HOB Filter Uses

[bigworm175]

I have a few HOB filters from my fresh water days that I' not currently using. What can I use them for? I also have a canister filter. Any cool ideas?

My tank is a 120 mixed reef. I have a sump that has cheato and some rubble.

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv54/bigworm175/2009_06030047.jpg


And an FTS for fun

http://i669.photobucket.com/albums/vv54/bigworm175/2009_06030042.jpg

[bigworm175]

No ideas?

[jasonrp104]

I use mine for GFO and Carbon. I just cut the cartridge open and add what I want. I was doing the same with a canister filter but I got sick of the weekly cleaning that it needed.

[Ritten]

I use mine to hold polyfilters and carbon.

[agreeive?fish]

i keep my hob filter running on my sump always ready for a hospital tank or a new fish qt tank

[fasteddie99]

I have a Penquin 350 bio wheel with the wheels removed. I just use it for carbon/filtration/flow.

[jayk198030]

all great uses... the same i use mine for..

[jenglish]

I gutted an Emperor 400 and use it for a HOB fuge. I have a Magnum 350 that I could run carbon or micro filter if I needed it.

[loosecannon]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15304433#post15304433 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ritten
I use mine to hold polyfilters and carbon. +1. I also take it out 3 or 4 times a week and run it under water.:)

[Mike31154]

I use a Rena XP3 canister with empty baskets (except for a bag of carbon in top one) for a little extra flow and as a kind of 'cryptic' zone. I've wrapped paper around the outside of the container to try and keep it darker in there. Tons of worms & sponge like critters etc. in there now.

[Ritten]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15306823#post15306823 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by loosecannon
+1. I also take it out 3 or 4 times a week and run it under water.:)

Good point, you definately want to keep it clean.

[bigworm175]

Great ideas! Thanks. I like the idea of a "cryptic zone". I know very little about them but have done some reading.

Mike, isn't the flow rate a little high in a canister for cryptic conditions?
I'm also tempted to put some sand in there but I'm worried it would all get pumped out. Would crushed coral be of any use? Any ideas for the best cryptic zone in a canister?

Or if this is even an idea worth pursuing.

[Mike31154]

To be honest, you could be correct with regard to the flow being too much for cryptic, I haven't really researched that too well. All I know is the baskets and inside of the container are encrusted with those little tube worm structures and I find sponges and plenty of pods in there whenever I clean it & change the carbon bag. A while back when I was also running GFO in there, I used the top of an XP2 filter since the flow from that is less than the XP3 motor and I had read that GFO works better with less flow. That's the nice thing about the Rena XP series, the top assembly is the same size from the XP1 through XP4 and is fully interchangeable.

As far as sand in there, I haven't considered that for exactly the issue you state, I doubt it would stay in there and would likely destroy your impeller on the way through. I have read threads with folks running live rock rubble in their canisters, but no idea wrt crushed coral. You might be able to do that in a bag. I just found that anything in there other than the empty baskets and bag of carbon gets to be a maintenance issue if you don't clean it frequently, with the possiblility of elevated nitrates. Whenever I clean mine, which can be up to 3 weeds on occasion, there is a fair amount of mulm on the carbon bag and some crud in the bottom of the canister.

[darkdruid]

I use an HOB filter to run my QT. I don't have the space or want a tank that is going to be empty most the time, just sitting around. So I keep a filter with a handful of bioballs running on my fuge so it stays cycled. When I need a QT, I pull a 10 gallon out of the closet, fill it with water and move the filter over. Instant cycled QT. After the quarantine period is over, if there have been no problems, I just move the filter back to the fuge and empty the 10 gallon. If there has been a problem, I bleach out the filter, toss it back on the fuge, and by the time I need it again, it's recycled.

[bigworm175]

I like the QT filter on the sump idea too. Anyone have a fuge in such a small HOB?

Any more ideas about the cryptic canister filter?

[Biologist]

I cut a big felt 25 micron filter sock to fit where the filter cartridges should go and then hang the HOB on the side of the sump. If you change the socks out regularly they don't get disgusting like the filter cartridges do and it really helps polish the water. To support the sock I cut a piece of that plastic that is meant for needlepoint projects to the right size and it works quite well.

[evogames]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15305011#post15305011 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by agreeive?fish
i keep my hob filter running on my sump always ready for a hospital tank or a new fish qt tank

That's not a bad idea...

[gooyferret]

HOB for a QT tank? Dont you mean a canister filter? If your using it as a hospital tank it should not be hooked to your main system.

Great ideas for other uses, I was wondering how many used them for carbon and GFO.

[bigworm175]

I think he just meant to filter the QT while any new addition is under quarantine. The HOB is moved from the sump to the self contained QT tank (not hooked into sump or main system) to have a source of filtering bacteria. If he has any issues in the QT he cleans the HOB before putting it back on the sump for bacteria re-propagation.

Correct me if I misunderstood.