filtration idea

[señor_pescados_felices]

I am wanting to have a fluval 204 take water from one end of a 55 gallon,filter it,sparay it over a 10 gallon filled with bioballs (or scrubbies) and use another 204 to return the water to the opposite side of the 55 gallon,filtering one more time in the process.

will this work or is it just an expensive and retarded idea?any input or modifications would be welcome.

 

[ewurm]

It will work if you set it up right, but that sounds like way too much filtration for a 55. What do you want to put in there?

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

discus

 

[CHOMPERS]

It is a good idea and a good place to start when you design...but the problem you will have is two identical pumps never pump exactly the same amount. Over time, one will also wear faster if you manage to tune them. The other problem is when it comes time for one of the pumps to quit. If the working pump is in the 55, the ten is going to be full when...lets see, carry the two, divide by...it will be full and overflowing when it has 15.5 gallons pumped in it.

get or make an overflow for it and only use one pump. The overflow should flow more water than the pump can process. That way the pump won't be starved and the pump won't pump too much into the 55.

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

that is a concept I am not caught up on,overflows.
the reason I was wanting to use the 204 to remove the water from the tank and another to return it was becouse I was under the impression that in order to have an overflow you needed holes somwhere in your tank.....mine doesnt so I thought overflow was just not even an option.I figured the best way to get water to the sump and back out was with 2 canisters.
any additional info on how I would set it up like you said would be much appreciated.

also I will mention that if I put the intake tube of the 204 right near the top of the water and the returning 204 died it couldnt possibly take enough water from the 55 to flood the 10 before the water level dropped below the intake,so I dont need to worry about flooding,just burning out the fluval 204's motor,so basicly if one went out they would both go out unless I caught it immediately.

additionaly,if the differance between the two fluvals is very great (which I dont anticipate) I can manually adjust the water levels of either the sump or the 55 from time to time....

 

[Dr Joe]

Hi,

Overflow http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?p=539545#post539545 courtesy of CHOMPERS.

And your first filter will get dirty faster and volume will change, Starving the second filter.

The second filter is actually filtering clean water. Not that I'm against over-filtering.

If you could mount a tank above your main aquarium, you could use the 2 pumps to supply water to the above tank filled with bio-material and let it gravity feed back to the aquarium. No chance of flooding if either pump goes out or power failure.

Glad to see your thinking and sharing ideas.

Dr Joe

.

 

[rallysman]

It seems rather pointless (except oxygen transfer), because as Dr Joe mentioned, the water coming out of the first filter should already be "clean". If it's doing its job, you're wasting time

 

[señor_pescados_felices]

thanks guys
so,a little off topic, but then would a single fluval 204 be sufficient for 5-6 discus in a 55 gallon?(it wouldnt seem so)
as for that overflow thread I already read it.....right over my head.

 

[Dr Joe]

thanks guys
so,a little off topic, but then would a single fluval 204 be sufficient for 5-6 discus in a 55 gallon?(it wouldnt seem so)
as for that overflow thread I already read it.....right over my head.

For 5-6 little 2" discus I think it would barely make it, Now if your talking 6-8" discus, to start with the tank is to small, then...you guessed it ...not enough filter. The 204 is only turning the 55g tank 3x/hr. and not mixing the water very well.

I think the rule for large to MONSTER fish is 1" per 10g & turnover of 6x-10x/hr. (rule of thumb (big thumb)).

Sorry for the bad news, but it's all about the fish.

Dr Joe

.

 

[hillbilly]

For what it's worth, I have a 75gal. discus tank that is filtered by 2 Aquaclear 110's. The filters contain the sponge block, a 100 micron screen, and the bag of ceramic rings in each filter. 20 gals. of water is changed every other day. It works quite well. The 110's are cheap and easy to clean, important with fish that demand clean water at all times. The fish love to play in the current produced by the filter's spillway, and it creates lots of oxygen in the water. Should work just as well on a 55.