Nightfall
06-01-2004, 2:12 PM
For the last few years, I have had a 30 gallon freshwater tank. Nothing really huge when it comes to setup. I had a hang on the back power filter, undergravel filter with a couple powerheads, and so on.
Well, I decided to up the ante and buy a friends 30 gallon acrylic tank and his pentair (rainbow lifegard) fluidized bed filter for a very reasonable price. He was going to get a nice 100 gallon tank and make a salt water tank.
I went out and invested in the Pentair canister filter line to go with the fluidized bed. My friend already has these other filters and I was very impressed with they way they kept his freshwater 30 gallon tank healthy. I have the UV light, chemical, mechanical, and heater modules and I set them all up over the Memorial Day weekend.
It was nervewracking at first let me tell you. I have never embarked on such a project, especially with the possibility of 30 gallons of water being pumped out of the tank, to the cabinet underneath, and then back up again. However, it is done and there have been no issues of leaks, which I am rather proud of.
Now I am scheduling maintenance on all these filters and such for down the road. That got me thinking about possible leaks and such that might occur down the road. Since some of you already have canister filters, I thought I might pose some questions.
1. How bad should I worry about leaks to this system? I used PVC Primer and cement on all the slip fittings. I used vinyl tubing and metal clamps. For the screw fittings, I used teflon tape and heavy duty PVC parts used normally in underwater sprinkler systems. I covered all my bases, but I still wonder if something is going to spring a leak.
2. I installed a heavy duty ball valve to the out portion of the canister filters. However, like a moron, I didn't install a valve to the in direction of the filters. I know this is going to be a pain when I try to clean or maintain these filters later on. Sure, I can crimp the hose going into the system, but is it worthwhile to drain the system and reinstall a valve now rather than later when I have fish in the system? Would you recommend another valve that might do the trick other than using a PVC valve which would require some rework?
3. My Chemical and Mechanical Filters didn't come with instructions on how much media to put in. I think I may have put too much in. The illustrations I have found show it to be 1/2 full. I put about 3/4 in there. Anyone have these filters that can give me a good idea on how much carbon to put in there?
If you have any other thoughts on this setup or questions, I am all ears. :)
Well, I decided to up the ante and buy a friends 30 gallon acrylic tank and his pentair (rainbow lifegard) fluidized bed filter for a very reasonable price. He was going to get a nice 100 gallon tank and make a salt water tank.
I went out and invested in the Pentair canister filter line to go with the fluidized bed. My friend already has these other filters and I was very impressed with they way they kept his freshwater 30 gallon tank healthy. I have the UV light, chemical, mechanical, and heater modules and I set them all up over the Memorial Day weekend.
It was nervewracking at first let me tell you. I have never embarked on such a project, especially with the possibility of 30 gallons of water being pumped out of the tank, to the cabinet underneath, and then back up again. However, it is done and there have been no issues of leaks, which I am rather proud of.
Now I am scheduling maintenance on all these filters and such for down the road. That got me thinking about possible leaks and such that might occur down the road. Since some of you already have canister filters, I thought I might pose some questions.
1. How bad should I worry about leaks to this system? I used PVC Primer and cement on all the slip fittings. I used vinyl tubing and metal clamps. For the screw fittings, I used teflon tape and heavy duty PVC parts used normally in underwater sprinkler systems. I covered all my bases, but I still wonder if something is going to spring a leak.
2. I installed a heavy duty ball valve to the out portion of the canister filters. However, like a moron, I didn't install a valve to the in direction of the filters. I know this is going to be a pain when I try to clean or maintain these filters later on. Sure, I can crimp the hose going into the system, but is it worthwhile to drain the system and reinstall a valve now rather than later when I have fish in the system? Would you recommend another valve that might do the trick other than using a PVC valve which would require some rework?
3. My Chemical and Mechanical Filters didn't come with instructions on how much media to put in. I think I may have put too much in. The illustrations I have found show it to be 1/2 full. I put about 3/4 in there. Anyone have these filters that can give me a good idea on how much carbon to put in there?
If you have any other thoughts on this setup or questions, I am all ears. :)