Old school filter

[Paul]

Back in the Stone Age when I started in the hobby the filter of choice was the DynaFlo. The inflow (which just hung in the tank)worked by siphon. Whenever the larger fish got a little frisky they’d move the intake enough to break the siphon and with that no filtration. Ah the good old days.

Edited October 24, 2020 by Paul

[Daniel]

And it was a real bear to get the siphon going in the first place. You had to hold the siphon tube underwater to get the air out. Then put your thumb over one end and get it into the filter box without an air bubble sneaking in. Oi Vey!

[McNubbin]

I just got a dynaflo 150 with a 15 gallon tank I bought recently.  Pure 80s nostalgia right there. 

I was thinking of setting it up with some lava rocks. However, after a test.run I found it to be a bit to loud. The inlet tube is getting a bit dry rotted too. It does work though, and only need to dump a couple cups of water into it to get it primed and running. I am a big fan of the 3 r's though, so I may look into reusing it somehow. 

[Paul]

14 hours ago, Daniel said:

And it was a real bear to get the siphon going in the first place. You had to hold the siphon tube underwater to get the air out. Then put your thumb over one end and get it into the filter box without an air bubble sneaking in. Oi Vey!

I remember mine came with a cap on a stick so you wouldn’t have use your thumb. The only problem with it was the cap was a tight fit so it was a little bit of struggle to get it off and of course air would get in and you had to start over again. The thumb method was a lot easier.

[Brian Scott]

Love it!!

So many fond memories seeing that old war horse of a filter.  Man, when they ran they sure ran.  I miss my old Supreme Super Kings with those oval siphon tubes! 

PS --- I still use U/G filters......love 'em!

Edited October 25, 2020 by Brian Scott

[Paul]

On 10/24/2020 at 8:33 AM, McNubbin said:

I just got a dynaflo 150 with a 15 gallon tank I bought recently.  Pure 80s nostalgia right there. 

I was thinking of setting it up with some lava rocks. However, after a test.run I found it to be a bit to loud. The inlet tube is getting a bit dry rotted too. It does work though, and only need to dump a couple cups of water into it to get it primed and running. I am a big fan of the 3 r's though, so I may look into reusing it somehow. 

That’s down right high tech compared to the one I used.

[L.W. Wetarm]

I had one of those back in the early 70’s. High dollar equipment for a struggling college student. I bought it second hand from a guy that worked at one LFS. I ran it up into the 80’s when it was replaced with a Penguin Bio-wheel. 

On 10/24/2020 at 8:58 PM, Paul said:

I remember mine came with a cap on a stick so you wouldn’t have use your thumb. The only problem with it was the cap was a tight fit so it was a little bit of struggle to get it off and of course air would get in and you had to start over again. The thumb method was a lot easie rof the local aquarium stores. A real quantum leap from the under gravel or floss filled box filters of the day. I used it up into the 80’s when a Penguin Bio-wheel replaced it. 

I remember that it was tricky to get started. I had the stick gadget but like Paul said, it was a bigger PIA to use so I just wet-handed it. It originally had two intake tubes but one was broken along the way. It worked fine with just the one. 
The filter had an interesting drive system that I’m surprised isn’t still used. The motor clipped on the bottom of the filter tank. The motor had a magnet wheel that spun ant turned the impeller which was encased up in the bottom of the filter so there was no chance of a leak. The impeller was sensitive about being clean...once it got gunked up, everything stopped...usually in the middle of the night or when you were away for the weekend.  

[Dandy Pearl]

My first filter was a "corner filter" you hand loaded with carbon and floss driven by an air stone. It worked like a sponge filter. I have no idea of what brand it was.

[Robert Keeney]

I had Dynaflow filters, and I loved them. I always found the siphons easy to start. Mine came with a gadget that slipped over the end of the intake tube, and you squeezed the bulb a few times, and it pumped the tube full of water.

But the big thing I liked about these filters was that the pump pumped filtered water. Modern filters pump unfiltered water, and you get jammed and broken impellers. If a fry or other small critter gets sucked into a modern filter, it gets chewed up by the impeller, and if it lives through that, it could get pinned to the bottom of the filter material and die there. With the Dynaflow filter, a fry getting sucked in will for a little ride and live in the filter until he is discovered.

There were no seals at the bottom of the filter. Dynaflow filters had a magnetic drive that worked through the bottom of the filter box.

Dynaflows worked great as a filter, and you could use just about anything you wanted for filter media. I used filter floss and sponges in mime. Looking at the outflow, I could quickly tell when the filter needed cleaning. They didn't flood the floor if they got clogged. They just stopped.

There were also a good number of air-driven HOBs back then. I wish these were still available.

[Sweet Fish O Mine]

I got a Dynaflow filter second hand with my first tank in the early 70's. I remember running it along with a UGF on a stainless steel framed tank with matching hood that would burn you if you touched it! when the incandescent lamp was on! Ah, the good old days! 😀

[Pepere]

On 10/30/2020 at 9:22 PM, Dandy Pearl said:

My first filter was a "corner filter" you hand loaded with carbon and floss driven by an air stone. It worked like a sponge filter. I have no idea of what brand it was.

They still make them…this is a  Lee’s Triple Flow large filter.

I like them.  Very versatile.  You can use them to run some activated carbon or Purigen if you like, or Zeolite to reduce ammonia, or crushed coral to add kh and Calcium…

 

This one has some gravel to weigh it down, some nylon pot scrubbers for biofiltration and some polyfill for mechanical filtration. I use a Ziss adjustable airstone.  Judicious planting keeps it from being an eyesore.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29 by Pepere