Filtration suggestions

[DelawareJim]

Hello all. New to the forum.

After 20 plus years running a 110 as a planted tank, I'm switching it over to a Neolamprologus tank with minimal plants, so I know I need to increase my chemical filtration.

As a planted tank I ran 2 Eheim 2217 classics with the intakes and outlets hidden in the plants. I'm breaking out a wet/dry I have and plan to run it with a canister to handle the mechanical and the chemical filtration in the new setup.


I want to minimize the hardware visible in the tank, so the question is; can I run one of the 2217s with the intake and outlet in the sump without a lot of splash and making a mess in the cabinet, or am I better off getting something like a Nu-Clear canister and running a single loop from overflow box, thru wet/dry, water pump, Nu-Clear, back to tank? The water pump is an external 490 gph pump which is probably a bit on the small side. The wet/dry and pump are both threaded for 1 inch plumbing.

Thanks.
Cheers.
Jim

 

[tlindsey]

Hello all. New to the forum.

After 20 plus years running a 110 as a planted tank, I'm switching it over to a Neolamprologus tank with minimal plants, so I know I need to increase my chemical filtration.

As a planted tank I ran 2 Eheim 2217 classics with the intakes and outlets hidden in the plants. I'm breaking out a wet/dry I have and plan to run it with a canister to handle the mechanical and the chemical filtration in the new setup.


I want to minimize the hardware visible in the tank, so the question is; can I run one of the 2217s with the intake and outlet in the sump without a lot of splash and making a mess in the cabinet, or am I better off getting something like a Nu-Clear canister and running a single loop from overflow box, thru wet/dry, water pump, Nu-Clear, back to tank? The water pump is an external 490 gph pump which is probably a bit on the small side. The wet/dry and pump are both threaded for 1 inch plumbing.

Thanks.
Cheers.
Jim

Welcome aboard



You may want to checkout Sumps that is what most are using. Also Canister filters are in. I'm old school and have a wet/dry tower sitting in a tote as my sump.

 

[BIG-G]

Welcome.
With a sump it can be setup any number of ways and function. So there will be lots of opinions on what works best or doesnt.
If the sump is sized and setup properly you wouldn't really have to use the canister, but if you want to use it just for the added media area, it should work.
Just be sure the sump can handle the added water volume if the power goes out.

 

[deeda]

Hi Jim and Welcome!!

Which species of Neolamprologus are you considering stocking?

Unless your tap water is unsuitable for Tanganyikan cichlids, I don't see a need to focus on chemical media at all, assuming that is the reason you are considering using it.

It is very possible the 2 existing 2217's would work just fine on this tank unless you have noticed a serious decline in their operation over the years. I would NOT use either filter on a sump as they perform much better when installed below an aquarium.

Are you planning on using a lot of rocks in the tank for decorations and habitat? If so, you can build up the rock structures to hide the intake/output pipes from view.

What are the dimensions of this tank?

 

[Oughtsix]

For what purpose do you think you need chemical filtration? What chemical(s) are you trying to filter out?

I have never used any chemical filtration. I use plants (aquatic and Pothos) to pull out nitrates and water changes if the plants don't absorb enough nitrates.

I use nothing but a sump any more. I have a couple of nice Eheims that just sit on the shelf. The nice thing about a sump is that you can throw in a bag of carbon or purigen really easy without having to take apart a canister to change it out. I am a fan of trickle (wet/dry) sumps because of the huge amount of air / water exchange surface area they provide resulting in heavily oxygenated water. I know it is painful to shelve those expensive canisters... but I think you will probably find that shelving them is most likely the best choice. If you have to run them there is nothing wrong with running them coming from and going back to the sump. There shouldn't be a problem with splashing.

There are several ways you can configure a sump. I prefer simple and as easy to maintain as possible. I don't understand the purpose of or the need for overly complex sumps.

The Nu-Clear filter I had was a mechanical filter... and always leaked. Are you wanting chemical or mechanical filtration?

 

[DelawareJim]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Sorry for not being clear about the wet/dry. Being old school, I never considered a wet/dry filter in anything other than a sump. I’ll be using a 20 x 10 x 17 sump that will be under the tank in the stand. It’ll house the drip-plate wet/dry, extra sponges, and the heater.

The plan for the Eheim or Nu-Clear was to make it a large reactor and fill it with bags of carbon and resins or carbon and zeolite, or something similar.

As for the 110 gallon tank, the dimensions are 48 x 18 x 30. It’ll be a biotope scape with Neo. multifasciatus and maybe some N. bricardi.

Unfortunately, I can’t post pictures of my before and plan for after since I haven’t met the minimum posting requirements yet. Stay tuned.

Cheers.
Jim

 

[Oughtsix]

I haven't run carbon or any chemical filtration in my tanks for over 30 years... since I learned about cycling tanks. For what purpose do you think you need carbon, resins or zeolite? What are you trying to filter out? Nitrates? I can see the occasional use of carbon or purigen to clear medication out of the water but I don't understand the purpose of running it continually?

When I was young (12) and knew nothing of aquarium bio-chemistry (pre-internet) I would run carbon and change it out every couple of weeks because that is what you were supposed to do. Once I learned about the nitrogen cycle I saw there was no need for chemical filtration in a healthy balanced tank with periodic water changes.

Are you planning on not doing any water changes? If you never do water changes purigen or carbon will help keep your nitrates under control but I consider periodic water changes a better option and much healthier in the long run. In my very heavily planted dirt bottom gravel capped tank I do a 50% water change every 2 weeks and always have low nitrate readings... even right before the water change.

I would recommend running your wet/dry sump and forget about chemical filtration. If you have an emergency or need need to clear medication fill a mesh filter bag with Purigen and pack it around the return pump in your sump or design your sump with a compartment for a bag of carbon / zeolite / Purigen.

 

[DelawareJim]

Thanks for the feedback.

Actually, the fixation on the chemical filtration is because I still read about the importance of having mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration.

Truth be told, I’ve done Dutch Style and Amano Style planted tanks for so long, I’ve basically forgotten how to run a fish only tank. I’m coming from a background of carefully dosing N, P, K, and CO2 into the tank and going to ensuring they don’t increase.

So for the new tank, I’ll be perfectly happy with a sump wet/dry and weekly water changes. Easy peasy!

OughtSix; so you’re running a mineralized soil planted tank with large fish? Cool! No problems with the livestock uprooting plants?

Cheers
Jim

 

[Oughtsix]

OughtSix; so you’re running a mineralized soil planted tank with large fish? Cool! No problems with the livestock uprooting plants?

Cheers
Jim

No, not mineralized soil, just plain old organic potting soil from about 2" to about 4" deep with a gravel cap to keep the soil down. We started with guppies (this was our first dirt bottom tank and we had no idea what to expect) then upgraded to Angle fish.

As much as we enjoyed cichlids we really love the heavily planted tank with lots of smaller fish instead of fewer bigger fish. I am sure the 6" - 10" cichlids we used to have would have made a quick mess out of any planted tank, especially one with dirt under gravel. Yes, I know angle fish are chichlids... but ours have been pretty peaceful so far.

We love the organic potting soil under gravel! No ferts, no Prime, no CO2 (I actually have a CO2 system that I have never setup) and no amendments at all. With water changes every other week we maintain great water parameters. Right now our tank is completely overgrown trying to build up plant matter for when we move to our new tank.

I think you will find periodic water changes much more effective than trying to balance things with chemical filtration. Best of lick with you new tank!

 

[DelawareJim]

I’m planning out my first rigid plumbing for the tank. I’ll be using 1-inch rigid pvc. I have an eshopps pf-1200 overflow box with 2 1-inch outlets feeding into a single 1-inch inlet on my 20 inch acrylic sump. (They are the only overflow box and sump that fit with my tank and stand.). The 2 lines from the overflow will merge using a 1-inch wye fitting.

I know this is a bit subjective, but is the best place for the union joint and ball valves closer to the top or closer to the bottom, or both? Or is both top and bottom overkill? Obviously, I’ll want them as close together as possible with the ball valve “upstream”. Schematics I’ve looked are all over the board. I’m thinking closer to the bottom so I can use fewer bits and I don’t have to wrestle with the plumbing when I open the sump to clean the filter mat on the drip plate. I’ll have about 41 inches of drop from the overflow box to the sump top, so since is my first rigid plumbing job, I’m also a little concerned as to whether I have enough working space to accommodate the wye fitting, ball valve, union, and anything else I may have overlooked.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Cheers.
Jim