large canister pond filter verses multiple aqurium canist fillters

[skillzizzo]

Hey guy's quick thought here. I have been a member here for months and have read contless threads here and i have seen so many people with 240's 300's and bigger tanks with 3-4-5-6 filters even and here is my quiestion. Why spend all of that money on all of these different filter system's and have to deal with cleaning them all and changing all of that media exc. why not by a pond canister filter rated for like 2000 gallons instead. I am asking this because i haven't seen any one do it and i was thinking of using a 1000-2000 gallon pond canister filter not a particular one just one in general to filter my 240 glass 8'2'2 that i am in the mist of setting up. And i see all the time pond canister filters with built in uv's for really cheap under 4 bills that have like 1000 gallon atleast flow rates even cheaper i just read about one for 175. So any reason why using one of these would be a bad idea, will it not work proberly for some reason. This is what i keep thinking or oviously other wise other's would be doing it instead of spending all that money on multiple filters. Any ways food for thought i havent' seen a thread like this with this quistion yet and like i said i am thinking of buying on and trying it out instead of usind multiple exspensive canister tell me what you think if i should or should not and if so would be a good kind to use with a flow rate of between 1000-1,500 gallons per hour may be but that is sufficent i mean a pond canister oviously thanks for you'r time and like i said food for thought.

Sincerely

Jeffrey allen Braley

 

[sicxspeed]

That is an interesting proposition. I have no answer for you, but I'm interested in the responses as well.

 

[WyldFya]

Few reasons. A) pond filters are generally not designed to the say that canisters are. They have a pump that delivers the water to the media, and let gravity feed it back to the body of water. B) they generally do not come with pumps. C) multiple canisters give you a safety factor. If one fails, you have x number of canisters still running.

Moved.

 

[Dr Joe]

What he said, plus pond filters don't filter out particulate matter to the degree needed for and aquarium . And they rely on pond surface area for alot of the gas exchanges.

You can modify them but it will decrease the flow alot.

Dr Joe

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[skillzizzo]

Ow so thanks for the input so far i new there had to be some good reason why people don't use them so would one work say if it was higher then the aqurium and if so how much higher would it need to be. Say my tank and stand together were 48 inches tank 24 and stand 24 how much higher would the pound filter need to be. Say i built a shelf or cabnet beside the tank that was built on to the wall and consealed it. Or is there a way the install or add a pump to it to use as a return pump. Secondly you said it filter's in a defferent and less kind of way which doesn't make sence to me seems like a pond would need more filtration for it to me. Or can you change the media that is in it and use other stuff say add pot scrubbers to it or bio balls to it for more media. What is general in a pond canister filter for media i just assumed they were the same as aquriums canister except they would be water proof and submercible if need be. I am very curious about this prodject my self and figured alot of people would have some good insite on it to add keep it coming pleez.

Sincerely

Jeffrey allen Braley

 

[Dr Joe]

Anywhere higher than the top of your tank (water level technically). I've made them directly into the cover of a tank. And a picture frame on a wall (4" thick).

You should not use a return pump do to imbalances in pumping rates.

Modifications depend on the particular filter (some are completely wet bio-filters, some just mechanical filters), it could just involve adding a pre-filter up to converting it to a full W/D system.

And like WyldFya said most pond filters use the ponds circulation pump to move water thru it.

You look down on pond (so to speak) water not thru it so the amount of particulate matter needed to be removed is lower.

If you can get a pond filter for under $50 US and have a good junk box (extra parts) and some skills, then I would consider the mod.'s, otherwise I would just build a normal W/D out of a $8 (or maybe free) 10g tank and $40 worth of material. It can be pumped out of (below tank) or into (above tank).

Dr Joe

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[pacu mom]

Hey guy's quick thought here. I have been a member here for months and have read contless threads here and i have seen so many people with 240's 300's and bigger tanks with 3-4-5-6 filters even and here is my quiestion. Why spend all of that money on all of these different filter system's and have to deal with cleaning them all and changing all of that media exc. why not by a pond canister filter rated for like 2000 gallons instead. I am asking this because i haven't seen any one do it and i was thinking of using a 1000-2000 gallon pond canister filter not a particular one just one in general to filter my 240 glass 8'2'2 that i am in the mist of setting up. And i see all the time pond canister filters with built in uv's for really cheap under 4 bills that have like 1000 gallon atleast flow rates even cheaper i just read about one for 175. So any reason why using one of these would be a bad idea, will it not work proberly for some reason. This is what i keep thinking or oviously other wise other's would be doing it instead of spending all that money on multiple filters. Any ways food for thought i havent' seen a thread like this with this quistion yet and like i said i am thinking of buying on and trying it out instead of usind multiple exspensive canister tell me what you think if i should or should not and if so would be a good kind to use with a flow rate of between 1000-1,500 gallons per hour may be but that is sufficent i mean a pond canister oviously thanks for you'r time and like i said food for thought.

Sincerely

Jeffrey allen Braley

There is another option: spa filters. We have extreme mechanical filtration on our 300 gallon tank with two Rainbow spa filters run with a large Reef Hammerhead pump (5800 gph). With innovative plumbing in our bare floor tank, we have not had any debris or feces to vacuum out of the tank in the 15+ months the tank has been running. The tank is "overstocked" with six large poop makers--two 12"+ plecos, two large oscars, and two 20"+ pacu. The water is clear, and the parameters are excellent. We have a Pro Clear 400 wet dry filter for biological filtration. We also run an FX5 with a 40W UV filter attached to it for backup redundant filtration.

The mechanical filtration we get with our spa filter system is phenomenal. I am convinced that the swift removal of solid debris from the tank is what makes the nitrates manageable in our tank. Our mechanical filtration was very economical. I contacted a man who has a business setting up and maintaining large tanks. He's the person who clued us in to the spa filter option. Here is a picture of one of his set ups:

Here is our set up:

We converted an old furnace room directly behind our tank into our "filter" room.

 

[skillzizzo]

Hello Pacu mom,

Thanks for a new and interesting obtion i have never heard of or seen this kind of filtration system the system it's self is nothing more then those twoo chambers looks like uv's or something anyways i have never seen any thing like this i am curious to know exactly how thye work and how much this set up cost you. Because that is both my concersns in wanting to use a large pond canister instead of multiple aqurium canisters is that i can filter i can cycle my water 8 time a hour instead of three for the same amount of money you know. and the use of less space and of cours better filtration for all of these reason. I have sent you a im hope you don't mind chat with you latter and again thanks for you'r time.

SIncerely

Jeffrey allen Braley

 

[Dr Joe]

The original system isn't that costly to construct. Sometimes you can find used equipment on craigslist, freecycle etc.

But do calculate the running costs (especially electricity) and a 220v pump is cheaper to run.

Dr Joe

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[Miguel]

how, precisely, is that Spa filter working, Pacumom?