice per year, I considered that a bit of a problem.
The catch from cleaning out the micron filter bags in June 2009.
Another thing that irked me was the fairly high bypass around the bags. Whenever I cleaned out the sump, there was a considerable amount of debris on the bottom of the sump container and in the crushed coral. For a long time I considered getting the Customaquatics micron bag adapters, but always shied away from the expense.
To make a long story short, when I heard Stephan Tanner of Swiss Tropicals talk about Poret® Filter Foam, I saw an opportunity to solve several of my problems in one go, and I was ready to try something new. I have not regretted my decision to switch the filtration of this tank to Poret® Filter Foam, and you can read more about my experiences here.
Below you can see a schematic diagram of the plumbing of my 240G tank with the micron filter bags still in place.
Schematic diagram of the plumbing of my 240G tank with the micron filter bags still in place. If you have trouble reading the text, please click on the diagram and a larger version will open in a new window.
The micron filter bags attached to the manifold that forms the lower part of the drain pipe. It attaches to the upper part of the drain pipe via a 2" union coupling (on the left).
The micron filter bags in my setup provide the bulk of all mechanical and biological filtration. I am using six 16" 25μ micron filter bags with draw tie from Customaquatics (Part Number: FI-ATPE25P1R). Each of my 2" drainpipes branched off into three endings with female slip connections. These become a bit wider at the end, so that the filter bags don't slip off when they are secured to the narrower part of the hose using the draw tie. This is the budget way to hook them up and obviously not quite tight, so that some water will slip through near the pipe and not be filtered by the bag. Customaquatics also sells special micron bag adapters, which presumable provide a better connection, but are expensive and I never tried them.
The bags are very sturdy and can be reused multiple times. After five years of active duty, mine showed no appreciable signs of wear. The draw strings are very long and very solid, allowing it for the bag to be pulled very tight around the pipe. Due to the air collecting in it, the first of the three bags in each sump sometimes floats to a large part above the water like a balloon.
This view into the sump shows all three micron filter bags fully submerged. The manifold is on the very right. On the left is a colander with crushed coral that had a titanium heater lying on top.
One major problem with the micron filter bags is that they close off the bottom of the drainpipe making it difficult for air to escape. This can cause considerable noise issues. I managed to overcome these by tilting the drain pipes slightly. For details about this problem and it's solution, please visit the drain pipes page. Alternatively, this problem can be avoided altogether by using Poret® Filter Foam instead of micron filter bags.
Addendum September 2009
One problem with the micron filter bags I could not overcome was that tiny fish fry that accidentally got swept through the drain pipes got stuck in the bags. The picture below shows the catch from my filter bag cleaning in June 2009. Since I clean out the bags only twice per year, I considered that a bit of a problem.
The catch from cleaning out the micron filter bags in June 2009.
Another thing that irked me was the fairly high bypass around the bags. Whenever I cleaned out the sump, there was a considerable amount of debris on the bottom of the sump container and in the crushed coral. For a long time I considered getting the Customaquatics micron bag adapters, but always shied away from the expense.
To make a long story short, when I heard Stephan Tanner of Swiss Tropicals talk about Poret® Filter Foam, I saw an opportunity to solve several of my problems in one go, and I was ready to try something new. I have not regretted my decision to switch the filtration of this tank to Poret® Filter Foam, and you can read more about my experiences here.
Below you can see a schematic diagram of the plumbing of my 240G tank with the micron filter bags still in place.
Schematic diagram of the plumbing of my 240G tank with the micron filter bags still in place. If you have trouble reading the text, please click on the diagram and a larger version will open in a new window.
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