but dosnt the system only skim the water from the top to go dwn to the sump. wudnt it be better if it took from from the bottom section of the tank ? just my 2 pennies
help ..1ST DIY FILTER BUILD
- Thread starter CAaddict
- Start date
I understand your logic and I agree with you but that is why we use directional powerheads, such as koralia 1/2/3/4/5/nano. The water flow from these stirs up the muck and that in turn gets drawn in by the weir.
The water going over the weir will have heavy flow of its own due to water falling over it, in fact my one is drawing water in at around 1100gph (~4100 l/h) which is equivalent to a very large powerhead. It is just a matter of kicking up the muck to get caught in this flow.
Placing an intake low in the system presents problems, the way around this is to place the pipes in an upside down 'U' with a hole drilled at the bend at the top to act as a syphon break should the pumps fail. This would allow water to be sucked in the bottom without fear of emptying your tank in a pump failure.
However, I think the poor aesthetics of this would outweight the benefit if it was not hidden behind a weir, which defeats the whole purpose of it. Plus emptying sand from your tank would also be a huge negative, with a weir the fish would have a hard time kicking sand into that flow.
I have no experience with this though as I operate a weir system so I am sure someone who has done what you have suggested will chime in with better answers for you. These are just my immediate thoughts on it.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/member.php?u=32235 This mod, Pharaoh, will likely have better answers for you than myself.
The water going over the weir will have heavy flow of its own due to water falling over it, in fact my one is drawing water in at around 1100gph (~4100 l/h) which is equivalent to a very large powerhead. It is just a matter of kicking up the muck to get caught in this flow.
Placing an intake low in the system presents problems, the way around this is to place the pipes in an upside down 'U' with a hole drilled at the bend at the top to act as a syphon break should the pumps fail. This would allow water to be sucked in the bottom without fear of emptying your tank in a pump failure.
However, I think the poor aesthetics of this would outweight the benefit if it was not hidden behind a weir, which defeats the whole purpose of it. Plus emptying sand from your tank would also be a huge negative, with a weir the fish would have a hard time kicking sand into that flow.
I have no experience with this though as I operate a weir system so I am sure someone who has done what you have suggested will chime in with better answers for you. These are just my immediate thoughts on it.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/member.php?u=32235 This mod, Pharaoh, will likely have better answers for you than myself.
What size is your tank?
How heavily will you be stocked?
What kind of budget are you on?
Are you wanting to do this cheaply?
What type of overflow do you want? Drilled w/weir, hang on back style, or DIY?
What size overflow? This will help flesh out a good gph range for you. Turnover is mainly geared towards preference more than anything else.
As Cichlid_2006 stated, the mid-tank overflows are good, but they are not necessary. If you have plenty of flow, debris will get picked up regardless of where the overflow is pulling.
Post up some specs on you particular setup and we can go from there. Decide on an overflow style and go with it. Drilling the tank has its risks, but it also has benefits. DIY and HOB overflows both have their benefits and risks as well. I always try to push people to go with what they want. That way, you know you will be happy.
How heavily will you be stocked?
What kind of budget are you on?
Are you wanting to do this cheaply?
What type of overflow do you want? Drilled w/weir, hang on back style, or DIY?
What size overflow? This will help flesh out a good gph range for you. Turnover is mainly geared towards preference more than anything else.
As Cichlid_2006 stated, the mid-tank overflows are good, but they are not necessary. If you have plenty of flow, debris will get picked up regardless of where the overflow is pulling.
Post up some specs on you particular setup and we can go from there. Decide on an overflow style and go with it. Drilling the tank has its risks, but it also has benefits. DIY and HOB overflows both have their benefits and risks as well. I always try to push people to go with what they want. That way, you know you will be happy.
right.... the tank is a 30" x 15H x 12(23G). the sump is 18" x 10 x 10(8G) i herd the sump should be half or a third of the main tank. witch these are.
i wana go as cheap as possible.. i got basically no income lol. i under stand partially everthing i need to know for this 2 work apart from the overflow and the plumbing part of it.. size of PVC stuff like dat .
its guna be for my juvi malawis as a full time time. theres bout 15.
i wana go as cheap as possible.. i got basically no income lol. i under stand partially everthing i need to know for this 2 work apart from the overflow and the plumbing part of it.. size of PVC stuff like dat .
its guna be for my juvi malawis as a full time time. theres bout 15.
Filter socks may be better for a sump so small to handle your mechanical media that way you will only need a bag of bio media in the main body of the sump along with a heater and the pump(s). Using filter socks will also save space in such a small sump to allow you to hide your heater like you would in a larger sump, that would be hard if you had sponges and the like in that small space.
They will also be quite good for catching juvies should they manage to get down to the sump.
Jcardona's thread is a very clear example of what I mean http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344180, look a few pictures down for a clear view.
I am moving to this type when I get around to buying the new sump.
They will also be quite good for catching juvies should they manage to get down to the sump.
Jcardona's thread is a very clear example of what I mean http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344180, look a few pictures down for a clear view.
I am moving to this type when I get around to buying the new sump.
Remember to ensure that your overflow, however it may be built, can flow at a higher rate than your pumps can acheive. This is very important so you do not overflow your tank.
so .. i herd that the size of the tubes restrict the rate of flowing water. i ordered a small pump that moves about 800LPH.. is that enough. if it is what size PVC shall i use for the overflow
I would definitely leave room for upgrade, just in case you want to add a second pump as a back and to increase your turnover.
You will need this thread http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205645 to help you decide.
The pump size is completely up to you but that would probably be ok as long as the pump is not being asked pump up a massive height (called head). Too high will cause a dramatic loss in flow in such a small pump, what brand is it?
Once you know a brand you can sometimes find the head loss graph online, that way you know what to expect from a pump.
As your pump is 800l/h I would go with a minimum of a 3/4" output pipe as this will allow a rough maximum flow of 1275l/h with no syphon to pass through it using gravity alone. This will allow you to upgrade your pump for more flow but will not allow you to add a 2nd 800l/h pump for redundancy or to increase flow.
My preference would be 1" though, as this leaves you with plenty of upgrade options in case you want a larger pump or you want two pumps larger than 800l/h as 1" pipe will allow a rough maximum flow 2200l/h using gravity alone.
We also need to know what kind of overflow you are planning on having as hang on overflows are rated to handle a maximum l/h. Are you doing a hang on overflow box or are you getting the tank drilled?
You will need this thread http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=205645 to help you decide.
The pump size is completely up to you but that would probably be ok as long as the pump is not being asked pump up a massive height (called head). Too high will cause a dramatic loss in flow in such a small pump, what brand is it?
Once you know a brand you can sometimes find the head loss graph online, that way you know what to expect from a pump.
As your pump is 800l/h I would go with a minimum of a 3/4" output pipe as this will allow a rough maximum flow of 1275l/h with no syphon to pass through it using gravity alone. This will allow you to upgrade your pump for more flow but will not allow you to add a 2nd 800l/h pump for redundancy or to increase flow.
My preference would be 1" though, as this leaves you with plenty of upgrade options in case you want a larger pump or you want two pumps larger than 800l/h as 1" pipe will allow a rough maximum flow 2200l/h using gravity alone.
We also need to know what kind of overflow you are planning on having as hang on overflows are rated to handle a maximum l/h. Are you doing a hang on overflow box or are you getting the tank drilled?
