Will this filtration work for 50g and 125g tanks?

[Lollum96]

Hi all

Just built this filter for my new 50g aquarium. It's a 20l flat storage box piped with a 1" intake and 2 x 1 inch pvc drains at the back of the box. It contains some sponge of various grades and 12kg of lava rock rubble. The filter is designed to run as an overhead sump style filter.

I wanted to use pot scrubbers but they have became virtually impossible to source in the UK so I had to use the lava rock.

I've attached some images. Do you guys think this will be okay for filtering my 50g tank? My main concern is, will the flow rate of water be enough through the lava rock to make full use of all the surface area? Or do I maybe need to add some airstones to the filter to agitate the water under the lava rock?

I've made a similar style filter for my 125g tank which uses 30kg of the lava rock rubble.

Will this work fine as is?


.



.

 

[Lollum96]

The tanks

 

[tlindsey]

Will this work fine as is?

Welcome aboard
Will the filter be over the top of the aquarium?
If so yes especially for the 50 gallon if you don't overstock and do proper water changes to keep nitrates low. Also it will depend on the species of fish some like current.

 

[tlindsey]

Testing your water parameters will let you know if filter is functioning properly.

 

[esoxlucius]

The only criticism I will make, and it is an important one, is that your filter seems very shallow and your two out take ports look to be quite close to the top of the tub.

If you are confident your double drains can cope with your pump output, then you should be ok, but to be extra sure I'd have opted for a deeper tub for peace of mind.

A deeper tub would also help if your first sponge should clog up. Obviously if this happens your water level will rise to try and escape over the top of the blocked sponges, but the depth of your current tub would mean you could have a potential flood on your hands.

 

[Lollum96]

Welcome aboard
Will the filter be over the top of the aquarium?
If so yes especially for the 50 gallon if you don't overstock and do proper water changes to keep nitrates low. Also it will depend on the species of fish some like current.

Thanks! Good to finally join up here after reading the forum for many of years.

Yes this filter is designed to function as an overhead sump which will sit on the top of the aquarium.

I'm trying to create a very effective filtration system. Something many of times more effective than typical canister filters.

I have an FX6 on another tank and it holds very little biological media. It's basically 90% sponges and honestly it's not very effective at filtering the water.

So as said, I'm trying to create something that will hold lots of biological media being able to support lots of waste. If you guys don't think this design will work well I'll definitely take it back to the drawing board?

 

[Lollum96]

The only criticism I will make, and it is an important one, is that your filter seems very shallow and your two out take ports look to be quite close to the top of the tub.

If you are confident your double drains can cope with your pump output, then you should be ok, but to be extra sure I'd have opted for a deeper tub for peace of mind.

A deeper tub would also help if your first sponge should clog up. Obviously if this happens your water level will rise to try and escape over the top of the blocked sponges, but the depth of your current tub would mean you could have a potential flood on your hands.

Thank you I see your point! Do you think I should silicone in a divider towards the back of the tub and put a 50mm drain on the bottom?

My main concern was making sure the media would be completely covered hence putting the drains towards the top of the container.

Ive binned the lid from the tank and cut a piece of polycarbonate sheet to fit on top of the aquarium. The polycarbonate sheet sits about an inch below the top of the aquarium and it has a small gap on both ends.

So I'm hoping if the filter did clog the water would just overflow onto the polycarbonate sheet and back into the aquarium! I'm definitely going to plug the drains and make it overflow to check this theory though!!

Apart from the flooding issue, do you think the overhead sump style filter with the lava rock will be effective filtration?

 

[Midwater]

I wanted to use pot scrubbers but they have became virtually impossible to source in the UK so I had to use the lava rock.

Good thing your filter media is not tomatoes and loo paper. What's more, merely the word 'scrubbers' is not politically correct anywhere in the UK.

On a serious note, I have used lava - pumice for years, with great success. The flow rate around - and through individual pieces - will be variable to very slow. I find this helps, you get the beneficial bacteria, not just for ammonia and nitrites, and it also brings your nitrates down some.

 

[tlindsey]

If you guys don't think this design will work

It will work if you drilled holes in the bottom so water could trickle into the aquarium. Also the best way to control waste is by wc's, substrate vacuuming, and filter maintenance.

 

[tlindsey]

It will work if you drilled holes in the bottom so water could trickle into the aquarium. Also the best way to control waste is by wc's, substrate vacuuming, and filter maintenance.

The only downside to the trickle method if the pump stopped during a long power outage you would need to keep the biomedia moist manually.