My Buddy's Gravity Question..

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
J

JEAE21

Feeder Fish
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Aug 19, 2007
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So I told a friend of mine that you can never over-filter a tank, and that the canister filter uses gravity.
but then this is what i get, and I can't explain it..

"wait... how does it use gravity? i can understand how it can use gravity if the water is above the water level like a water fall but to get water to be above the water level, it would need a pump... "

what should I have told him?
 
Canister Filters are not gravity fed. They pull the water out of the tank with a pump as well as use the same pump to bring the water back to the tank after filtering. Wet/dry & sumps are gravity fed with only one pump returning the water that falls down the overflow. Also you can never over filter the tank BUT the more filtration the higher the flow rate and you can have an over flow rate in which doesn't stop. I mean It makes to have around 400gph on a 30 gallon as that is very effective filtration but once it starts pushing 500-600 gph all the fish and inhabitants will be constantly fighting current.
 
Cross127;1195704; said:
Canister Filters are not gravity fed. They pull the water out of the tank with a pump as well as use the same pump to bring the water back to the tank after filtering. Wet/dry & sumps are gravity fed with only one pump returning the water that falls down the overflow.
Click to expand...

they dont pull any water out with a pump:screwy: if they did you wouldnt have to prime them. and once they are primed and you open the valves with the power OFF they fill without a pump. think about it, its gravity:eek:its basically a sealed sump.
 
lol sorry this was a stupid question..
i thought i heard somewhere that it is both pump & gravity fed..guess not.
but what about the issue where they have to sit below the tank..I thought Wolf told me something about gravity.

oh yeah, i was wondering in a wet/dry filter..if the filter reverse flows, can't the tank water start pouring out of the filter?
 
i was wondering in a wet/dry filter..if the filter reverse flows, can't the tank water start pouring out of the filter?

Yes it certianly can...wet/dry systems are designed to prevent this from happening by restricting the intake level. (raising the pick up to a point where it wont overflow the sump in case of a power failure.)

i thought i heard somewhere that it is both pump & gravity fed..guess not.
but what about the issue where they have to sit below the tank..I thought Wolf told me something about gravity.

Yes...canisters operate with BOTH gravity and a pump. The pump in most self contained canisters is far too weak to operate without a syphon on the intake side. This is why manufacturers warn you not to try operating the canister at or above the water level of the tank.
 
your friend, huh? Would this friend happen to be...YOU!!! :D
 
I also think it more gravity in than pump out. The pump is just to get the water flowing till it naturally set in with gravity and mainly pumping the water back out.
 
thanks wolf & one749 for clearing it up.

onion-1; what does he sound like me? if not, i take it as an insult
 
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