Wow Joe,
That is going to be quite a fish room! Very impressive!
I have been noticing that I am having to recycle the DE (turn off the pump and pump the handle) about once a week now. I don't know if this is due to the DE getting loaded with dirt... or, I suspect, the flow from my little quiet one 3000 pump on my 35g is just a lot more susceptible to head pressure than my big 1/8hp pump.
I am very sold on the DE filters with the fingers for filter screens and the handle to knock off the DE and recycle it. I would think one bigger DE would be better than 2 smaller ones... I would just want to stay with the type of DE filter that has the fingers. I haven't ever actually used a conventional DE with big screens on plastic frames, so I don't really have anything to back my statement. To me running two DE filters would just be unneeded complexity.
I might postulate about the huge surface area the DE has and how it could possibly be a massive playground for beneficial bacteria... and having two DE filters would keep you from washing all of your bacterial down the drain during a single filter flush. This would be my only consideration for twin DE filters.
I think you might be surprised at how well an EC40 might work for your massive amount of tankage. But it is kind of new territory so it is kind of hard to estimate how much DE filter area is needed for any given cumulative tank size. They are designed to filter swimming pools... and my fish are cleaner then most people I know even though my fish do poop in the water.
P.S. I agree, I haven't felt any need to run a UV sterilizer. My fish have been through a considerable amount of stress since my 110g sprung a leak and are doing fine. I would think that if there was ever a time that they would be susceptible to a fungus or other disease it would be now when they have been moved from a 110 to a 35 but they are doing fine. I think the DE and perfectly clear water has a positive affect on their health as well as the large amount of O2 in the water from the wet/dry sump. As far as keeping unwanted microorganisms out of the water, I am not sure what 50% of a UV filter I am missing?
That is going to be quite a fish room! Very impressive!
I have been noticing that I am having to recycle the DE (turn off the pump and pump the handle) about once a week now. I don't know if this is due to the DE getting loaded with dirt... or, I suspect, the flow from my little quiet one 3000 pump on my 35g is just a lot more susceptible to head pressure than my big 1/8hp pump.
I am very sold on the DE filters with the fingers for filter screens and the handle to knock off the DE and recycle it. I would think one bigger DE would be better than 2 smaller ones... I would just want to stay with the type of DE filter that has the fingers. I haven't ever actually used a conventional DE with big screens on plastic frames, so I don't really have anything to back my statement. To me running two DE filters would just be unneeded complexity.
I might postulate about the huge surface area the DE has and how it could possibly be a massive playground for beneficial bacteria... and having two DE filters would keep you from washing all of your bacterial down the drain during a single filter flush. This would be my only consideration for twin DE filters.
I think you might be surprised at how well an EC40 might work for your massive amount of tankage. But it is kind of new territory so it is kind of hard to estimate how much DE filter area is needed for any given cumulative tank size. They are designed to filter swimming pools... and my fish are cleaner then most people I know even though my fish do poop in the water.
P.S. I agree, I haven't felt any need to run a UV sterilizer. My fish have been through a considerable amount of stress since my 110g sprung a leak and are doing fine. I would think that if there was ever a time that they would be susceptible to a fungus or other disease it would be now when they have been moved from a 110 to a 35 but they are doing fine. I think the DE and perfectly clear water has a positive affect on their health as well as the large amount of O2 in the water from the wet/dry sump. As far as keeping unwanted microorganisms out of the water, I am not sure what 50% of a UV filter I am missing?