wckdkl0wn;1870732; said:
CPR unit? What is that?
Also I am liking the idea of the pvc diy overflow. I think this system will be a lot cheaper then buying a canister right now. Basically I have the tank sitting completely empty. I want to get this tank up and running as cheap as possible for now and add to it later.
My stand is able to hold 2 20-30 gallon tanks under it so that size would be perfect then.
Would I be able to run more then 1 sump? Say 2 20 gallon tanks? I can pickup 20 gallon tanks for $6 each. Just set them up as stand alone from each other and have one draw water from one end of the 125gal and the other draw from the other with pump in each tank. Input?
what does mechanical filtration do? Mainly water movement? if thats the case I could just put powerheads in right?
Also what is my ideal gph for this big tank?
CPR is just a brand of overflow boxes. They are neat cause they dont lose their siphon when the power goes out. when power comes back on, they start up instantly and need no "priming" to get the air out.
Im sure you could run more than one sump, but if youre not gonna have the bioload to support the bacteria in 2 20g sumps, youre just wasting your money. with the money youd spend on building another sump and the pump to run it, id suggest just getting a fluval or rena canister filter that will give you more mechanical filtration. i have a similar setup on my 210; a big sump and an FX5.
and mechanical filtration refers to
mechanically cleaning the water, doesnt refer to only water movement. mecanically filtering the water is commonly done through sponges, filter floss, filter brushes etc. in this type of filtration, water is passed through certain types of media that will TRAP particles and debris thus making your water clearer.
biological filtration, on the other hand, does nothing to visibly clean your water of suspended particles. the media (scrubbies, bio balls, etc) in your sump will grow bacteria to keep the ammonia and nitrite levels in check. its sort of an invisible form of filtration since you cant visibly see nitrite and ammonia.
this is why is suggest doing a canister and a sump instead of two seperate sumps. the sump will give you all the bio filtration you need and the canister will give you the mechanical filtration to keep your water clean along with a little extra bio filtration.
for a tank your size, id say to use about 600~900gph of water movement. i actually have 1000gph of movement in 210g, not including my FX5