IT has BEGUN!!!

YEP

I'm building a sump/overflow

SOOO

I need help, as i've never attempted this before...anyone have any useful links, suggestons, etc?


I have a quietone 2200 (500gph) that i will gladly use, and add another pump or two to make it keep up. I"m figuring i'll need about 800-1000 gph for a tank this size, with the cichlids.


SOOOOOO it has truely begun...once more haha..time to start designing!


mike
 
alright, I'm going to build a sand filter for this thing, should be gravity fed, and will take care of the majority of the filtering. I'll see what I can do to think up a design. I do still want to build a sump though...so I might use the sand filter as an additional filtration method.


Mike
 
OH me...oh my...

I just finished a proto-type sand filter, using a pressurized bed, not a fluidized bed. Basically a pressurized gravity bed.


i built it for 30 bucks total....yay home depot, and i'm thinking about making 4 smaller "pods" for the 130, and hooking them up to dual 500 gph quietone's. Right now i'm using a 6" sand bed, and a 4" gravel bed to keep the sand from getting out. I'm going to use 3" pvc....4" is waaaayyy to expensive as I can build two 3" pods for the price of one 4" pod.


So over the next few weeks I'll be working on that. I plan on having all 4 or 6 pods dump into a sump/container to hold heaters etc, then have another pump to push everything back up to the main tank.


I figured the sand filters would be great as a primary filtration, especially once it builds up a layer of biomass on top of the sand.

Which is another reason why i want pods, so I can only clean one set at a time, so i won't completely killl the bio media etc.

I was talking to one of my aquarium buddies, and he stated that they use sand as a primary filter on most of their tanks, but not a fluized bed.


So I'm going to be testing the filter out on a 20 for now, figured I would throw in some guppies or mollies to see how they fair with that filter being primary.



Mike
 
Yes I do on a 29gal planted tank.
 
There is too many good canister filters out there that work just as good if not better than a sand filter its your call and taste.. IMO canisters are awesome and is what works for me..
 
I love it. Plants are healthy, fish are healthy and tank does well. I run it with a powerhead that has a prefilter spnge on it to stop it from getting clogged. I have not touched the FBF part since I added it a year and a half ago.
 
Ahh...that was my next question..as which what type of sand filter you used. I may have to look into that, right now I've got a pressurized bed filter (pool filter style) running, and its doing ok...I thinkg my powerhead needs to be a bit bigger/better quality..


THanks for the imput!

Mike
 
time to break the silence!

To re-cap the past three months.

Spent a month in Singapore.
spent a month in texas/cali

Came home and started getting everything back in order.
Left for two weeks to Tennessee,

Came home and now Posting.

Sump is still something I'm shooting for.

I have a magnum 350 on its way
I have a fluval 304 too
I have another magnum 350 in the works
I have a cascade 500....to use as a paperweight


I may or may not have another fluval 304/5 filter as well.


Mike

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