Have Some Questions About My Filters ...

[owl]

HI
i have 55g tank with two filters ,one 185g/h HOB filter w sponge/activated carbon/ceramic rings/sponge setup ,and one top filter that has a 375g/h pump that has 2 outputs, one goes right away into the tank and the other one goes into the top box that contains sponges/activated carbon/ceramic rings and bio balls .
the setup is something like this :

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/bc56bd1cdf.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

The water pressure that causes the water movement around the tank ,cause the plants roots to pull out from the gravel sometimes and their leaves kink together all the time ,and givem bad look ...
and even the fishes seem to enjoy more when i turn the filters off(just for the test ,filters run 24/7) ...
so here s the questions :
1-Do i need the water movement in the tank ?
2-Can i use my pumps and connect them to 2 more top filter boxes and make the water fall from there to avoid the water movement around the tank ? somethin like this :

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/360d56b5d2.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

3-Are the air pipes that connect to the output of filters necessary ? i hate the bubbles that come outta them ...

thnx a lot

[owl]

anybody ????

[johnhoover]

Could you adjust this to use one long box across the back, and reduce some of the tubing? Something like a spraybar?

I've got spraybars on all of my canisters to ease the water back into the tank.

Or if you up to the task, If you've already got the pump, you could find a bucket and build a canister. There have been some DIY ideas around here in the past.

[owl]

thnx for reply ... a cansiter ? mmm not a bad idea , i ll build one ...
i already have 2 pumps ( 2 pupms of my 2 current filter ) i think i ll go with one conister and one wet/dry filter .. what do u think ? or 2 cansters are better ?

[johnhoover]

I currently have two 55gal, one with a Fluval 405 and one with a Rena XP3. Both tanks have a pretty high goldfish load. I've either caught really good deals on new or gotten used ones at a resonable price knowing that I'm going to replace half to all of the rubber parts.

The filters are configured roughly the same, (from in to out) sponge/floss filter, 1.5 - 2 liters of Seachem Matrix, polishing filter on top. I'm usually doing 20% water changes for nitrAte once a week. I'm a bit torn for which I would like better.

xp3: larger baskets
xp3: no water bypass
405: better disconnect valve
405: larger internal sponge filter

the xp3 came with a spraybar, I ended up buying one for the 405. I also didn't care for the tubing that came with the 405. Replaced it with 5/8" (22mm) eheim and extra clamps.

You should be able to search around and find cutaway views showing the flow through these filters. This link shows some different filters as well.

http://www.thegab.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6113

If you're going to build your own, look around you'll find plenty of ideas from those who have gone before. Give some thought to how you'll be taking it apart to clean it. There are disconnect valves you can get to put inline, I know eheim makes some, others do as well. Just be careful that you don't end up with a $200 project that could have been solved with a $150 purchase.

As always, happy to share what I know, and willing to admit what I don't.

John.

[owl]

Hi :)
i did some searches bout canister filters and some diy projects , and i think it s not goin to be that hard , infact i already prchased some stuffs ,
i already have the pumps so all i need was baskets and some pipes and it costs less than 10 ( i already have one basket )
so my very basic idea is somethin like this :

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/6e2160bc29.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

u see the because of the difference of the height the water pressure in the tank will make the water come down to the basket and after it runs through the filters the pump will return it back into the tank , i will glue the small pieces of wood at the top of the pump section in the canister to put my medias on it so i can easily remove them ..
the only problem will be the difference of the volume of water that comes in the canister and the volume of the water that the pump will return to the tank , that with a valve i think i can fix it , just have to experience it , lol .
i ll make a new thread about every detail of makin the canister filter as soon as i start buildin it :)
any idea will be more than wellcome

[Star_Rider]

are you designing a sump or a cannister filter(usually sealed)

[owl]

it s a canister , ofcourse it s sealed

[johnhoover]

Two thoughts about your drawing,

Might choose something other than wood for internal supports, could be a source of food or decay for critters you don't want in your canister.

Pumps on the outside don't have to have another hole for the power cord to pass through. Pumps inside it looks like would have less plumbing to deal with. You might also want to think about having the IN pipe discharge at the bottom and move the pump above the media, but still inside and under water.

Once the unit is primed (full of water) and if it's sitting under the tank, you have the head pressure from the tank trying to fill the canister, so you might not have any trouble getting water into the canister. You might have too large a pump though. It wouldn't hurt to check the actual gph for your intended pump with the lift your planning to have, just to keep the gph reasonable.

[owl]

there r some minor problems

move the pump above the media
i thought bout it at first , it s much better , less piping and i can remove the pump easier , the only thing i afraid is the water level in canister comes beneath the pump and redound it to burn ... what do u think ?


You might have too large a pump though
one of the pumps is 350gph and the other one is 185gph ..
the 350gh one has 2 outputs , i m thinkin to add a valve to one output and return it to the canister from the top , if the pump out put s more than the input i can open the valve and return some of the water to go back in the cycle to keep the canister always full , and if the water output rate and input rate was in same level i can close the valve and return all the water back into the tank ...

EDIT : now that i m thinkin , if i can control water level with takin advantage of the second output on the pump i can put the pump at the top of the medias :)