Diy rotter tube

[knap_123]

Have you made or tried 1 of these rotter tubes?

 

[ithk21620]

I have not tried one of the rotter tubes but I made something similar about 5 years ago and I didn't like it. The poly filter clogs a lot faster than a filter sock I found out so I was changing the pad every day to two days and that wasn't going to work for me because I typically travel for work every other week. I can get a week plus out of a 12" long filter sock.

If you really wanted to make one you could make one out of sch 80 fitting like he has shown for about $25 but its total overkill. Sch 40 fittings from HD / Lowes would probably cost you half that. The most expensive part is a union. The rest is just a reducer, piece of pipe and the snap in drain.

If you wanted to give it a try you can buy bulk poly floss online for cheap.

 

[knap_123]

I m going to do it just for fun.

 

[Jlobes]

im SO confused! why is this better or easier than filter socks?
seems like a waste of time and effort....

 

[Ryengoth]

The sock works better because there is a larger surface area for continued water flow. Will it fall off when the tube clogs up or make the DT overflow? I just don't see the benefit considering a sock can be rinsed out, bleached and used over and over again until it falls apart. Blue/white floss pad is more expensive if you consider the amount you'll be using on such a small flow area.

 

[ithk21620]

The sock works better because there is a larger surface area for continued water flow. Will it fall off when the tube clogs up or make the DT overflow? I just don't see the benefit considering a sock can be rinsed out, bleached and used over and over again until it falls apart. Blue/white floss pad is more expensive if you consider the amount you'll be using on such a small flow area.

This is exactly what I found out when I made something years ago. Filter floss can be bought for cheap but its a one time use. My design had a overflow built in so when the floss was clogged it wouldn't overflow the tank or make a big mess elsewhere. I looked at his site and now he has an overflow tube you can add on "for the people that were concerned" but for $75-80 for the tube, $20 to add the overflow protection and another $15 to ship it you would have to be nuts to buy one.

The one I built lasted maybe 6 months before I was fed up with it, I then bought 10 filter socks which I still use those 10 to this day. Swap them out every week to two weeks and wash them when I am on my last one or two. No brainer to me...

 

[reefwiser]

Silly idea if you want to do it. Just watch your tank level.:) You could make this so easy all basic parts.

 

[Ryengoth]

I'm working on a 1" end-pipe solution for my 30g sump. The fill chamber has a standard Reef Octopus that takes up most of the space and the shelf it's on takes up most of the depth. I can't use a 12" sock and the 6" ones fill up daily. Since it's eu braced the bulk head that the pipe is in is tucked under a corner "shelf" so I can't use a sock hanger either. I'm using rubber cord right now to hold it against the top of the pipe shelf. Changing out the sock is a pain. I want something I can slip over the pipe to install, pop out, rinse and pop back on.

 

[knap_123]

Yes the price Is just stupid. I'll definitely build it for 20 or less total. The way my tanks set up I can't run socks. But I could build this and use floss 1 a week maybe. Just a idea

 

[Sabellafella]

im SO confused! why is this better or easier than filter socks?
seems like a waste of time and effort....

Whats the point of adding the foam pad. Wouldnt it clog regardless with or without the foam pad lololol i guess its a good idea but god forbid you have problems your tank will overflow, too much of a risk plus i use large pieces of those double layed cloth in my bubbletrap. what in the world is a 8 by 2 piece of that going to filter out lol

 

[Ryengoth]

Whats the point of adding the foam pad. Wouldnt it clog regardless with or without the foam pad lololol i guess its a good idea but god forbid you have problems your tank will overflow, too much of a risk plus i use large pieces of those double layed cloth in my bubbletrap. what in the world is a 8 by 2 piece of that going to filter out lol

[HASHTAG]#becausedeehhhrrrr[/HASHTAG]

 

[Ryengoth]

Honestly, if you are going to use that device, get heavy duty open-cell foam like is used in sump traps. That will stand up on its own and you can cut it to fit top to bottom. I would cut it into triangles and stack them, alternating the rotation 180* each time so you get stepped filtering with less flow restriction.

 

[Ryengoth]

Honestly, if you are going to use that device, get heavy duty open-cell foam like is used in sump traps. That will stand up on its own and you can cut it to fit top to bottom. I would cut it into triangles and stack them, alternating the rotation 180* each time so you get stepped filtering with less flow restriction.

Errr.. 90*, not 180.. 180 would be kinda pointless.. LOL

 

[Jlobes]

do they call this the rotter tube, because of all the rotting food/detritus that takes place in the tube?

 

[knap_123]

I meant to post this video. This is the design i'd build.

 

[knap_123]

On another forum someone built this.

said it will last close to a month. When it's fully clogged the water will overflow out the top. Cost $8 to make.

 

[mcarroll]

It's a homemade canister filter...and not quite fully baked. Possibly interesting cuz it connects to the main drain, but still not attractive....unless you need something else to clean! o_O

Maybe in a freshwater tank...

Errr.. 90*, not 180.. 180 would be kinda pointless.. LOL

180º would do it just as well I bet...but seems like we're overthinking a lukewarm idea. ;)

 

[Ryengoth]

I'd rather catch the big stuff and let the pods, bacteria and algae in my sump consume the tiny stuff. I don't even like the 200-micron filter sock in my sump since it catches too much stuff.

It's a homemade canister filter...and not quite fully baked. Possibly interesting cuz it connects to the main drain, but still not attractive....unless you need something else to clean! o_O

Maybe in a freshwater tank...



180º would do it just as well I bet...but seems like we're overthinking a lukewarm idea. ;)

With the way my sump is setup, the 6" 200-micron socks are really a pain but the only real option I have and they clog up daily. I've got a few ideas, but no free time to start hashing them out in hardware. I'm interested in trapping particles over 300-micron since the skimmer and algae traps I have between the chambers catch all the good sump food. The big stuff is what collects and rots in my setup, causing diatom blooms. The skimmer actually catches a bit of it before it hits the refugium, but not enough.

 

[mcarroll]

Any way to rectify the situation so the "big stuff" gets consumed in the tank (or not added in the first place) instead of going down the drain? That's your ideal scenario, if possible. What is the "big stuff"?

That's certainly where I'd apply some creativity before spending (more) time dealing with only the symptoms of the problem down in the sump.

While you're still using socks though, why not use a sock with a larger mesh size like 300µ or 400µ? I don't know much about filter bags, but from a quick search these sizes seem to be available.

 

[redfishbluefish]

To me this is like trying to build a better mouse trap.......when the one that's out there works just fine.


You can't get much simpler than a filter sock!


This thing is just a Rube Goldberg.