Post by sdboers on Sept 18, 2014 10:46:37 GMT -5
After a boat load of reading from the AAP website, I have some questions about filtration...
I currently run 2 Eheim Pro II 2028 canister filters on a 135 gallon fully stocked cichlid tank (approximately 45 mature cichlids from 4" to 9"). I bought the setup second hand and stocked, so the setup was not my choice. It seems to be running quite well, but I'd say there is room for improvement. My wife doesn't know it - but I view this 135g as my "starter" tank, so the filtration I put in place now should be able to scale up
So - water quality concerns... The water appears fairly clear when viewing through the front, but there are some visible particulates floating in the water. I dramatically improved water clarity by adding filter floss in a cutoff water bottle to the intake of my two maxi-jet 1200s. Looking through the end of the tank (through 6 feet of water), there is a definite yellow/green tinge to the water (not really visible from the front) and it's not as clear as I'd like - slightly cloudy. I'm trying to get that "crystal clear", "fish floating in air" look.
After reading about the fluidized bed filters - these just seem like the way to go to me for the biological portion of filtering... I love the simplicity and capacity. I like divorcing the filter from the pump so they can be serviced / replaced separately. I also like the look. I think with a bit of LED back lighting these could add some real visual appeal to the whole tank setup. In a mad scientist sort of way... Now for the first real question. I understand from the reading that if the canister is tall enough you'll be able to benefit from both aerobic (bottom) and anaerobic (top) filtration, with the anaerobic helping to control nitrates. How tall is tall enough? Can you overdo it with these filters? My thought was to run two TMC Model #1500 Filters (the tallest) - one at each end of the tank. Obviously this would more than handle the ammonia and nitrites, and I'm thinking would do a pretty good job on the nitrates as well. In order to re-oxygenate the water, I was thinking about one continuous 6 foot long spray bar at the back of the tank - fed at each end by the return of the filter.
Now - in order to handle the mechanical filtration - prior to the biological filtration - I was thinking I would feed the fluidized bed filters with a pair of submersible pumps that pull their supply through a bed of filter floss. Filter floss is cheap and easily pulled out and replaced multiple times a week if necessary.
Last thing I would add - if and when I can afford it - is a UV sterilizer fed by it's own pump with a controlled flow.
Is this a good setup? A terrible idea? Overkill, yes - but over over kill?
Sean.
I currently run 2 Eheim Pro II 2028 canister filters on a 135 gallon fully stocked cichlid tank (approximately 45 mature cichlids from 4" to 9"). I bought the setup second hand and stocked, so the setup was not my choice. It seems to be running quite well, but I'd say there is room for improvement. My wife doesn't know it - but I view this 135g as my "starter" tank, so the filtration I put in place now should be able to scale up
So - water quality concerns... The water appears fairly clear when viewing through the front, but there are some visible particulates floating in the water. I dramatically improved water clarity by adding filter floss in a cutoff water bottle to the intake of my two maxi-jet 1200s. Looking through the end of the tank (through 6 feet of water), there is a definite yellow/green tinge to the water (not really visible from the front) and it's not as clear as I'd like - slightly cloudy. I'm trying to get that "crystal clear", "fish floating in air" look.
After reading about the fluidized bed filters - these just seem like the way to go to me for the biological portion of filtering... I love the simplicity and capacity. I like divorcing the filter from the pump so they can be serviced / replaced separately. I also like the look. I think with a bit of LED back lighting these could add some real visual appeal to the whole tank setup. In a mad scientist sort of way...
Now for the first real question. I understand from the reading that if the canister is tall enough you'll be able to benefit from both aerobic (bottom) and anaerobic (top) filtration, with the anaerobic helping to control nitrates. How tall is tall enough? Can you overdo it with these filters? My thought was to run two TMC Model #1500 Filters (the tallest) - one at each end of the tank. Obviously this would more than handle the ammonia and nitrites, and I'm thinking would do a pretty good job on the nitrates as well. In order to re-oxygenate the water, I was thinking about one continuous 6 foot long spray bar at the back of the tank - fed at each end by the return of the filter.Now - in order to handle the mechanical filtration - prior to the biological filtration - I was thinking I would feed the fluidized bed filters with a pair of submersible pumps that pull their supply through a bed of filter floss. Filter floss is cheap and easily pulled out and replaced multiple times a week if necessary.
Last thing I would add - if and when I can afford it - is a UV sterilizer fed by it's own pump with a controlled flow.
Is this a good setup? A terrible idea? Overkill, yes - but over over kill?
Sean.
