Possibly a stupid idea

[dan518]

For my new tank I was thinking of using a corner hmf filter and placing the intake for my cannisters behind them, hoping this will reduce the amount of gunk getting in to the cans and add additional bio.
Do you think it would work
Should I modify the intake pipe by drilling holes so water is pulled more evenly through the hmf?

 

[skjl47]

Hello; Can you describe a corner hmf filter? I have seen inside tank corner filters run on air, is this the same thing?

 

[dan518]

These can be run on air or with a powerhead

 

[Woefulrelic]

JasonsPlecosCichlids D deeda

My guess is that it would be a potential issue if the sponge were to gunk up (as the hmf filters are designed to) the pump on a canister could run dry real quick.

 

[FreshyFresh]

I don't think it's a bad idea, but it would be a lot easier to just throw a big pre-filter sponge over the intake strainer of your canister.

 

[JasonsPlecosCichlids]

It could work but that's not really an efficient way of going about this (would be a waste of time and money to setup) and not how this sponge was designed to work, you kind have of it backwards. These sponges are not really meant to have extremely high flow of most high flow canisters. These sponge filters inside the tank work better and more efficiently than any canister filter on the market by running through the sponge at a slower rate, letting the bacteria and other micro-organisms do their thing. They can do the same thing in a canister but at a much, much slower rate because you have that pump rushing lets says 650 gph, rushing in and out as past as possible. With the sponges in the tank, these organisms can actually take their time with the correct setup of course. You can setup a water pump behind the sponges but that's another device that can fail for numerous reasons. Best way to go is a air driven system, cheaper as well because you don't have to buy a pump for each sponge.

If you really want better filtration, setup the corner matten filter one for each corner, buy two jet lifters and a nice air pump, I use an Alita 80 and be amazed by what a simple sponge can do.

Here is a video of Stephan Tanner, the guy who you get your poret foam from in the US, he explains how it works, the many ways to set them and so on.

 

[deeda]

I've never tried it but a couple factors will come into play as Richard stated above.

The pore size of the HMF foam and overall dimensions, the GPH of the filter and how much waste is produced by fish or feeding, etc.

I've only run air lifts on my corner or tank end HMF's and as they become clogged, the water level will drop 2 or 3 inches behind the HMF. The bottom of the air lifts are 1 inch from the bottom of the tank and usually the bottom 1/3 of the HMF has the most gunk.

I probably wouldn't modify the intake pipe, the normal strainer should be sufficient. Just be sure to leave enough space around the intake end so it doesn't get blocked by the HMF foam.

 

[dan518]

Thanks for the advice, I have done a bit of reading on them, from what I have read you want a flow of 5 to 10 cm per minute, I wasn't sure how much efficiency you would lose going over this and I didn't consider the clogging effect. Hmf is still something I am keen to try think I will start on my 60 gal and go from there

 

[joe jaskot]

Use the coarser poret foam and it should work fine.

 

[JasonsPlecosCichlids]

Thanks for the advice, I have done a bit of reading on them, from what I have read you want a flow of 5 to 10 cm per minute, I wasn't sure how much efficiency you would lose going over this and I didn't consider the clogging effect. Hmf is still something I am keen to try think I will start on my 60 gal and go from there

He has kits for certain tanks, I got his 75 gallon kit but added an extra corner filter. But the cheapest place for the glass rods, if you have one around is your local glass shop, Stephan even told me that, but he has them as well.