*IMO*.... add a couple of ac110's .. these guys love "bigger is better" mentality in filtering.. it isn't always so .. you DO want some redundancy but huge amounts of bio media isn't required to run tanks efficiently.. once you add the 110's that should have you covered for any reasonable stocking levels.. water changes are the key for keeping tanks clean, *not* more filters...watch your parameters as you stock .. *if* your ammonia never has a long term rise (more than a day or two.. with proper stocking you shouldn't even have a spike really) your good.. period.. adding *media* is the fix for ammonia spikes , not *adding filters* per se...adding the 110's will give you plenty of flow (in theory, depending on tank scape) to keep detritus from building up undergravel to great extent..in your case the fx6(s) alone should have room for enough media to keep a reasonably stocked 300+ gallon tank cycled the ac110's will take up any "slack".. maintenance is the key , keep the water changes consistent and large .. vac when necessary .. clean out a(1) filter about once a month...it isn't as tough as some people make it.. enjoy the hobby...
350 Gallon Tank and Filtration
- Thread starter Tjuice_T
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I’m actually in the process of going the other way. I’ve been running a 75 gallon sump on a 300g tank for a few years. I have two FX6’s, which one is installed along with the sump for now. Slowly been taking the media out of the sump the past few weeks. Once the media is out, I’ll hook the second FX6 up along with a drip system of about 30 gallons of water a day. Sumps, canisters, HOBs, sponge filters, drip systems....more than one way to filter a tank. All have their own pros and cons.
Last year I finally moved up from a 50 to a 110gallon and decided to go the sump route. There was a little bit of a learning curve, but once I got past it it’s a pretty simple thing to maintain. Yes you will have to figure out how to layout the plumbing, but there are lots of resources online to guide you through the process. The tank I purchased was already drilled and set up for a herbie overflow box.
What I like about my sump is the extra water volume, massive amounts of biological and mech filtration, and that all my equipment is out of my display tank. (Looking back, I can’t believe I ran my 50 gallon all those years with just a HOB Aquaclear 300.)
At first I was nervous that the thing would overflow if the power went out, but once I understood how the overflow box worked I realized the risk wasn’t that high. I just made sure my sump had enough excess volume to handle all the water from the overflow box and drain pipes. One last thing, it makes water changes a breeze.
Good luck and congrats on the new tank!
What I like about my sump is the extra water volume, massive amounts of biological and mech filtration, and that all my equipment is out of my display tank. (Looking back, I can’t believe I ran my 50 gallon all those years with just a HOB Aquaclear 300.)
At first I was nervous that the thing would overflow if the power went out, but once I understood how the overflow box worked I realized the risk wasn’t that high. I just made sure my sump had enough excess volume to handle all the water from the overflow box and drain pipes. One last thing, it makes water changes a breeze.
Good luck and congrats on the new tank!
you have figured out the "other type" of filtration.. "more , more ,more" ,,"bigger , bigger".. is the "easy rec".. it always works if properly implemented.. but so does the "less is more"method ,, at least for those of us that would rather eat than have overblown filtration on a tank.. sumps *can* be cheaper but mostly aren't (especially for people new to the hobby).. in my tanks(currently 75 , 75 .90 gallon) i have found that simple hob's and sponge filters are all i need .. the lfs has an overstocked(badly overstocked) 150 run on *2* ac 110's with one sponge each.. he's got 6-7 *big fish *(currently , it's "for sale" stock) including a 2 ft. rtc .. they are healthy and they show no signs of ammonia stress ..this pretty much proved to me that massive filtration was just "wasted horsepower" in most tanks...i am firmly convinced that a 350 gallon tank(normally stocked, don't get me started on overstocked tanks, even african cichlid , it's bad for the fish) can be done (easily) with 2 fx 6's alone if the owner takes it easy on substrate and does frequent wc's.. a couple of ac110's are a nice "add on" for insurance ...
OK ok we get your point. Not sure what a sump ever did to you...
One point, among many, you're missing though is just how much easier and quicker it is to clean a sump which means it also tends to get done much more frequently than the typical aquarist. I'm sure you clean your HOBs and canisters every week as intended, but most people don't.
My sump is incredibly easy to clean and swap in new socks in less than a minute. I'll be the first to admit that my AC100s and 2 sunsun canisters don't get nearly as much attention as my sump.
OP - don't forget that sumps are wonderful places to keep extra equipment such as heaters, thermometers, and allow for the removal of unsightly intake tubes from HOBs, canisters, and airlines on sponges. Not to mention my sump adds over 100g of water capacity to my display tank. Having more water for your fish only adds to their well being. The most extra water a canister adds is maybe 1ish gallon?
that's another myth perpetuated here ...."cleaning filters every week" is a *big* no go,not even with hob's... every month is plenty in most tanks.. this alone tells me you *may* not be as experienced as i am (20 years or experience) ... new keepers read that myth and it kills fish...i advocate proper *tank* care.. aquclear hobs are *every bit* as easy to clean as sumps.. and you overlook my biggest reason for liking hob's , set up cost and ease..sumps are great for some , they *aren't* the "best" answer for the vast majority (but are a *viable* option), i have absolutely *no* issue with sumps, i just think they are vastly overrecced on mfk due to "groupthink"...let's not make this personal by making statements like "i don;t know what a sump ever did to you" .. it's not part of my argument .. and i won't address that from somebody that feels that's his best argument ...btw .. never once , in the post you quoted did i even right the word "sump" so pardon me if i ask the question where The Heck did you make that assumption from? if you ask me it's a pretty defensive groupthink "attack the messenger" reaction to my post .. pardon me for bringing up the obvious
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edit:*" write" not "right" the word sump" in the above post *.. i now remember how stupid some of the policies are here on mfk.. time limits on edits.. ya, kind of a big thing if your trying to make a coherent point to those with a thought process
Group think? Because the majority of people on here have big tanks, like OP, and the majority find sumps easier and better for providing proper care for their fish makes it group think? No.that's another myth perpetuated here ...."cleaning filters every week" is a *big* no go,not even with hob's... every month is plenty in most tanks.. this alone tells me you *may* not be as experienced as i am (20 years or experience) ... new keepers read that myth and it kills fish...i advocate proper *tank* care.. aquclear hobs are *every bit* as easy to clean as sumps.. and you overlook my biggest reason for liking hob's , set up cost and ease..sumps are great for some , they *aren't* the "best" answer for the vast majority (but are a *viable* option), i have absolutely *no* issue with sumps, i just think they are vastly overrecced on mfk due to "groupthink"...let's not make this personal by making statements like "i don;t know what a sump ever did to you" .. it's not part of my argument .. and i won't address that from somebody that feels that's his best argument ...btw .. never once , in the post you quoted did i even right the word "sump" so pardon me if i ask the question where The Heck did you make that assumption from? if you ask me it's a pretty defensive groupthink "attack the messenger" reaction to my post .. pardon me for bringing up the obvious
Don't use your LFS example of an overstocked 150g including an RTC and not seeing any signs of ammonia stress. Are we to assume your eyes are capable of performing a proper test of that tank's water parameters, so it must be good? No.
Coherent thought process to prove your points with random words surrounded by asterisks and poor grammar? No.
OP - use the right course of filtration that you feel will provide the best living conditions for your pets. Many on here have lots of experience with large tanks and what they think offers the best filtration for tank size versus cost and maintenance. Price out how much AC110s and canister filters are against sumps. My sump is comprised of 2 rubbermaid totes and a garbage can. Super cheap, super effective and I know that through proper water testing and growth/health of my fish. Feel free to PM me to see pictures of my 360g sump setup and I can also walk you through my setup and answer any questions for you.
I liked sump too untill the heater in my sump melted thru my sump pissed water everywhere them almost caught fire ?
Tanks will always need to be taken care of so cleaning a canister vs sump is nothing
I look for the safest most likely not to fail and go wrong filter
If My fx6 fails
Fluval maybe liable or warranty the pump/product
Your home set up fails your liable For it all
I will still say yes a sump is better filtration but I don’t feel it’s the safest method Not to mention sumps are loud
ps I don’t give 2 cents about my grammar you should be smart enough to know where the periods/caps go I’m just too busy to care you’ll get my point
Tanks will always need to be taken care of so cleaning a canister vs sump is nothing
I look for the safest most likely not to fail and go wrong filter
If My fx6 fails
Fluval maybe liable or warranty the pump/product
Your home set up fails your liable For it all
I will still say yes a sump is better filtration but I don’t feel it’s the safest method Not to mention sumps are loud
ps I don’t give 2 cents about my grammar you should be smart enough to know where the periods/caps go I’m just too busy to care you’ll get my point
