Channel: Pondguru

Category: Entertainment

Tags: diy aquarium sump filtercontinuum brick reviewbrightwell filter mediaaquarium filter mediaaquarium filterfilter bacteriaanaerobic bacteriabrightwell bricksump filtrationmaxspect filter mediaaquarium nitrogen cyclepimp my filterfish tankmaxpect plate reviewbiohome filter mediafilter media testssump filteranoxic filtrationbiohome brick reviewreef tankfull cycle filtrationfilter media for aquariumsump filter media

Description: Sorry, this is a long one... Maxspect Nano Tech Plates (Amazon): geni.us/N0ABQHw Continuum / Brightwell Brick (Amazon): geni.us/HZ7HF Biohome Sump Brick (FilterPro): bit.ly/33rDF37 Biohome Sump Brick (Amazon): geni.us/Jicl Damn.....getting the materials for this test video cost me almost £90 so I hope you appreciate the effort - share this video with anyone you think may find something useful in it. Thanks for watching. TIME STAMPS: 00:00 Intro and Continuum / Brightwell Brick 05:47 Maxspect Nano Tech Plates 08:57 Biohome Sump Brick 13:54 Continuum / Brightwell Brick microscopic view 15:06 Maxspect Nano Tech Plates microscopic view 16:25 Biohome Sump Brick microscopic view 18:19 Receptiveness / porosity tests 27:07 Summary and introduction to next test 28:46 Explaining the accelerated wear test 31:04 Outro MAXPECT NANO TECH PLATES are very well made, extremely strong and have a very open structure. However, the feel of the plate is very 'waxy' and the material (resin?) used to stick the small ceramic beads together doesn't look or feel like something which would be good for bacteria to colonize. As you can see in the video the material used for the construction actively repels water but the structure will allow water to penetrate the plate when it is submerged in water so it should support bacteria to some degree. I genuinely like what Maxspect have tried to do with this type of filter media but have serious reservations about how suitable it is for bacteria and unfortunately the 'for aquariums up to' figure quoted on the packaging is highly likely to be fantasy (that is a very common problem for filter media and filters). CONTINUUM / BRIGHTWELL SUMP BRICKS are extremely light and have a very porous structure although as you can see from the video that does not seem to be very receptive to water. The internal structure seems to have trapped bubbles inside it as it took ages to sink (I had to weigh it down under water) but that is common for filtration products made from a ceramic 'slurry' dust. I have serious doubts about the structure of this material lasting a long time although it is described as being able to last for '50 years' and being suitable for aquariums 'up to 1000 US gallons'. At the same time warnings are given against touching the brick once it has been in the sump for a while (as the brick goes soft) and breaks up if moved. Hmmmmm. Online reports from users of this product seem to yield initial good results regarding a reduction in nitrate followed by reports of the brick falling apart after a few months - that could be due to the dosed sulphur and aragonite being used up and weakening the structure? If so then this is a short term (expensive) chemical treatment and not a viable biological media for long term bacteria support......time will tell as I have all the test subjects in an aquarium to test the natural wear on them myself. BIOHOME SUMP BRICKS are made from the same material as Biohome Ultra which has been used for approx. 20 years in sumps, shower filters and large aquarium filters. As you can see from the video it is extremely receptive to water and if it is receptive to water that directly indicates receptiveness to bacterial colonization. The Biohome Sump Bricks are made from sand and powdered glass (which binds the particles of sand together). It is an extremely natural surface for bacterial colonization. They aren't pretty since each one is hand made and they do not come in a fancy box but the amount of water they will filter (for a full cycle) is realistic, usable surface area is excellent (receptive and accessible) and they will last as long as you have your aquarium sump. Part 2 with results of 'Wear Test' and a summary of all 3 types of media will be linked to here when the video is done. That could be a few months... RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: goo.gl/jMaBWy INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/pondguru_outdoors FILMING EQUIPMENT: Panasonic HC-VX870 HD camcorder geni.us/3UwE +Rode stereo microphone: geni.us/4OL +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover: geni.us/1pmn JVC Everio quad proof HD camcorder: geni.us/e09e +Rode 'deadcat' mic cover (opened up and held between tripod and camera base) geni.us/dee24 Zomei Z666 tripod: geni.us/1a1af3 Manfrotto MTPIXI-B PIXI mini tripod: geni.us/87f7 If you've enjoyed this video please check out the playlists on my channel for hundreds more - on a variety of subjects. Feel free to share or link any of my videos on facebook, twitter, forums etc. for the benefit of anyone you think may also enjoy watching. See you next time. Pondguru