Sump questions

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A

aiezzi

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 6, 2010
55
0
0
nj
Hey guys I have been thinking alot lately about building a sump for my 55. Now the stand won't allow a 10 under it. And I'm running a Jebo 825 on it now. I mainly want to make a sump for water clarity. My water is clear but it always has a hint of green or tan to it it's nothing major. My water parameters are all good. I am tired of seeing a bunch of little debris that the canister filter can't catch. Could a make a sump out of a 5.5 gallon tank and have it work properly? I have been lookin at alot of DIY sump builds and I am fairly confident I can make one. But I really want to know that it will work before I go and get the tank and supplies


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You could but, if more mechanical filtration is what you're after, a second canister packed with floss or filter pads would probably be easier.
 
A sump is not the answer to your water. I don't know alot about that particular filter but if you can try a polishing pad in it. How long you have the lights on in the tank can lead to green water or if you have direct sun light hitting the tank. Also is the filter adequate for your tank and the Bio load you have. These things will change and help the tank more than adding more water. What part of a sump do you feel will help with your green water?

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Have youn been keeping up with water changes and such?

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Well I do 25% changes 3 times a week. The filter does 260 gph and is rated for a 100 gallon tank. The lights stay on for a maximum of 6hrs a day and the water isnt really a green but more of a tan should i say. I do have driftwood in the tank but it has been in there for over a yr. it was properly soaked before I stuck it in the tank. I soaked each piece in a 5 gallon bucket with hot water for a week and some change. I waited until I could tell that most of the color had leeched out into the water before I placed it in the tank. Also the tank is not in direct sunlight. Well I am looking more to have the smaller particles filtered out. I would love to get another canister but just can't justify spending 100 for one when I figured I could build a sump for half the price.


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Also I have 2 pairs of convicts that are about 2" 1 pair of firemouths about 3" and a Dempsey that is about 2". That's all that in the tank. The convicts are going to be getting moved out into their own 20 gallon tanks so that they can breed. Plus i would rather build one for this 55 and get the experience under my belt for when I have to build one for my 250 indoor pond I am currently working on.


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I am pretty sure you want a DE filter. Something along the lines of a Diatom XL. I ran a Diatom D1 for a while and nothing else I have tried comes close to it for clear water... until I switched to my huge DE pool filter which is documented in the link in my signature.
 
I will look into that. I was trying to think of a way to possibly make a pre filter for my canister. I picked up some 100 micron polyester sheet. But I am more afraid that with it being 100 micron it will clog to fast and put alot of strain on my canister


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aiezzi said:
I will look into that. I was trying to think of a way to possibly make a pre filter for my canister. I picked up some 100 micron polyester sheet. But I am more afraid that with it being 100 micron it will clog to fast and put alot of strain on my canister


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Click to expand...

That is one of the great things about DE filters. The Diatomaceous Earth has a massive surface area. All the tiny little Diatom shells have pores that trap the debris and filter the water. I got pretty sick of cartridge type filters as they always plugged really fast and were a royal pain to clean... and pretty much impossible to clean to a "like new" flow level. I tried a RedSea NuClear 50 (I think) micron filter and a BigBlue whole house cartridge filter. Both would clear up the water. Both would last for about a week before needing cleaning. Both were a massive pain to pull the cartridge, spill water all over, soak in bleach for a while, rinse out, replace in the canister and then restart the pump. The DE pool filter is a breeze to maintain in comparison and traps MUCH smaller particles. The DE's filter so small the literature says they will filter out water born diseases like ick. From my experience I believe these claims.

The Diatom XL is a great filter but not really meant to run full time. I would Run my Diatom D1 (smaller version of the XL) after every water change. The water change would stir up the stuff from the bottom and the Diatom XL would clear the water in my 110g tank in about a half hour. After the water was clear I would let the Diatom filter run for another day or so until the flow started to slow down. The water would stay pretty much clear for a couple weeks or so... when it started to get a little cloudy I would do a water change and then DE filter the water again.
 
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