How many gallons should the sump be to adequately clean a 55g full of african cichlids? and what pump gph? thanks.
Wet/dry filter for a 55g Malawi tank
- Thread starter MoFish78
- Start date
20 gallon Sea Clear wet/dry filter. Dimensions of the sump only: 38"L x 11"W x 12"H = water holding capacity ~ 20 Gallons
would this be good enough? 50 bux.
would this be good enough? 50 bux.
Tru-Vu, 240 W/D - LIKE NEW - This 24 GALLON CAPCITY filter has two compartments to accomodate a protein skimmer and sump. Comes with bio balls although I did not use them. Has 1" mounts. Dimensions are 14" High X 24" Wide X 14" Deep.
or this? which one is a better deal?
or this? which one is a better deal?
Honestly I dont like to use sumps I'm glad I haven't had to... I got my tanks all off craigslist and they came with filters I have had to but some extra filters though I use a lot of air pumps with sponge filters for my tanks that are 30 gal and under and my big tanks I use the Emperor 400... Its a great filter for african cichlids!!
They both will work fine. And for a pump, just figure out what kind of turn over rate you want and size your pump to that. If its a moderately stocked tank around a 4-5 turn over is OK and if its going to be stocked heavily than a little more up to 10x or more would be fine but not really needed. Unless your fish like alot of current or they are river species.. Turn over is tank volume(55g) plus sump volume(20)=75 x what ever turn over you want. For a 5x turn over--75x5= 375 gph pump. And remember to build a little cushion in your turn over rates for head height pump loss.
greenearthlawns;2796299; said:
The Emperor 400 is a great filter. But, you can't beat the benefits from a good wet/dry sump. The surface area for biological bacteria to grow is much greater, you increase the amount of water in the system by half, larger area of mechanical filtration, larger area for oxygenation of the water, a good place to hide heaters & equipment, no filter intakes visible in the tank, etc.....
As for the OP and the original question, both of those sumps look good and are plenty large enough for your 55g. The first is plumbed for an inline pump and the second is ready for a submersible pump. I'd get the second as I prefer submersible pumps. But that's just a personal preference. Either should do you right.
And just something to keep in mind with either of these sumps. It looks like you have to remove the tops to replace your mechanical filtration. Since the tops are connected to the bulkheads, you can't really plumb them with PVC. And with something like SpaFlex or vinyl tubing, make sure you leave enough extra to remove the tops.
thanks for all the helpful infos....the first one is 60 bux and the 2nd is 125 with the bio balls...
whats a better deal? do bio balls cost much? i was looking on ebay but i cant tell how much i need for the 1st one above.
whats a better deal? do bio balls cost much? i was looking on ebay but i cant tell how much i need for the 1st one above.
OK ,I hear ya!!! Just wondering if anyone uses or knows about the fluval FX5 system that costs like $400... was thinking of changing to that one possibly... I would appreciate any input on that system...
MoFish78;2796451; said:
10 gallonswould probably be enough. Big Als sells them in bulk. $30 for five gallons. It gets cheaper per gallon the more you buy.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp18401/si1383292/cl0/bioballs5gallonsaprox300balls
For the difference in price, I'd definately get the first one. If you want to run a submersible pump (probably the best pump for a small tank like yours), you can just cap off the two bulkheads on the return side. The first one also gives you an extra chamber between the bio balls and the pump where you could put some plants for extra filtration.
thanks terd...i hope i get it...waiting for a reply from the guy. i dont even know how to set this thing up. how do you pluf them holes?