Two Fluval FX6's or Custom Sump

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

Those numbers don't really mean anything. What is the target dissolved oxygen level? You can measure this. Or you can just aerate reasonably, have a healthy bacteria colony, and not think too hard about it.

Yes I do tend to overthink things. I just want to make sure I don't lose the Piraya. Want to make sure I have enough oxygenation. So will 2 FX6's with input on the bottom and output on the top, and two AC110's will provide enough oxygenation? Or would I just want the airstones? Will those linked be okay for my 240 gallon?

 

[BIG FISH BOB]

We have 2 FX6's......they are fine...but don't move much water and are a pain to clean. Sump is the way to go. Is your tank already drilled? If so the sump is SUPER easy. You can use almost any old tank or bin....some dividers and a pump (in general the bigger the better). You can get a pump for $100. You can use any filter media you want. IMO the simpler the better....some bio balls and a few filter sponges. You can also easily throw in a Chemi-pure bag anytime you want..... not as easy with the FX6. You can/should also heat the water in the sump.....not a sermon, just a thought.

 

[BIG FISH BOB]

Go with a large air stone and large air pump..... moves more water...... and there is no overkill with monster fish!

 

[adamsfishes]

Yes I do tend to overthink things. I just want to make sure I don't lose the Piraya. Want to make sure I have enough oxygenation. So will 2 FX6's with input on the bottom and output on the top, and two AC110's will provide enough oxygenation? Or would I just want the airstones? Will those linked be okay for my 240 gallon?

There is no definitive answer for this. My amateur opinion is that it would be more than enough oxygenation with the airstones, and probably would be fine with just the AC110s.

 

[Jacob92677]

I’ll toss my two cents in this
I’d go with 2 fx6 and two extra large sponge filters in each corners for extra o2 , surface agitation and a Little extra bio old skool but there great then
Add a couple power heads Where every extra flow is needed more gph the better these are fairly cheap on amazon
Sumps are far better I can’t argue that since you can easily get 2k-3k gph flow rate for a few hundred bucks and load it fully Of media but to me way to many things can go wrong with a sump even the best systems can go wrong and if no one is there to check up and I’m not just taking about overflowing the sump
Two fx6 and a air pumps means you have plenty to fail before fish can die

Fx6 just feels safer
I’d also recommend not keeping your heater in the sump unless it’s a glass sump
I’ve personally have had a heater melt thru a acrylic sump wasn’t good

 

[dr exum]

Did not read all that,

Sump...

are you getting Eheims or something tho? Thought I saw in another post....

Fx6 are nice too though! Maybe both ?

 

[andyroo]

Electricity is costly here and I'm not keen to lift water if I don't have to = canister.
(... though we have done some sumps at same/similar level as the main pond/tank)

In grad-school, I'd set two cheap little 2nd-hand MarineLands kitty-corner across the 100gal, but more recently I've home-built with a chemical drum & a super-low wattage Jebao. You get around the flow restrictions with oversized pipe, and around the through-flow issues & cleaning by using a bigger drum. The 8Gal canister on the 100 got maintenance twice per year, for example, and really didn't tend to need it- it was usually when an eel got lost (into the intakes...). Bulkheads are some combination of threaded fittings and epoxy putty appropriate to the drum's shape & plastic thickness at the through-point.
For the pending in-wall I'm thinking through two inline drums with finger-size bamboo charcoal up front & course/fine sponge in the back, as the charcoal could be shaken, rested & backwashed for 80% of the crud.

No, I'd not recommend this as O-rings and/or seals for odd-size drums are a nightmare to find and/or replace; however, for y'all up in the 1st world, those HDPE screw-down lid 6Gal buckets from Lowes should be brilliant. For cost + simplicity, there are some pond filters that don't come with a built-in pump, so you can mix&match without screwing with bulkheads & seals. It's usually quieter to have the pump in the water (drum/canister/tank) rather than screwed to the cupboard wall, but that's up to you. It's a whole lot simpler to just plumb it into the intake line.

One big predatory fish that likes lots of flow = a good canister, a couple of power-heads all in-line for a linear cross-tank flow mid-water as per Jacob, clean or thin-sand bottom & a fine-leaf plant (milfoil?) in a nice terra-cotta pot somewhere there's a slower eddy to check your nutrients. Snails & amphipods for the scales & gore & to reanimate poop generally, though wee (cherry?) shrimp or pleco might be cuter. In Ontario you should get some iridescent green FW sponges, too- might be fun to look into. I expect your water will be too clean for river mussels.

Note: never ask an ecologist these questions. Too many rabbit-holes

 

[andyroo]

Speaking of: <https://vittlesvault.com/products/outback-80/>
Seals via common O-rings, heavy/thick HDPE construction and flat sides for bulkheads. Squared, so can fit a few of them in the cupboard. I wish I could get anything like this here...