pond filter for fish tanks

[Toby_H]

Dude, I'd be TERRIFIED of putting that in my house. . . One little leak and you're going to drain your tank on the floor. . .

Same is true with a canister filter... as well as a sump... it's even possible for an HOB to leak where the motor mounts and do the same thing...

With proper planning and regular observation these problems rarely occur...

This is the only direct picture I have of the filter…

I’ve used it on that pond as well as under a stand on a 125 gal tank…

In the picture you provided, the pump is inline BEFORE the filter. The BioFroce 2000 is a “Pressurized Pond Filter” so it is designed to handle pressure inside the housing. But it is not designed to be placed below an aquarium which may create more pressure in the canister than it is made for…

To remedy this I put the pump inline AFTER the filter. By allowing the pump to pull water through the filter as opposed to pushing it, there is far less pressure inside of the filter housing. This does add more strain on the pump, but with Magnetic driven pumps such “stress” does not cause additional wear nor an increase in electrical use. It only allows the impellor to slip and reduces the gph flow slightly. So no harm is done and little is lost…

As my BF 2000 filter aged, the clamp did wear out a bit and allow some minor leaking. This was very easy to fix by adding some weather stripping to the inside of the clamp. It held at least 2 years with zero leaking with the weather stripping . (Note: I used this filter for over 5 years indoors).

 

[rnocera]

There's the difference, nc_nutcase- You put the pump after the filter. Canisters designed for aquarium use run on NEGATIVE pressure, just like you set yours up for. That is why I'd be terrified of running a pressurized canister in the house. If my Eheim or your canister starts leaking, sure we're talking a mess, but the chance of it being 500+ GPH of water spraying out of the tank is slim. We're probably talking a slow leak that is able to be seen before it causes much damage.


Can I ask what the orange float is for in the pic?

 

[Toby_H]

In the picture provided, it was set up with the pump before the filter (pressurized)… When the filter and the tank are at the same level I felt safe with this. The clamp on the BioForce is a far better design than any canister I’m familiar with. The only way it would leak at 500 gph would be if a hose fell off, which is also true about our aquarium canister filters…

When I set this filter up on a 125 gal and hid it under the stand, I decided the extra pressure of being below the tank might cause a problem so I moved the pump inline after the filter. This reduced the output of the pump slightly, but at well over 1,000 gph of actual flow I didn’t miss it…

<p>Can I ask what the orange float is for in the pic?

It's just a fishing bobber... The big Oscars played with it for about two minutes... then it just floated there for about two years...

 

[NOLAGT]

We're probably talking a slow leak that is able to be seen before it causes much damage.

Never assume that...I had a small leak too. A air hose came off my air pump before I had a chance to put the pump above my tank. It back siphoned...it was just dripping...just little drops of water...real small right...went to work at 8 and got a call from the wife at 430 with water everywhere. It only leaked 12 gallons...dont sound like much...but dump it on your floor and see how far out it goes. The wood floor around the tank was messed up a little...carpet in the next room was wet...and it leaked out my house and onto my back prch. A leak no matter the size is no good