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One of the companies that make those cartridge filters calls them "Big Blue" filters. I have some experience using these with DE. I have to go to bed now but I will fill in what I found with these cartridge filters when I get a chance tomorrow. If you don't mind I will quote your post above...

I completely agree that taking the detritus out of the water column is MUCH better than keeping it in the filter for several month to break down into nitrogen compounds! It kind of sounds like the RX Clear is a cartridge filter repurposed as a DE filter... not necessary a bad thing. This might...

I use a Jebao DCP-20000 pump for my 180g tank and run it at about 60%. The DCP pumps can be run external to the sump and I have run smaller Jebao pumps in this configuration. I REALLY like the Jebao DCP pumps. The external pumps I own (Little Giants) are much higher pressure pumps than the...

I wish I could edit my older post to correct my statement the the EC40 has 40 Sq. Ft. of screen area. You are completely correct that the EC40 only has 20 Sq. Ft. of screen area! I hate putting out mis-information... I should have checked the specs before posting.

Ahhh.... I am with you now. :) The RX Clear is 42" tall which would not fit under my stand. It also doesn't have the bump handle to knock off the DE. My guess it the EC40 takes as much DE as the RX Clear due to its ability to knock the DE off the screens and recoat them (I will call this...

This is what the screens on the Hayward EC40 look like. There are other DE pool filters with MUCH bigger screens but they don't have the bump handle to knock the DE off the screens for a quick recycling of the DE.

I don't understand your question. The thread I directed you to is my thread. I chose the Hayward EC40 because it has the handle to knock the DE off the filter screens (they are actually tube shaped screens) and it is the shortest DE filter in the series. I built my stand so that it was tall...

There is a pinch ring that holds the top of the filter to the bottom of the filter. When I have to recharge the filter I remove 2 nuts from the pinch ring and separate the top of the filter from the bottom of the filter. I then put the filter in my garden and blast the filter with a garden...

One warning: DE is silicone based. It is best to wear a filter mask when handling it. Once it is wet and the filter is charged there is no more possibility of the dust flying around in the air so the DE is completely inert and perfectly safe.

I have always used swimming pool DE powder. In the winter I have had to order it off of Amazon. I saw several bags at Home Depot in the swimming pool section the other day. I should pick up a bag to have a spare. When I fist started using the EC40 I sweated over which DE powder, now, not so...

I have a 180g tank with a composite dirt bottom capped with gravel. I.e. Miracle Grow Organic potting soil, Clay, Powdered Charcoal, etc. The Hayward EC40 is the only mechanical filtration I am currently running. I need to redo my overflow at which time I will add some pre-filtration to...

I use a pool DE (Diatomatious Earth) filter on my dirt bottom heavily planted 180g tank and have perfectly clear water 24x365. There is a link to a thread in my signature.

I cleaned the old DE out of the EC40 and refilled it with a fresh charge today. It looks like I got 3 months out of the old charge. Pretty good, I am happy with that for having no other mechanical filtration. I will add some pre-filtering eventually which should extend the time between having...

If you don't want to drill your 125 then I would not bother with a sump; just stay with your canisters. Siphon overflows are a hassle and an easy way to cause a flood. If you decide to drill your 125 then the 20L would make a fine sump. Sump vs canister in my book really comes down to...

What are your water parameters? Do you have ammonia and nitrites in your tank water? If not your current biomedia is getting the job done so why change it? Water changes reduce nitrates not biomedia. Plants, algae, Purigen, Activated carbon, well managed nitrate reactors will all remove...

If you choose your mechanical media so that it is easy to clean and you clean it often you should be able to remove a good majority of the debris before it has a chance to break down to nitrates. A 55g with filter bags or filter foam should do the job nicely if you arrange them so they are easy...

My thought is I would throw one of those tiny little $10 pumps in the bottles to keep the water moving. If the water doesn't move over and through the activated carbon it won't do much good. Running the water thru a big blue filter with a carbon block in it would probably work just as well...

Our most recent HOB filter was a Seachem Tidal 110 filter. It has several cool little features (like self priming) that I prefer over the Aquaclear 110. You certainly can go wrong with an AC110 though.

I have heard of people using a carefully placed seam of silicone sealant up across the top edges of the two adjoining pieces making a DIY hinge. Personally I would just use clear packing tape, maybe a couple strips piled on top of each other the length of the adjoining edges. It sticks well...

My theory of sump design is keep it simple and keep it easy to clean. Thru poret sounds good for maximizing its surface area. Gravel and an under gravel filter sounds like a head ache to clean. FX filters or a K1 fluidized bed sounds over kill and completely unneeded to me. Remove the poop...