DIY Sump
- Thread starter JD_MAN
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arribapirate;1511487; said:thanx man
i did move the blue wire to the end instead of the side so i could still lift it out, but im still not getting water to the end of the board.... i am going to try and add a lil cliff to the top of the "waterfall" part and see if it helps, or i might shave some off the pegs so the bio ball top board will slope to see if it will run properly
other than that everything is holding up great!!!!
it will be running from there into a UV sterilizer then into my tank which is a 150gal
its still a toss up on what im going to put in it though, either african ciclids or a FW stingray
I just use a screwdriver to pull my plate up, by sticking it in a hole and prying up.
Mine keeps about a 1/4" of water on the drip plate at all times. How is the water getting to the sump? Maybe you need something with a larger flow.
Since your tank is going to be a 150 (I am guessing that it's 18" wide) you probably want to go with the cichlids. I thought about doing rays in my 220 and then decided that it was just to small. I think they do best in "pond like" setups...like the large rubbermaid tubs.
Again congrats! I think it's pretty cool that you made that sump...and that it turned out so good.
hey man i wouldnt have been able to do it without your thread!!!
i have a "350gph" pump on it but i dunno if it is a real 350gph.... got it free with my UV sterilizer
i have a "350gph" pump on it but i dunno if it is a real 350gph.... got it free with my UV sterilizer
Are there any ideas of incorporating a bio-wheel on this sump and getting rid of the bio-balls to make room for other stuff, (heaters, protein skimmers etc.)
I was thinking about buying a 20 gal sump for my 90 gal, but after reading this I might make my own. I'm not fond of socks as the mechanical filter so I guess I'll add extra support rails and have filter trays with foam and stuff instead which I think will be easy enough. The main thing though is that I want to use 1 or more bio-wheel(s) instead of the balls because the sump isn't gonna be too big so I'm limited on space and I really wanna use an extra protein skimmer that I have laying around from my grandparent's marine tank. Any Ideas on the biowheel? (Positioning, waterfall effect through numerous wheels, etc.)
I was thinking about buying a 20 gal sump for my 90 gal, but after reading this I might make my own
. I'm not fond of socks as the mechanical filter so I guess I'll add extra support rails and have filter trays with foam and stuff instead which I think will be easy enough. The main thing though is that I want to use 1 or more bio-wheel(s) instead of the balls because the sump isn't gonna be too big so I'm limited on space and I really wanna use an extra protein skimmer that I have laying around from my grandparent's marine tank. Any Ideas on the biowheel? (Positioning, waterfall effect through numerous wheels, etc.)i am putting polyester filter fiber in the area that he has a sock, as for a heater.... you could put that under the filter area if you want(i put an aditional egg crate under the polyester filter fiber and the heater will be in that area and will be under water at all times)... thats what ill be doing... it will be in the 1st filtration area. i dont think the bio wheels would do as well as the bio-balls or any other bio media... check here for your best bio-media info
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88677
chris
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88677
chris
I still believe bio-wheels are much better than bio-balls for a few reasons:
1) Bio-wheels are never fully submerged as compared to a chamber of bioballs which can be as much as half way submerged in water. Because its never fully submerged theres much more oxygen exchange (probably explains the increased evaporation stated in the thread above). its the ultimate in wet-dry technology.
2) Because its a rotating wheel, there is much greater surface area for bacteria to grow on making it very space efficient. Even the thread above says it "houses a super concentrated bacteria colony."
3) It's pretty cheap compared to a bag of bio-balls.
I have a penguin 350 HOB filter on my 29 gal which has 2 built in bio-wheels and man, they work great. I've used bio-balls before with my grandparents marine tank and I still think bio-wheels are better. Can't explain it really, you just need to own one to know how great and efficient they are compared to other bio-media.
1) Bio-wheels are never fully submerged as compared to a chamber of bioballs which can be as much as half way submerged in water. Because its never fully submerged theres much more oxygen exchange (probably explains the increased evaporation stated in the thread above). its the ultimate in wet-dry technology.
2) Because its a rotating wheel, there is much greater surface area for bacteria to grow on making it very space efficient. Even the thread above says it "houses a super concentrated bacteria colony."
3) It's pretty cheap compared to a bag of bio-balls.
I have a penguin 350 HOB filter on my 29 gal which has 2 built in bio-wheels and man, they work great. I've used bio-balls before with my grandparents marine tank and I still think bio-wheels are better. Can't explain it really, you just need to own one to know how great and efficient they are compared to other bio-media.
I'm looking to move house soon, with the main intention of installing a custom tank, approx 530 us gallons, a hugh upgrade from my 85g tank. I intend to have tropical fish, but mainly planted, with the usual equipment that I already run (Presurized co2 system with ph controllers, controlled day and night t5 lighting system, air pumps, heaters eta) but i'm also researching computer controlled aquariums (i.e running a web server under the tank so that It can be monitored/controlled from anywhere I go. I want to run a Sump filter in a garage or shed outside. Is this a good idea? I currently run a external canister filter and have never used a 'sump'. Is there a 'tank-2-sump' ratio?
I have been reading up on diy sumps, and this is the BEST step-by-step yet!
I have been reading up on diy sumps, and this is the BEST step-by-step yet!
tri_stand;1603408; said:
Ambitious... I like it
No problem running a remote sump as long as the garage is heated or enclose the sump and heat that area.
Search the DYI sections for computer control, there have been several do work on this. I've done alot of this for clients in the past (unfortunately it's not that cheap to do).
Rule of thumb on sump sizing is 1/3 the size of aquarium for heavy bio-loads and 1/4 the size for average bio-loads. If your going to have a heavy bio-load consider a bio-tower too http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66676 (maybe a little smaller
).http://www.solar-components.com/AQUA.HTM#flat
Aerate the sump and bio-tower for maximum effect.
Keep us posted,
Dr Joe
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TMDragon;1551360; said:
Ok, admit it TMDragon, you just want the cool factor
. Spinning bio-wheels, bubbling protein skimmer (which will need high air volume/pressure for F/W use (unless you have really bad water conditions))Go for healthy fish instead
Never quote out of context " Upsides:Supposedly house a super concentrated bacteria colony.Wet/Dry design.
Downsides:Very high Evaporation."
And scrubbies are cheaper than bio-balls and bio-wheels.
In a Wet/Dry filter 1/3 of the bio-material remains under water for
The water dripping on the bio-material will become heavily aerated and thereby contain high levels of oxygen when it reaches the submerged bacterial colony where the gas transfer is more effective. There are many types of bacteria at work in a W/D filter some of which need to be submerged and other that will die if constantly submerged.
And there are no moving parts to stop functioning.
Bio-wheels were never intended to replace bio-media, but used as a final polish if you will of the water with whatever ammonia/nutrients is left in the water from the main filter.
Understanding all the ramification of a W/D help to understand the differences.
Dr Joe
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I have a separate threat for this by the way.
The 4 circles will be bio-wheels from my Penguin 350. They will be the primary receivers for the water coming from the tank. Water will then travel through the first sponge, up to the drip late and on the the bio-balls. From there, water goes to the second sponge mixed with quilt batter for polishing and up it goes back to the tank. I will be using 2 x 1" DIY overflows for 1200 turnover.
Will this design work? I am planning to do this in my 30 gallon tall. It will be used for my 100 gallon tank. What do you guys think?
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