im looking for some help finding a good DIY filter for a 200 gallon tank the tank will be CA/SA Cichlids as of right now thanks reading
DIY filter for a 200 gal tank
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no overflow it has canistor filter that came with it but was think of a sump or maybe thinking it would work better not real sure what i want jsut looking for some ideals i guess
The major advantage of a wet/dry sump is the huge amount of oxygen that gets added to the water. A canister will add practically no oxygen to the water. Bioballs do a great job of breaking streams of water down to drops of water maximizing the water surface area and maximizing the oxygen exchange with air.
A sump doesn't have to be fancy, elaborate or expensive. A 5 gallon bucket with a return pump and air stones in the bottom filled with bio balls will be just as effective as an expensive commercial wet/dry sump. It just doesn't look as impressive!
Although great at biological filtration and oxygenation sumps usually fall short when it comes to mechanical filtration. Many use filter socks to provide mechanical filtration for their sumps with very good results. Most commercial wet/dry's are designed to use filter pads. Another advantage to a sump is you can usually change the mechanical filtration media without turning the filter off or have to remove the filter from the stand.
A sump doesn't have to be fancy, elaborate or expensive. A 5 gallon bucket with a return pump and air stones in the bottom filled with bio balls will be just as effective as an expensive commercial wet/dry sump. It just doesn't look as impressive!
Although great at biological filtration and oxygenation sumps usually fall short when it comes to mechanical filtration. Many use filter socks to provide mechanical filtration for their sumps with very good results. Most commercial wet/dry's are designed to use filter pads. Another advantage to a sump is you can usually change the mechanical filtration media without turning the filter off or have to remove the filter from the stand.
do for 220 i would use 50-60 gal i know i want to add a heater to the sump filter is there any good DIY sumps what size heater for a 220 also thanks for the info
There are a plethora of good DIY sump designs on here. Just do a little searching.
Two mid sized heaters are better than one large heater. If one dies the other will still be there to maintain the tank. A pair of ~200w heaters should do a nice job on a 220g tank. Set them for the same temperature... one will always go on before the other but if a cold incident should happen to your tank (a water change) they will both come on and work together to get your tank back up to temperature.
A 50 gallon sump would do fine for a 220g. Keep the design simple and think "easy to clean mechanical filtration" when you are designing. A compartment for filter socks, a wet/dry compartment for bio balls and a third compartment for easy pump maintenance makes a very nice configuration.
Two mid sized heaters are better than one large heater. If one dies the other will still be there to maintain the tank. A pair of ~200w heaters should do a nice job on a 220g tank. Set them for the same temperature... one will always go on before the other but if a cold incident should happen to your tank (a water change) they will both come on and work together to get your tank back up to temperature.
A 50 gallon sump would do fine for a 220g. Keep the design simple and think "easy to clean mechanical filtration" when you are designing. A compartment for filter socks, a wet/dry compartment for bio balls and a third compartment for easy pump maintenance makes a very nice configuration.
ok so when i got the tank there is a wet dry system and a magnum 350 that cam with it there is no over flow and the tank is drilled so can i run them both hooked up together or should i not
You can definitely run multiple filters. One of the filters being a wet dry sump doesn't preclude you from running canister filters along with it. I have always run a canister in addition to my wet/dry sump.
I will start this off with the disclaimer that i have never attempted to build one of these and I have no idea if this guide is a complete set of plans and if it will work in your situation, but it is worth a look and if nothing else it might give you some ideas.
http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_wet_dry.php
Seems like it should be what you are looking for and fairly easy to build.
Let us know how this works out for you.
http://cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_wet_dry.php
Seems like it should be what you are looking for and fairly easy to build.
Let us know how this works out for you.