The bio media I am regarding is currently in a canister filter which is why fish waste gets to it. This will not be the case in the wet/dry filter.
Thanks for the input
Thanks for the input
Sump design question
- Thread starter johndirst
- Start date
So I am still looking for a cheap tank to create my filter out of.
What size is appropriate? The main issue is the inside of my stand is only 18" wide and most 75/90 gallon long tanks are 18.5". The half an inch will cost me a lot of time and effort because of the way the stand is built.
I found a 55 gallon that is only 15" wide (approx), but is a 55 gallon large enough on a 380 gallon aquarium?
What size is appropriate? The main issue is the inside of my stand is only 18" wide and most 75/90 gallon long tanks are 18.5". The half an inch will cost me a lot of time and effort because of the way the stand is built.
I found a 55 gallon that is only 15" wide (approx), but is a 55 gallon large enough on a 380 gallon aquarium?
I don't see what the problem would be. Two fx5's would work for that tank and those aren't much bigger than a 5 gallon bucket.
I hear that. My concern is feeding the dual 1000GPH pumps. At that rate I will be pushing 33 gallons/minute... I just dont want to put the work into building a filter, only to find that I should have gone with a 75 or 90 gallon 
too complicated. go with something simple aand cheap. this is my homemade sump and it is excellent!
this is not the media in it currently. i have better media now. i have carbon, scrubbies, 720 cut up straws for bio.
this is not the media in it currently. i have better media now. i have carbon, scrubbies, 720 cut up straws for bio.
Another.
Ok here is what I think I am going with.
Only question is how big a gap should there be at the bottom of the divider (currently 6.5")?
Ok here is what I think I am going with.
Only question is how big a gap should there be at the bottom of the divider (currently 6.5")?
Ewwwww, I like that. I assume the first chamber will contain prefilter material ? You can easily cut that gap down to 3" with no problem. You want to be sure those plates in the first and 2nd chamber are removable to get debris out of those chambers that will settle on the bottom.
BadOleRoss;4276332; said:
Yeah the first chamber will be pre-filter, probably filter socks and other foams and such. The rest will be bio-media.
And, yes the plates will be removable for cleaning
Do you think 55 gallons is sufficient, or should I look for a 75-90 gallon?
I would really put some serious thought into the filter socks. I had them on my 300G tank for a few weeks before I removed them and just went with stacked filter pads and sponges as a prefilter. The socks just clogged up too fast and on my sump, they were not real easy to get to. Now, if I had the sump sitting in a room behind the tank where everything was within reach, I may feel different. I like sumps to be 1/4 to 1/3 the size of the tank they are supporting. My tank is 300G and I have 2-50G sumps. If you have other mechanical filtration, like a canister, that will be running along with the sump I would say that the 55G is fine. If this is your sole filtration, I'd bump it up. A lot depends on your bio load. Fancy sumps are great and look pretty, but you might want to consider a DIY sump similar to mine or others on here, it will save you a lot of $$ that you can spend on other neat stuff.
I have never used filter socks so I share your concern with how quickly they get will get clogged, I will go to foam prefilter if this happens.
Initially I was thinking I could get the filter inside the stand, but after some thought, I think it would be much easier to have it sit behind the tank for three reasons. (1) Easier access (2) larger filter/tank (3) I will have room for storage under the tank.
My goal is to have this wet/dry as the only filter since I am tired of cleaning canisters
, but if needed I will add an FX5.
I am going to try and pick up a 90-125 gallon in the next few months and since I have time, I can wait for a good deal.
I do like your rubbermaid filter and I know that many on here have done similar things with excellent results, however, I do not trust the tubs to hold up over years of use and it is well worth it (to me ) to have the tank made of glass for peace of mind. This of course is only my (maybe some what ignorant) opinion 
On a different subject, do you know how to cheaply cut a hole in glass?
I found some bits online, but they are in the $50 range and it seems silly to buy something like that for a single use
Initially I was thinking I could get the filter inside the stand, but after some thought, I think it would be much easier to have it sit behind the tank for three reasons. (1) Easier access (2) larger filter/tank (3) I will have room for storage under the tank.
My goal is to have this wet/dry as the only filter since I am tired of cleaning canisters
, but if needed I will add an FX5.I am going to try and pick up a 90-125 gallon in the next few months and since I have time, I can wait for a good deal.
I do like your rubbermaid filter and I know that many on here have done similar things with excellent results, however, I do not trust the tubs to hold up over years of use and it is well worth it (to me
) to have the tank made of glass for peace of mind. This of course is only my (maybe some what ignorant) opinion On a different subject, do you know how to cheaply cut a hole in glass?
I found some bits online, but they are in the $50 range and it seems silly to buy something like that for a single use
