Pool filter
- Thread starter pm0084
- Start date
Don't ever use a pool filter if it was previous used in a pool! While I have never heard of someone using it for a fish tank, I have been asked many times if people could use them on a pond. I used to design and install ornamental ponds and I have seen tens of thousands of dollars of koi and goldfish wiped out by residual chlorine, every time. You'll find some claims that people have done it, but I have honestly NEVER talked to a person who successfully did it. My 2 cents...
pm0084;2666729; said:
We have extreme mechanical filtration on our 300 gallon tank with two spa filters run with a Reef Hammerhead pump (5800 gph). With two additional uptank pipes 1/4 inch from the bare floor of the tank, there has been nothing to vacuum from the tank in the nearly 3 years the tank has been running. We have a Pro Clear 400 gal. capacity wet/dry filter for biological filtration, and also have an FX-5 for backup redundant filtration with a 40 Watt UV sterilizer attached to the return line. With the solid debris quickly removed from the tank, the nitrates are easier to keep in check.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97647&page=3
i have several xl hayward cartridge filters running on the house of sam....they work great........just more work to clean than a bead filter.
i think you could hook it up run prime and water thru it and then start over with water and test for chlorine......
i think you could hook it up run prime and water thru it and then start over with water and test for chlorine......
There's no point in trying to put the fear of God in the poor guy. Instead of saying "You can't do that", why not give him the solution so that he can. If the real problem is residual chlorine then the solution is any tap water conditioner (chlorine neutralizer). For what it's worth, a pool filter can't hold enough chlorine to wipe out a pond of fish. The filter is going to be drained and dry by the time it gets reused. Chlorine evaporates before the water does. If it had been removed from a pool that had been just shocked (assuming 10ppm), drained, taken across the yard and hooked up to a 100g pond, the chlorine in the pond would be only .0125 parts per million. That won't kill any fish. The above calculation assumes a very conservative 16 oz. of the over chlorinated water in the wet filter cartridge.Aquafreak;2666786; said:
The only way the deaths of the fish can be linked to the use of a pool filter will be through a degree of ignorance or stupidity in the user. Even still, you can't blame the filter.
Well, my intention was not to "put the fear of god" in him, but merely to warn against a potential disaster. I wouldn't want to go through the process of hooking everything up just to nuke my fish! I was just sharing my point of view on it, just like everyone else. My experience has been purely negative with previously used pool filters. I do know others who have used new pool filters and they have worked fine, at least in the short term. Wouldn't you rather be cautious than ignorant?
As far as residual chlorine, much of it can actually permeate the plastic in the filter over time and create problems. I'm glad you took the time to calculate ppm, but the fact is that if someone told me to be careful when trying something with my fish tank - I WOULD BE CAREFUL. That's all.
As far as residual chlorine, much of it can actually permeate the plastic in the filter over time and create problems. I'm glad you took the time to calculate ppm, but the fact is that if someone told me to be careful when trying something with my fish tank - I WOULD BE CAREFUL. That's all.
I have a pool filter running on my pond. Its almost 5000 gallons but the filter has never been on a pool. It works great but there are more economical choices to use that will not use as much electricty as well.
This what I have or at least it's similar. Not a large pool pump system, it was used in a small pool for kids.
http://www.redspools.com/SmallFilters.asp
http://www.redspools.com/SmallFilters.asp