Pond canister filter on 300g tank

[Toby_H]

Each form of filtration exists for a reason...

Hulon has a very valid point that current placement within the tank is an important detail to consider when custom designing filtration...

But a Pressurized Pond Filter such as the BioForce 2000 can be powered by a pump in the 1500~2000 gph range. This is far more flow than any aquarium manufactured cansiter can even think about.

A sunp is also an option, but is an entire different beast with it's own set of pros, cons, benefits and obstacles...

 

[cdc]

I have a 55g sump on now and have just redesigned it so hopefully it works better. I just wondered why people run the usual canisters (FX5 etc) than the pond filters which are designed to handle more filtration and cost less as we all want more filtration.

I may be looking into this more as it looks like a good was of filtering a big tank with out a sump/wetdry.

 

[squint]

Since UV on pond filters were mentioned... do be aware that the low wattage and high flow rate will do nothing but remove green water (kill free floating algae) which is very important for a pond in direct sunlight... but is not very useful at all for an in home aquarium... thus I suggest not spending the extra few bucks on the UV light...

Chances are his aquarium has a lot less volume than a pond so given the same flowrate, it will have a higher turnover rate. Thus, I wouldn't consider a pond filter with UV any different than an aquarium filter with the same flowrate and UV wattage.

 

[squint]

I have a 55g sump on now and have just redesigned it so hopefully it works better. I just wondered why people run the usual canisters (FX5 etc) than the pond filters which are designed to handle more filtration and cost less as we all want more filtration.

Well, the aquarium canister filters usually come with intake tubes and related hardware. The pond filters often use plumbing sizes like 1.5-2" that's not seen except in very large aquariums. You would have to cut a larger hole in the back of your tank (or enlarge an existing one), install a bulkhead fitting, then get to work on your intake tube. That involves machining a slip fitting, acrylic tube, and intake strainer with slip fitting. It's a lot of trouble to use an oversized filter when you can just buy a smaller aquarium-sized canister filter and be up and running in an hour.

A larger filter doesn't mean you have cleaner water. Quite the opposite if it encourages you to clean it less often since most aquariums are closed nitrogen cycles. Nitrate levels will depend solely on how much organic matter you add (food) and how much you export cleaning the filter or doing water changes.

 

[Toby_H]

I just wondered why people run the usual canisters (FX5 etc) than the pond filters which are designed to handle more filtration and cost less as we all want more filtration.

I agree with Squint here. The aquarium filters come with everything right there in the package. You just have to assemble it as directed and plug it in... blam, you have a filter...

The Pond filters require planning and collecting additional parts & pieces. It also requires the self confidence in doing things right. I've read a lot of posts that suggest it is far more complicated and risky than it really is and these types of posts also discourage hobbyists.

Chances are his aquarium has a lot less volume than a pond so given the same flowrate, it will have a higher turnover rate. Thus, I wouldn't consider a pond filter with UV any different than an aquarium filter with the same flowrate and UV wattage.

The effectiveness of a UV light relies on UV wattage x dwell time per pass. So low wattage at high speed are less effective. This is what the pond UV's offer. Which works great to remove greenwater or free floating algae, but is worthless against parasites.

I've seen some people suggest that multiple passes or turnovers at a shorter dwell time can equaet fewer passes or turnovers at a longer dwell time. This is simply not true as a parasite has a chance to 'recover' from the UV effects.

I put "recover" in quotes as the parasite doesn't truly "recover". A better description would be to say the effects of UV exposure increases exponentially. A practical example of this would be considering the effects of a sun burn. When a pale person such as myself spends 20 minutes in the sun they will turn pink more so than when the same person spends 1 minute in teh sun 20 times with several minutes in the shade between exposure to the sun...

 

[stefano]

I have sunterra 3000gph pump with a 2000gph canister filter on my indoor pond of about 150 gallons. The only "extra" pieces I had to buy were the tubing and some hose clamps.
This pump has been running non stop for over a year and I have never opened the canister since install. It has an indicator that tells you when the canister is dirty, I assume it guages pressure, less pressure=more buildup=time to purge the canister. The purge is simple as anything, just slide the position of the hoses to the left and it reverses and blows out all the stuff trapped in the filter.
The flow is comparable to a garden hose at max pressure. The water stays crystal clear no matter the amount of stock (Current 2' dwarf caiman, 10ish native panfish 3"-6", many crayfish.)
Because the pump is external from the canister it would have to be inside a tank/pond so it wouldnt look the best in an aquarium unless you could hide it behind an overflow or driftwood or something. Other than that highly recommended and cheap when out of season. I picked up everything at Menards for 40% off in September, about 150 for everything including hosing. Another 50ish for the premold pond.