I am to the point that I need to pin down the filter design for my 180g so I can finish the stand.
The tank is going to be displayed in a peninsula orientation (Narrow side against the wall with the long side jetting out from the wall). The tank is 5ft long. I am planning on making the stand between 6ft and 6ft 6in long. I plan on using the extra foot to foot and a half of stand to run all the tubing, wiring etc. This area will be enclosed... think 2ft by 18in box behind the tank the height of the tank. When I build the hood the hood will cover this enclosed box behind the tank.
Please pardon the lousy hand drawing... apparently when you have a teen age daughter you forfeit all rights to own a pencil to draw with.
My thought is I will put a 1ft by 1ft acrylic column behind the tank. There will be a lid on this column to contain the water noise. I plan to put 4 fine filter socks suspended in a plate ~6in below the top of the column. Underneath the filter socks will be a drip plate to disperse the water over the bio balls. The bottom of the column will be below the bottom of the 180g tank and terminate inside the 55g sump. Like I said above this whole area will be enclosed to suppress the noise.
My plan is to have a hinged panel in the hood over this compartment that will allow me to quickly pull and change the filter socks. There will also be a door in the side of the stand over this upper compartment to make maintenance / sock changes easy.
Thoughts?
The tank is going to be displayed in a peninsula orientation (Narrow side against the wall with the long side jetting out from the wall). The tank is 5ft long. I am planning on making the stand between 6ft and 6ft 6in long. I plan on using the extra foot to foot and a half of stand to run all the tubing, wiring etc. This area will be enclosed... think 2ft by 18in box behind the tank the height of the tank. When I build the hood the hood will cover this enclosed box behind the tank.
Please pardon the lousy hand drawing... apparently when you have a teen age daughter you forfeit all rights to own a pencil to draw with.
My thought is I will put a 1ft by 1ft acrylic column behind the tank. There will be a lid on this column to contain the water noise. I plan to put 4 fine filter socks suspended in a plate ~6in below the top of the column. Underneath the filter socks will be a drip plate to disperse the water over the bio balls. The bottom of the column will be below the bottom of the 180g tank and terminate inside the 55g sump. Like I said above this whole area will be enclosed to suppress the noise.
My plan is to have a hinged panel in the hood over this compartment that will allow me to quickly pull and change the filter socks. There will also be a door in the side of the stand over this upper compartment to make maintenance / sock changes easy.
Thoughts?