Hamburger Mattenfilter is perfect for realizing “Biodynamic Aquarium” concept because it’s main aim is to accumulate as much mulm as possible. This mulm will act as vitalized compost from crops in Biodynamic agriculture. And it has no need for cleaning at all (in fact you make very bad thing cleaning it) !
For those new for Hamburger Mattenfilter I must stress some things.
Matala® mats is just grate for this, but:
- it is very easy to clean Matala® mats and this is just great for a very big pond filters, but for aquariums less in size than a small pond
<3000L there is much less need to remove debris, so you can easily replace Matala® with any open pore foam as JBL Coars Filter Foam combining with JBL Fine Filter Foam or Enkamat® to have as I call this
“controllable channeling effect' to make HMF work with water current along the mat.
- The same is for rigidity of Matala® mats – mats in a sump would be not more than 35Bx32H (cm) in size and filter foam has enough rigidity for it. It is stacked between glass panels also, so its fine.
- While it is very easy to clean Matala® mats, for Hamburger Mattenfilter you do NOT have to clean often as a main concept of HMF is build up as much mulm in mat as it is possible. The more mulm – the better HMF works. For “classical” HMF with
perpendicular to mat water current there is no need for mechanical prefilter, while for mats made of Matala® it is a MUST to do not clear them! If you clear them you make filter much less powerful. BTW this is stressed everywhere in texts on filtration with Matala® mats and HMF – clear them as less as possible very softly rinsing in water (no high pressure!) to keep bacteria culture at place.
There is no need to make dividers in a planted tank sump (see my link for drawing).
Rigid structure to fix mats for is made of a meshed office can for papers for a classical HMF with
perpendicular to mat water current, and from glass panes for HMF made of Matala® mats with water current
along the mat. This modules moved freely in a sump, exchanged from sump to sump etc. Very easy to do and to clean mats.
Rigid structure for Matala® mats module is made in a shape “|_|”, or two sided version for bigger tanks - “H”. No bottom needed – just vertical panels and alu. L ribs connecting glass panels on open side!
To colonize HMF (from Matala® or simply filter foam) as fast as possible with heterotrophic bacteria do not use mechanical prefilter for a first 1-2 months, and add in a first week flocculants as JBL Clynol®,
DENNERLE ClearUp! or
Easy-Life® Fluid Filter Medium®.
It is a
mineral flocculants, NOT chemical ones! They will make nice slime on mats for bacteria. Excellent when preparing to photograph your tank also.
Use bacteria cultures
with those hetero’s - FRITZ-ZYME #360 Gravel Cleaner, TetraAqua® Bactozym, TetraAqua® Biocoryne, Dupla Baccies, HAGEN Nutrafin Waste Control, HAGEN Cycle Sludge Remover.
Some more reading for folks on HETEROTROPHS:
Cycling Your New Aquarium.
naman