Changing in filration, Critisim needed.

[nfored]

Here is the top view and side to side.

 

[Bee0912]

You should think about a brace across the top of the deviders that ties into the walls of the tank.

 

[nfored]

Thanks for the tip. I was also worried about them holding up, what I was going to do was far more complex and silly then your suggestion.

Here is a question. Its killing me every day I look at my empty tank and see my fish fighting in the 55 gallon because its too small. I currently have the 55 filtered with a canister filter that has about 1.5 litters of ceramic media.

Am I correct in assuming that if that's enough bio media for the 55 that it will also be enough for the 220 placed in the sump? at least until I can buy another couple liters.

 

[tscharf]

The theory is there and has been addressed before, there are lots of sump systems out there that have several media chambers and run exactly the same way. But there is still the question of which one is more efficient, some people will say that contact time is more important than speed of flow, personally I'm a big fan of the idea that small tanks need higher turn over rates than large ones... but all of this is negated by the fact that a well established tank doesn't need any turn over at all ( I have several tanks that run filter less due to the amount of bacteria within the tank itself). Most tanks are not in desperate need of their filters for anything more than breaking the water surface for gas exchange (this is not to say all tanks of course just the ones that are well established)

This has been a hot debate for many many years, old schoolers will be more in favor of the low-slow turn over while a lot of youngins will follow the More is better side of the debate.

thats how i run most of my tanks, of course they have some filtration and powerhead and such just to keep the water moving, but most of my filtrations is done in the tank itself, where i have a surpluss of beneficial bacteria.

 

[Lil_Stinker]

I mis-read the original theory and drawings, the pictures certainly bring it all together.

With the air infusion, the theory seems sound. The air keeping the water moving in the media, while providing O2 to the bacteria in the media.

Alternately, you could make the maze the other way, see attached image. Also the "Bucket" could just be a chamber in the first compartment, using all available sump area..

 

[nfored]

I mis-read the original theory and drawings, the pictures certainly bring it all together.

With the air infusion, the theory seems sound. The air keeping the water moving in the media, while providing O2 to the bacteria in the media.

Alternately, you could make the maze the other way, see attached image. Also the "Bucket" could just be a chamber in the first compartment, using all available sump area..

I was going to go side to side, but I couldn't wait to get started and only had the scrap glass to do it how it is now. It's funny you should mention the chamber I was thinking about that today. But Against my better judgment I just through it together with what I had, because I am impatient.

Hope to have it running this weekend. I moved my 220 down to the basement by myself, that was a scary choir, I just knew I was going to scratch it. Luckily I only scratched my arm up , Now I am trying to recruit someone to help me move the stand. It was to heavy and I was afraid of hurting myself or the stand trying to move it myself.

 

[Lil_Stinker]

thats a plan

 

[tscharf]

this thread got me to thinking, could you make a two story sump? it would look almost exactly like that but 2 of them, one stacked on the other. instead of the pumps being in the end chamber on the top level there would simply be a whole in the bottom where the water would drop down to the second level. would that work?

 

[amehel0]

great but have you ever thought of what bacteria need? they need oxygen and food. with your design of 'lower flow rate' you will have a large concentration of bacteria at one end and no bacteria on the other. which will result in no oxygen going back to your fish what you should do if you are going to use this system is incorparate a degassing chamber whih is just a part of the sump where you inject air (not oxygen) vary vary roughly so as to degass all the co2 and reintroduce oxygen at a 95-100% saturation level. this may also allow more bacteria to grow if the oxygen can go through to the tank and through the filter without all of it being used up. also you need this degassing chamber just before your return.

 

[Lil_Stinker]

this thread got me to thinking, could you make a two story sump? it would look almost exactly like that but 2 of them, one stacked on the other. instead of the pumps being in the end chamber on the top level there would simply be a whole in the bottom where the water would drop down to the second level. would that work?

Yes, this has been done many times