# Kaldness K3



## Tex Guy (Nov 23, 2008)

I got some of this stuff for experimental purposes. This is the larger size of their product.


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr

If it looks like something you want, I'll gladly share the cost (my cost) with you at $.80 per oz. Here's what an ounce looks like...


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr

As I look at it, that is a pretty awful pic of the ounce. Later tonight I will replace it.

No mailing or otherwise jacking around.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Yeah, but I really like the second picture. I'd gladly hang it on a wall if it was say 96" x 72" or something large like that.

It looks like a common object that has been presented in a way that makes it lose it's common appearance and meaning. 

But I'm talking about art. Maybe Kim will step in and explain better what I like in that picture and what she doesn't.

--Nikolay


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## digital_gods (Apr 23, 2010)

@TexGuy: How big of a filter are you building? If you need to offset your cost, try also posting on DFWFishBox.

@Niko, Simple, just have the photo printed on canvas. http://www.canvas4life.com


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## Tex Guy (Nov 23, 2008)

digital_gods said:


> @TexGuy: How big of a filter are you building? If you need to offset your cost, try also posting on DFWFishBox.
> 
> This all goes back to the infamous filtration thread. So for my 44gal tank I am going to try to assemble a 5gal bucket fitted with a gamma lid and a 700 gph pump using the K3 material as the only filter media.
> 
> Anybody that was with us in San Marcos can attest that the flow rate in that river is astronomical relative to anything we have in our tanks.


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Tex Guy, I experimented with this in an Aquaclear HOB filter. It didn't really work--I couldn't get the moving fluid bed effect, and the pieces kept going over the overflow and into the tank.

Are you trying to keep it moving in your experimental filter, or are you using it like a standard bio-medium? Has anyone tried it in a typical canister filter?

I'm very interested in your project, since I am dissatisfied with the weak flow from the Eheim 2217 on my 40 gallon.


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## Tex Guy (Nov 23, 2008)

You guys just keep sucking me in deeper. I'm the kind of person that doesn't want to talk about pending projects for two reasons. First, when they fail I don't have to expose my failure to the whole world. And B, if I show what I am up to there is an inherent pressure to actually get the thing done. And as Tex Gal knows, I love my procrastination!

But I'll succumb to your blandishments this time. I am actually planning to prototype this with my 3.5 gal shrimp tank. I picked up the polycarbonate storage vessel somewhere and we had this little 100gph pump laying around. So I thought I would try it out where I could actually watch what is going on.


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr

On my shorty tank I am using an Eheim 2213 (I think) with just the K3 and my water quality is very nice. But I can't see what's going on in the canister of course. I filled it just over half full with the intention that it would set up the fluid bed action. I guess I won't know for sure until I have it in something clear.


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

I agree with Niko; the second pic needs to be put on a large poster format and sold on ebay for something in the $120-$220 range. I'll take one myself.

Regarding the filtration, water movement in the river is definitely impressive to say the least, and the plant health is obvious. FWIW - the dissolved CO2 in the upper part of the river is also pretty high relative to the lower. I've not taken any measurements, but I noticed at our outing that the Texas wildrice was more prevalent in the upper part, and it only takes in gaseous CO2 for a carbon source accoring to some online digging that Davemonkey did. Not that you're growing wildrice in your 44, but I wonder what kind of CO2 input it would take with that kind of flow/movement in your tank. Not being experienced with CO2 I am kind of assuming that the added flow will burst the CO2 bubble so to speak...to an extent...


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

After Bill:



















For that clear canister... the fittings for the hoses can be done with what is called a "watertight fitting". It's a plastic fitting with a gasket and a nut. It has a barb for a hose on one end. The principle is the same as in a bulkhead. But it's hard to find small size bulkheads (1/2" or so). That fitting I'm talking about is meant to let electrical wire be run into an electical box while not letting water seep in. A 1/2" size is about $2. It's not pressure rated but for this size canister works just fine. It's found at HD/Lowes at the electrical parts isle. Here's the use of these fittings:
http://socalfreenet.org/files/images//flex_hose_fitting_large-672_0.jpg

Some of them come with a metal nut, some with plastic. Opt for the plastic only.

You will have to drill a good size hole for that fitting - a little smaller than 3/4". But it does not need to be a perfect circle. The rubber ring will seal anyway. I used a dremel tool with a cylindrical sandpaper bit to make the hole the right size.

Most people don't use a fitting. They drill these canisters and silicone some pieces of pipe to the holes. Looks unreliable and very ugly to me. Ugly allright, but it may leak royally on your floor.

--Nikolay


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

Looks great in both rooms!


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## Tex Guy (Nov 23, 2008)

@Niko,

The more you develop this thing the more impressed I am with myself!


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## Michael (Jul 20, 2010)

"That fitting I'm talking about is meant to let electrical wire be run into an electical box while not letting water seep in."

Bruce used that type of fitting on some of our pond plumbing, and it worked well. He took the extra precaution of using some silicone sealant on the gasket before assembly.


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## Gumbie (Apr 18, 2011)

I just watched the YouTube video about Kaldnes from 2007. What bio media are you using with the K3 in the Eheim on the shorty tank...none, their Bio Chips, a sponge filter in the tank?


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