225 gallon setup for freshwater

[cowboy79]

i am about to start a 225 gal freshwater setup with a sump and was wondering if anyone had any input or ideas on how to make this work better then i have planned


my ideas are

tank comes with an overflow
1- aquaclear 110 500 gph
1- marineland 280 bio wheel- 280 gph
30 gallon sump with bio filters and rings
1- rena xp3 canister 350 gph
and a powerhead that i think i will make myself to act as a slow soft river current for my cichlids and arrowana

please comment on anything you do and DO NOT like about this setup as this is by far my biggest tank and will be my biggest challenge when it comes to fish tank setups

 

[aropal]

my ideas are

tank comes with an overflow
1- aquaclear 110 500 gph
1- marineland 280 bio wheel- 280 gph
30 gallon sump with bio filters and rings
1- rena xp3 canister 350 gph
and a powerhead that i think i will make myself to act as a slow soft river

What are you running the water back from your sump with?
Also, if you are running a sump why bother with all the other filtration types?
Why not just operate a sufficiently large sump with enough flow ?
If you then need some specifically directed flow just add a few power heads.

 

[armac]

no need for the HOB filter, you are running a sump

 

[cowboy79]

What are you running the water back from your sump with?
Also, if you are running a sump why bother with all the other filtration types?
Why not just operate a sufficiently large sump with enough flow ?
If you then need some specifically directed flow just add a few power heads.

the weight of this tank might become an issue if i was to run a 70gallon sump so that is why i am just going with a 30gallon and as for running back to the sump, not sure, any ideas.
powerheads i will make myself with a small pump from a plumbing wholesaler

 

[aropal]

External filters like the XP3 are still going to contribute weight as they still contain a volume of water and media. You could therefore loose the XP3 and have a small increase in sump size without gaining any extra weight but simplifying the system and saving you money.

Running bio wheels is a good idea when you have limited space and a high bioload. If you have the space for a sump you have enough room for a sizeable wet and dry facility which will dwarf the capacity of the bio wheel and make it almost entirely redundant.

An aqua clear 110 isn’t something I am entirely familiar with but I do know it has a relatively tiny bio filtration capacity. As such it’s primary function is mechanical filtration. This is simply achieved by running a large flow over the mechanical media. You can provide the same capability with no extra weight by simply selecting a greater flow rate on your sump pump.

So, you take your previous 30 US.G sump, increase it a little to replace the XP3 and construct it with a large wet and dry tower. Then run a high turnover and you will be able to replace your collection of filters without significantly increasing weight and with no diminished capacity.

I’d estimate an ocean runner 6500 would do the job but there are other good pumps which will do just as well; search the forum.

Whether that will be sufficient will depend on your bio load but it will provide no less filtration than you described.