Hi everyone,
A little background on my setup currently to help better understand what my goals are.
75g tank with 7 geophagus tapajos + 50 lemon tetras. lots of spider wood with tones of plants attached to it. Currently running an eheim pro3 2075 with 3 trays of bio media (sintered glass balls) and one trap of mechanical tubes + the big sponge filter on the top. I use glass pipes for ins and outs.
Why I want to change filtration:
1. more flow; too many dead spots and with a packed filter it just isnt enough ime.
2. better water polishing / cleaning; i currently don't feel my water is that clear and would like to truely show off my fish with crystal clear water.
3. hide equipment; i currently run a suface skimmer from eheim to help keep the surface clear but its clogs fast and is just an eye sore. same with more tubes on the side of the tank for in and out. i also use a HOB filter to help keep water clear and clean but with a sump i can remove all of this.
4. I hate the tear down process and lceaning of my canister filter. its a pain in the but even more so with the inline heater.
Alright so now you have a better understanding of why i want to go to a sump. I need help designing the right sump for my setup. I currently have:
tank (sump): 30 x 12.5 x 14
acrylic sheet 3/16" thick 48 x 48
300w eheim jager heater
media from my eheim canister filter
I would like to use a eheim pump but not sure what size is best, I know the eheim compact+ are adjustable which is great so i can turn it up or down as needed.
I will be buying a reeflife hob the single one rated up to 600gph. so does this mean my return pump should be around 600gph or more or less? i know head loss will exist but not sure how to calculate it or if its required to do so.
Can anyone suggest a good design? i think i would like the type of sump that keeps everything submerged as i am nervous about wet dry sumps and clogging. I would like to somehow incorporate filter socks if possible to ensure perfect or as close to perfect water clarity as this is one of my main goals.
I would like the sump to be as quiet as possible too and i believe i have enough acrylic to make a simple lid for my sump, is this a good idea?
I should also mention i do NOT run co2 and i am not worried about gassing off co2 etc.
So as a quick recape of my rambling:
1. sump must be quiet
2. clean the water / polish very well
3. provide more than enough flow
4. easy to maintain / clean etc.
TBH I am overwhelmed at this point and need a little guidance to help me get on the right path. So if anyone can help that would be most appreciated!
I will attach some pics of my current setup as a reference too.
A little background on my setup currently to help better understand what my goals are.
75g tank with 7 geophagus tapajos + 50 lemon tetras. lots of spider wood with tones of plants attached to it. Currently running an eheim pro3 2075 with 3 trays of bio media (sintered glass balls) and one trap of mechanical tubes + the big sponge filter on the top. I use glass pipes for ins and outs.
Why I want to change filtration:
1. more flow; too many dead spots and with a packed filter it just isnt enough ime.
2. better water polishing / cleaning; i currently don't feel my water is that clear and would like to truely show off my fish with crystal clear water.
3. hide equipment; i currently run a suface skimmer from eheim to help keep the surface clear but its clogs fast and is just an eye sore. same with more tubes on the side of the tank for in and out. i also use a HOB filter to help keep water clear and clean but with a sump i can remove all of this.
4. I hate the tear down process and lceaning of my canister filter. its a pain in the but even more so with the inline heater.
Alright so now you have a better understanding of why i want to go to a sump. I need help designing the right sump for my setup. I currently have:
tank (sump): 30 x 12.5 x 14
acrylic sheet 3/16" thick 48 x 48
300w eheim jager heater
media from my eheim canister filter
I would like to use a eheim pump but not sure what size is best, I know the eheim compact+ are adjustable which is great so i can turn it up or down as needed.
I will be buying a reeflife hob the single one rated up to 600gph. so does this mean my return pump should be around 600gph or more or less? i know head loss will exist but not sure how to calculate it or if its required to do so.
Can anyone suggest a good design? i think i would like the type of sump that keeps everything submerged as i am nervous about wet dry sumps and clogging. I would like to somehow incorporate filter socks if possible to ensure perfect or as close to perfect water clarity as this is one of my main goals.
I would like the sump to be as quiet as possible too and i believe i have enough acrylic to make a simple lid for my sump, is this a good idea?
I should also mention i do NOT run co2 and i am not worried about gassing off co2 etc.
So as a quick recape of my rambling:
1. sump must be quiet
2. clean the water / polish very well
3. provide more than enough flow
4. easy to maintain / clean etc.
TBH I am overwhelmed at this point and need a little guidance to help me get on the right path. So if anyone can help that would be most appreciated!
I will attach some pics of my current setup as a reference too.
