I am just brainstorming what type of filtration system I should be using for a 100 gallon freshwater tank and I'm so lost. I don't even know if this is a good system or even functional-this is all theoretical, just trying to get some more knowledge
OK, I'm not good at sideways, lol. What are your tank dimensions? Seems to me the heater could be after the canister & eliminate the pump? It seems like a hybrid of a sump (ish) set up...right? Do you have room for an actual sump tank? Not that I've done that....
Ok, you have 2 different types of water movement going on here, gravity and pump. Getting them to operate at exactly the same rate is nearly impossible.
Let's start at the beginning. Do you own this 100g tank already and is it pre-drilled? If so, just a hole in the bottom or does it have an overflow box? If you don't own the tank or it's not drilled why do you want a sump? AND a canister? Gives us some more details and we will help you find your way.
Pretty sure my brain got caught in a loop there..
Are you wanting to build your own homemade filtration system?
How would I filter a 100g tank? Probably an AquaClear 110 or two, a large canister, or a few smaller canisters or any combination of the above! AC110s can be had for $60 or so. Same with some canisters. Sunsun 304 for instance.
Ok. Basically this is a sump system with a dummy (unpowered) canister filter and a UV sterilizer.
The first thing is that you must use an overflow box or drilled overflow in order to feed the water to the sump. Otherwise the tank will just drain down into the sump and overflow the sump onto the floor. It is impossible to match a pump to a siphon exactly without it.
The second thing is that the pump will need to be a little larger in size than would normally be required for just a straight return to the tank. The canister will put resistance on the water flow that will increase as the canister gets clogged. This necessitates a pump with more torque (psi) to push through it.
However, if the only purpose of the sump is to pull the heater out of the tank, then I am not sure it really is that much of a benefit for the extra noise and cost that the system will entail.
I have a question and I'm guessing it goes here. I just got a 75 gallon tank. 4 feet by18 inches by 18 inches. I also had a new pool pump by Intex. It does 1000 gph. Can I use it?
As long as your overflow box can handle it that should be fine. However I would take a look at the electrical rating for the pool pump. Many times pool pumps are much lower efficiency than aquarium pumps. You may be in for a much higher electrical bill than necessary.
What kind of fish are you planning on? I think you are making this a lot more complicated than it should be. Most likely a good canister would be best (assuming you actually clean it every month. Or a well-designed sump would be good. Combining them on a tank that size isn't necessary.
Well I'm going with community fish; neons, Dino's, glow fish, a catfish for the bottom. Nothing huge or aggressive. I've thought about a sump pump but I don't know anything about them and I don't have alot of money to invest.