Serious Filtration
- Thread starter cookdav2
- Start date
i got sand too...i have plecs that crap alot and thats when i give it a good stir and all the crap comes up into the over flow box
cookdav2;3381587; said:
If you're referring to a sump, there's no risk of overflow if it's designed properly. The water level in my tank is low enough so that the sump could empy into it, and the overflow is set up in the tank so that even with the return pump off, the sump wont overflow.
cookdav2;3381085; said:
I have years of experience using a BioForce Pond Filter on indoor tanks For approx the same price as a FX5 you can have almost double the media volume and over double the flow rate
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=265167
Beyond that I think your getting some misleading advice here
Sumps usually do not make good mechanical filters because they pull water off the surface of the tank and the waste/debris is at the bottom of the tank pretty simple
To create enough water movement to move the waste of big fish to the top of the tank would be A LOT of water movement probably enough to keep the sand in constant suspension.
There are ways to set up your overflow to pull water & waste/debris off the bottom of the tank, but there are complications and for some unexplained reason I see very few people exploring this approach
Canister filters are not nearly as simple to clean as Hang On Back Filters. Therefore unless you are prepared to commit to thoroughly leaning them AT LEAST once a month, with every 1~2 weeks being FAR better for your system, then do not set one up as a mechanical filter. Plain and simple.
Waste in your filter is still waste in your system, until that filter is cleaned. As waste builds up in the media, media gets glogged, restriction increases, flow rates decrease bypass is encouraged... the filter becomes less effective...
The clutter of having HOBs on a tank isnt nearly as distracting in my experience as they seem to be in other peoples posts. Add in the fact that I can clean half a dozen of them (them = AC 110s) in 10 minutes, and Ive just described why they are my favorite filters.
So take the advice of people here and spend $250 on an FX5 That will need 45 minutes to 2 hours of rather involved filter cleaning a month to give you 600 gph of mechanical filtration
Or spend $130 on two AC 110s that will require 20 minutes of very simple maintenance a month to give you 700~800 gph of mechanical filtration
Your choice
The filter comes with media... has an input and a return...
Put the pump inline on the return side of the canister...
Connect it all with hose or pipe...
I suggest using a large prefilter that is easy to clean...
I highly suggest you consider what I wrote above regarding canister filters not being good mechanical filters because of their difficulty to clean... The Pond filter will give you the same problems...
Put the pump inline on the return side of the canister...
Connect it all with hose or pipe...
I suggest using a large prefilter that is easy to clean...
I highly suggest you consider what I wrote above regarding canister filters not being good mechanical filters because of their difficulty to clean... The Pond filter will give you the same problems...
