Any thoughts on this DIY filter?

[wataugachicken]

This is an idea to get some additional filtration on my 150g. The bright pink rectangle is a sponge, underneath that is bioballs, and then water flows through a perforated divider into the planted side. I want to have this on top of the tank. Aside from attempting to find suitable plants without adding a light, do you have any thoughts on this? The tank will be a 12g eclipse acrylic tank, but i don't have the hood for it anymore, though i do still have the rim.

I could theoretically do it without plants, but since it's going to be sitting on top of the tank i want it to look a little nicer. I just don't know how i can add a light because that would 1. look ugly and 2. block the plants from growing. The tank is only a foot tall.

http://www.partyapp.com/photos/fullsize/271280.jpg

oh and also, the outflow pipe would probably be pvc, so what would i use to seal around that pipe?

[Sploke]

Looks like a nice little setup to me. For the outflow, assuming the tank is acrylic, you'll just want to get a hole saw and drill a hole in the side, and get a bulkhead fitting to seal the pass-through. Some hardware stores sell them, or plumbing supply stores, or marinedepot.com as a last resort. If you got a nice looking light fixture you could hang it from some L-brackets or plant hangers mounted on the wall above the tank.

[RichardA]

Looks really good, might wanna re-think the fireworks in the wet chamber though.....LOL

J/K.

[wataugachicken]

those are my surreal plants, growing like weeds without light.

[jmhart]

Why above the tank....why not plumb it below the tank and call it a sump....and why not make it bigger and call it a sump.....and then you could call your chamber for plants a freshwater refugium.....you see where I'm going....

If you are concerned about looks, then without a light the plants and the whole device will look awkard on top of your tank

[wataugachicken]

i've had sumps, and they're a pain in my butt. in addition to that, i would have to drill holes in the tank stand, figure out plumbing, try to make room in the stand because i already have a canister and fish-stuff under the tank, worry about overflows/ pump running dry etc.

i already have the extra tank, and the pump, and the bioballs. i'm trying to work with what i already have laying around rather than buying more stuff, because if i have to do that i'll just go get another canister.

[jmhart]

But I still don't see how/why you don't want to just put it under the tank? Somehow you'll have to get water out of the tank and pump it up to the "above-tank sump", and then you'll have to relay it to the tank. The only difference between putting this above the the tank and below the tank is which side of the sump the pump is on.

I mean, just look at it, it is a sump....it's a sump with a refugium, it's just on top of the tank.

So, there's no problem putting it above your tank. I was just commenting on the fact that your top concern seems to be that it will look ugly. Well, the simple way to get around that is to pump the pump on the return instead of the inlet, and then just put it under your tank.

[wataugachicken]

then what's an easy way to get water down from the tank into the sump? that's where the main problem lies.

i don't want to deal with the sump overflowing, or fish getting sucked into it, or the sump going dry and the pump burning out. i've already dealt with those things and they weren't fun. none of those are issues with the above-tank idea.

[jmhart]

i don't want to deal with the sump overflowing, or fish getting sucked into it, or the sump going dry and the pump burning out. i've already dealt with those things and they weren't fun. none of those are issues with the above-tank idea.

I don't really see how those still aren't issues? For starters, how are you going to get water from the tank to the over-tank sump?....with a pump, so the fish can still get sucked in just like with any other filter. In the same way that user error can cause a sump to overflow, it seems like the above-tank sump could cause the tank itself to oversflow.

How are you going to get water from the tank to the above-tank sump?

[jones57742]

I want to have this on top of the tank.
These above the tank sumps are possible but I would not do that one due to the possibility of tank overflow.

With the standard below the tank sumps the sump is designed such that the volume from the bottom of the weir to the water surface in the tank can be discharged into the sump without overflowing the sump.



oh and also, the outflow pipe would probably be pvc, so what would i use to seal around that pipe?
You will need a bulkhead.

TR

[Rbishop]

Actually, I think a small powerhead and tubing would work for getting the water from the main tank up to the overhead tank. I would run the outlet from the overhead tank to come out the bottom back to the main tank.

What are your plans for supporting this plant tank above the other?

[wataugachicken]

i already have a pond pump that i used when i was running a sump on another tank. it comes with an intake cover, so that is not an issue. the pump will sit inside the tank, push water up into the upper tank, then the water simply falls back into the tank on the other side. the amount of water that can be held in the upper tank will be only 2-3 gallons, and it falls back into the tank from the other end through the pvc piping. while the main tank has covers, i do not have the acrylic pieces inserted to make them full covers, so there are several inches of space that the water can fall back down through. that is not an issue.

when i had a real sump, the fish would tend to go up and over into the bulkhead area and then fall into the sump. when i tried to use something to cover the hole so the fish couldn't get into it, any bit of plant matter would clog it and then the sump would run dry.

anyway, i'm not going to fight about it. i've already listed reasons why i don't want an undertank sump, and that's that. you didn't offer an explanation of how i could get the water down from the main tank into a lower sump anyway. you just went after my reasons again.

rb - i had planned on just putting it on top of the tank. it's a glass cages super-fortified double braced extra thick glass monster, and the upper tank will span both braces. with only 2-3g in it, i don't think it'll be too much of a weight/stress issue.

[Rbishop]

Sounds great. Should be a short run for pumping the water up. Take some pics as you set it up to share with us.

[Que]

I like the idea. I think it would look more pleasing to see only plants though so I would set it up, if possible, so that the sponge and bio balls are in the back out of sight and the plants are in front. Same for the inlet and outlet pipes... hide 'em in the back. I'd also put in a float switch to shut the pump off in case the outlet should clog and start filling this tank up too high.

Q

[jmhart]

You are right, I didn't offer any real suggestions:

Here:

Again, it seems like your biggest worry is aesthetics. Without a light, I think the plants will have very limited growth, so I think that you'll have a hard time making it look like anything but an above-tank sump. I would either put a light on it, or enclose it with a nice outer exterior to hide it. The idea of plants in it would be nice, so if it were me and I were building an above-tank sump, I would put a light over it.

If you wanted to put it below the tank, you could use an overflow box like this:

http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/overflow.htm

You could then put a strainer over the suction tube tube to keep out fish. You could use your same pump to return it back to the tank(I make the assumption that it would be strong enough).

Putting it below the tank would alleviate concerns of aesthetics. However, as I mentioned, you could keep it above the tank and just add a light or build some kind of nice looking enclosure.

[wataugachicken]

I like the idea. I think it would look more pleasing to see only plants though so I would set it up, if possible, so that the sponge and bio balls are in the back out of sight and the plants are in front. Same for the inlet and outlet pipes... hide 'em in the back. I'd also put in a float switch to shut the pump off in case the outlet should clog and start filling this tank up too high.

Q

as for the tank overflowing, look at the outflow pipe. there is one thing i forgot to include. water going down the actual hole of the pipe will be the last resort/failsafe measure. i will drill several holes around the pipe at 1 and 2 inches down from the opening to allow water to escape. if those lower holes get clogged somehow with plant leaves or something i can clean them before the water level rises too much. i may also use a small screen/cage (like those tiny baskets that aquatic plants are in) on the very top of the pipe as an additional measure so a leaf can't just cover the hole completely.

also the tank is a bowfront shape. i tried to draw how i will put it together to minimize being able to see the bioballs and sponge. they won't be too visible from head on.

jm - i did try to look up overflow boxes, but all it seems i can find are DIY projects. are there manufactured varieties available?

[SchizotypalVamp]

Anubias/java moss/bacopa are actually swamp plants that will grow submerged

[jones57742]

i did try to look up overflow boxes, but all it seems i can find are DIY projects. are there manufactured varieties available?
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_AquariumPage~PageAlias~overflow_boxes__index.ht ml

If I might suggest these boxes would look ugly.

Your drilled hole near the surface with a tee from the tank return line into the lower hole ....

TR

[Lil_Stinker]

bamboo

[ohbly]

I think its too small for a plant filter for a 150g, especially since it isnt going to be lit.
Im a big fan of plant filters but they only work well if they have bright lighting so that the plants grow rapidly, or they have a large biomass of slow growing, low light plants.
-my 2c

[mattmartindrift]

You don't need a bulkhead crazy setup for a sump.

I run a "mini" sump on my 29g.

It consists of a 2.5g glass aquarium with siliconed-in dividers. The water comes into a sealed chamber, past some sponges, up through some fluval ceramic ring media, over a divider down through mixed Matrix/fluval bio filter media.

I use an up and over siphon with a hole drilled just below the surface so there will be a siphon break if the power goes out. I also will be wiring in a $6 float switch so the pump shuts off if the water level goes too low.

This application could totally be reworked to fit your application.


Pictures:

http://mattmartindrift.com/crap/sump2.jpg

http://mattmartindrift.com/crap/sump3.jpg

http://mattmartindrift.com/crap/sump4.jpg

[Cory Keeper]

awesome PVC piping :grinyes:

[rocky213]

awesome diy filter good job :)

[Cory Keeper]

Bahh, hit the cutoff for edit.

Anyways, whats the puprose of that cap at the T in Pic 3?

[mattmartindrift]

Bahh, hit the cutoff for edit.

Anyways, whats the puprose of that cap at the T in Pic 3?


haha, well, I ran out of 90* elbows and I had the T and the cap remaining; That will be remedied shortly. I will probably use the T to add another spray bar to another part of the tank to keep good circulation.

thanks for the compliments

[Rbishop]

Wata....how is this project coming along?