Planted tanks? Difficult species? Water changes with bottled water? Storing R/O water?
Been there, done that. Done with that ... for now.
I want to set up a new tank (drilled 125) for absolute minimal maintenance. Here’s my proposed layout and the problems I’m encountering:
· POE filtering – I have a small water line at the tank that I have previously piped through a R/O unit into a storage tank. This time, I’m buying fish that are pretty happy with my tap water just the way it is. All I want to do is remove the chloramine. I cannot find an appropriate carbon-only filter. I’ve tried running my R/O filter (has three carbon cartridges) without the R/O membrane, but the flow is too fast. I could probably rig up something to give some back pressure, but I’m trying to avoid rig-ups.
· Sump issue 1 – I always stock light, and have never had a water-quality issue. I’m not trying to get crazy (or even optimal) with my bio-media, but I need a big enough sump that I can (on a timer) pump out a few gallons a day and allow the water to be replenished by my small water line (controlled by a float valve).
· Sump issue 2 – Rubbermaid and kin are out because I want to keep my heater in the sump. I have a corner to place the sump in, so the sump doesn’t have to be under the tank, but it should be half-way attractive. I’ve considered one of those barrel ponds, but I just don’t trust it and can’t see how I’d put baffles in it.
· Sump issue 3 – No point in having a drilled tank if I don’t have a drilled sump—I don’t completely trust that float valve. I need a sump I can drill. I don’t want to use an old drilled tank—I’m not risking leaks.
This will be nice if I can assemble it well—just feed the fish and vacuum once every few weeks.
I’ve had a same-size tank working with the water line and float valve in the past, but I just used the sump to store water-change water. Once a week, I re-primed my hob overflow and pumped the water from my storage tank to my aquarium, allowing the excess to drain through the overflow into my drainage lines. Everything worked, but I want to do a bit better job this go-around. No more hob overflow, so that’s one improvement. Can you help me with the rest?
Been there, done that. Done with that ... for now.
I want to set up a new tank (drilled 125) for absolute minimal maintenance. Here’s my proposed layout and the problems I’m encountering:
· POE filtering – I have a small water line at the tank that I have previously piped through a R/O unit into a storage tank. This time, I’m buying fish that are pretty happy with my tap water just the way it is. All I want to do is remove the chloramine. I cannot find an appropriate carbon-only filter. I’ve tried running my R/O filter (has three carbon cartridges) without the R/O membrane, but the flow is too fast. I could probably rig up something to give some back pressure, but I’m trying to avoid rig-ups.
· Sump issue 1 – I always stock light, and have never had a water-quality issue. I’m not trying to get crazy (or even optimal) with my bio-media, but I need a big enough sump that I can (on a timer) pump out a few gallons a day and allow the water to be replenished by my small water line (controlled by a float valve).
· Sump issue 2 – Rubbermaid and kin are out because I want to keep my heater in the sump. I have a corner to place the sump in, so the sump doesn’t have to be under the tank, but it should be half-way attractive. I’ve considered one of those barrel ponds, but I just don’t trust it and can’t see how I’d put baffles in it.
· Sump issue 3 – No point in having a drilled tank if I don’t have a drilled sump—I don’t completely trust that float valve. I need a sump I can drill. I don’t want to use an old drilled tank—I’m not risking leaks.
This will be nice if I can assemble it well—just feed the fish and vacuum once every few weeks.
I’ve had a same-size tank working with the water line and float valve in the past, but I just used the sump to store water-change water. Once a week, I re-primed my hob overflow and pumped the water from my storage tank to my aquarium, allowing the excess to drain through the overflow into my drainage lines. Everything worked, but I want to do a bit better job this go-around. No more hob overflow, so that’s one improvement. Can you help me with the rest?
