Filter Designs and What Has Worked For You

[Murphy]

Hi everyone. Just wondered what type of filters most of you are using. Homemade? store bought? Do you use a central system?.Do you have a sump area?. Wet/dry?. Hang on back? . Types of filter media in use ? and why?

I think it would be interesting to find out what's working for most people.
Thanks .........Peter

[elimon]

Hi Murphy,

I use a home made wet/dry sump and a aquaclear. It seems to work out real good.

Efren ;D

[limige]

i have a homemade wet/dry on my 190 gallon and i use hydro sponges in all my breeders. also keep some in the 190 to be safe.

i like wet/dries alot but it really helps to have drilled tanks. otherwise use sponges.

[GulfCoastDiscus]

I Like a common wet/dry filter for the breeder along with a sponge filter in each tank and only a sponge for all the other tank.

Dan

Depending on the number of tanks.
In small numbers. An Aquclear of various sizes work best for ease of maintenance, durability and reliablity.

Switch to Sponge filters for breeders before attachment and small fry with a constant drip system.

When the number of tanks increases. Cleaning intake filters becomes a chore and a burden for your daily maintenance.
Central system with wet/dry sump is the best. With an additional drip system added for constant W/C. You can have 40 tanks running and still have time to sit down to enjoy your fish with a beer in front of the tanks. I spend 1/2 hr. per day for feeding fresh food only. Autofed system takes care of the dry food like flakes and tetrabits. 50% W/C once a week with a fully automatic system.
Jimmy.

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Cool Jimmy,
I do the centralized on the breeders but the rest are hard labor with only a sponge. I like the constant drip system. Right now I'm working on a pvc overflow so I don't have to drill tanks.

Dan

Dan: Drilling tank is not a big deal. It's a lot easiler than you thought. It's harder to drill a hole for the door knob than the tank. I had been using the overflow system for over 20 years. In fact I'm still using it on the fry in the central system. I raise fry in my breeding tank by simply removing the parents and shuting off the valve for refilling, put an overflow with a drip instead of moving anything. My question to your overflow system is why do you need 2 pipes instead of one? Is it simply for balancing the pipes? I can make a few suggestions for your system if you don't mind. How do you make 100% change without breaking the siphoning effect of your system? how do you vary the water levels without changing the design of your system.
Jimmy.

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Hi Jimmy,
The reason for the two pipes to prevent losing the siphon when the water level falls below the overflow lip just like a box type overflow. With this design you only prime it once and it should stay primed. If you want to change the level then a shorter pipe can be installed.
Any suggestion is appreciated.

Dan

[GulfCoastDiscus]

Here's a better pic out of the water. I like you guys to know I did not design this. I found it somewhere.

dan

[Murphy]

This is great stuff.....keep it coming :thumbsup:

That's a better pic. I didn't see the extension from the previous pic. That will work fine. I also put an intake filter to prevent floating flakes and tetrabit get into the system. Have a constant drip and an automatic feeder going this system will save you on at least 30 min. a day. Good work.
Jimmy.

[Murphy]

The system that I'm building right now has a 40gal sump split into two chambers.The first chamber is the filter and the second is the sump where the pump is. The filtered water is pumped to the tanks and a barrel filled with plastic pot scrubbers that overflows into the first chamber of the sump to be re filtered again. It is also pumped into a bio tower filled with the pot scrubbers that goes to the first chamber to be re filtered.

[Haywire]

This double tube contraption, still can't figure it, I've got a sketch somewhere for a syphon that's working but it's on the other machine getting a nice new OS.

As for the original question,

Hydro sponges in each tank, plus a central system with a wet dry and soon to be added fluidized bed, then ultimately an aeration tower.