The Theiling Roller Mat filter, which was on display at the Interzoo trade show in Germany earlier this year, is an external filter that we can all get excited about, says Nathan Hill.
The Roller Mat is a paper-based filter, with a thin sheet wrapped around a drum. Its purpose is solely mechanical, pulling out the tiniest of particulate waste, and it has no biological use.
Water is fed to the unit from a tank or sump, where it passes through the drum before returning. In the event of the paper clogging, the water level will rise until a float switch is activated, at which point a motor pulls fresh paper from the roll into place, pulling the old paper on to a spool to be discarded.
The key role for this kind of filter is as a polishing device for marine tanks, but any tank plagued by porridges of particulates will benefit from one.
The only glitch for some will be the price, currently looking to be somewhere around the £280 mark.
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