Additional mechanical filtration question (pool cartridge)

[Reedmaster16]

Would it be possible to use this filter with a pump with a flow rate of approx 1200gph?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000P58124/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

The recommended flow rate for the filter is much higher because it is used for pool filtration and needs to turnover a larger volume of water. My question is would it be ok to use a smaller pump such as a mag12 (1200gph)? I was thinking with the reduced flow rate and high ft2 of the cartridge, it would allow longer intervals between cleaning.

I was unsure if the lower flow rate would reduce the effectiveness of the mechanical filtration by not building enough pressure to utilize the full surface area of the cartridge.

If anyone experienced with these types of filters could chime in I would very much appreciate it.

Thanks,
Reed

 

[kendragon]

I don't think your pump will handle the head pressure of the filter. These filters are designed to be used with a pressure pump. I have one on my 225g with a 3000gph pump. Clogs real fast. At 1200gph you won't be able to purge the chamber of air making the high surface area ineffective.

 

[Reedmaster16]

Thanks for the reply. What pump size/type would you recommend for the unit I linked above?

I am thinking of putting it after my sump I am redesigning. So the water will be filtered by 4 200 micron socks before its pumped from the sump through the cartridge filter then to the tank.

 

[Dan F]

For 1200GPH you could use a NuClear canister with a 30 square foot 25 micron cartridge.

 

[Reedmaster16]

For 1200GPH you could use a NuClear canister with a 30 square foot 25 micron cartridge.

Thanks for responding Dan. I looked at the NuClear and OceanClear cartridge filters as options but I feel I need substantially more surface area for the quantity of solid waste my rays and fish produce.

The 1200gph pump I had just lying around and was hoping to use it but from what kendragon said it appears it wont build enough pressure. Do you have a pump recommendation at all that could be used with the larger canister by chance?

Would an aquarium pump be feasible if I purchased one with a substantially higher flow rate?

 

[kendragon]

You need to look at the pump curve of the pump you are considering. It will tell you how much flow you will get at a given head pressure. My flow start to diminish when the filter cartridge chamber pressure gage reads 3 lbs. at 3000gph.

 

[Reedmaster16]

Would a ReeFlo Dart/Snapper Hybrid Pump (3600/2600 gph)

or

ReeFlo Super Dart Gold Pump (3600 gph) possibly be sufficient to utilize the canister? There is only 5' of head. I can still return the canister I just want to make sure I don't regret not having the additional mechanical filtration for my rays down the road.

Thanks again

 

[Oughtsix]

I went down this road with DE pool filters and it finally came down to just having to give it a try. I started with a 1/8th hp pump and it worked great. I then switched to a really wimpy QuietOne 3000 pump... And it is still working fantastic! The huge surface area of pool filters means that it takes much longer to build up enough blockage to develop any head pressure.



There really isn't any difference in a NuClear filter cartridge and a pool filter cartridge of the same micron rating. So yes that pool filter will run a lot longer than a NuClear before needing to be cleaned. That pool filter has 1.25" or 1.5" plumbing. I simply reduced the pluming on mine down to 1" and it is working great.

I would question if a significant amount of water is going to end up on your floor when you take the top off of that filter to change the cartridges? That dome top holds water and will have to be emptied somehow before you take the top off. I would also question how much you like cleaning cartridges?

I would also question how much a set of quality replacement cartridges will cost? You will probably want to have at least two sets of cartridges. So you can run one set while you are soaking and cleaning the other set.

A link to my DE pool filter install can be found in my signature... it is practically maintenance free and will filter much finer particles out of the water.

 

[Reedmaster16]

I went down this road with DE pool filters and it finally came down to just having to give it a try. I started with a 1/8th hp pump and it worked great. I then switched to a really wimpy QuietOne 3000 pump... And it is still working fantastic! The huge surface area of pool filters means that it takes much longer to build up enough blockage to develop any head pressure.

View attachment 792927

There really isn't any difference in a NuClear filter cartridge and a pool filter cartridge of the same micron rating. So yes that pool filter will run a lot longer than a NuClear before needing to be cleaned. That pool filter has 1.25" or 1.5" plumbing. I simply reduced the pluming on mine down to 1" and it is working great.

I would question if a significant amount of water is going to end up on your floor when you take the top off of that filter to change the cartridges? That dome top holds water and will have to be emptied somehow before you take the top off. I would also question how much you like cleaning cartridges?

I would also question how much a set of quality replacement cartridges will cost? You will probably want to have at least two sets of cartridges. So you can run one set while you are soaking and cleaning the other set.

A link to my DE pool filter install can be found in my signature... it is practically maintenance free and will filter much finer particles out of the water.

Thanks for the reply. I looked into DE filtration and have read a number of your threads. My problem is with the size of my tank and large amount of waste production DE did not look like a viable option. My water volume on my smallest ray growout tank is around 250gal with my 2 main tanks being larger. What size tank is your filter on?

 

[Oughtsix]

As pictured it is on a 35 gallon tank. I had it on a fairly populated 110g tank for about 7 months or so before the tank started to leak and I had to switch to the 35 and take a lot of the fish back to the lfs.

More surface area will give you longer run times between blockage slow downs requiring cartridge cleaning. The big pool cartridge filter will give you a LOT more run time than any off the shelf aquarium cartridge filter. I looked extensively at pool cartridge filters and there are some out there that don't have that huge dome on the top that will tidal wave all over your floor when it is opened. I found a large used cartridge filter locally that had a stainless steel case and a very nice locking top on it. I passed and went the DE route but I know there are cartridge filters better suited to indoor use than the one you linked to.

Are you considering trying to backwash the cartridges or open the filter every time they need cleaning?

I have played around with many cartridge filter configurations in the past (Not as large as the one you linked to) and I would never ever go back to a cartridge based filter.