filtration on a 210g

[SmellsFishy0]

hey folks.....ok i have a question. i got this 210g aquarium dirt cheap and its reefready so it has the overflows in it.....now i was wondering if its worth my time converting it to freshwater by makin the over flows functional.....or do i bring the water up to the overflow line and just use a canister or some other kinda filtration ....or do i try to take the risk of leaks by takin the over flows out and tryin to patch up this holes on the bottom......if anyone of ya ever doen anything like this please gimme some ideas ....if it seems to be to much of a pain imma just sell it.....but damn it be cool to have a 210g discus tank :P------thanks in advanced-----AndyM

[Cosmo]

If I were you, I'd get myself a good wet/dry and use the overflows.. but that's just me.

I currently use cannisters and they work just fine, but, the w/d is supposed to be the ultimate and you're half way there :)

wouldn't try pluggin em.. but hey, that's just me.

good luck...

Jim

[SmellsFishy0]

cosmo whatcha mean halfway there ???.....lol and is that the only filtration i would need? ...thanks -----AndyM

[Cosmo]

In theory, if you get a big enough wet/dry and the right sized pump I believe this should be sufficient. The wet/dry gives you mechanical and biological filtration, and it's easy to add carbon if you ever need to filter out meds etc. Plus, you can put heaters and probes in the sump rather than the tank..

Probably best to get feedback from someone that uses one though :)

I had the chance to buy a tank with the overflows and plumbing for the same price as without but passed cause I already had the cannisters.. kicking myself and then again not for not going with the overflows ???

Besides, don't ya think it'll look a little funny, and possibly messy, if you keep the water below the overflows?? Is the plumbing there too? or would you have to buy it?

What you already have, and what you're willing to spend plays a role as well ;D

best of luck though and keep us posted..
Jim

[Dkarc@Aol.com]

I would have 2-3 large sponge filters in the tank also. Just to have insurance incase the w/d crashes and to have a biological filter ready to move to a QT tank when needed.

-Ryan

[henryD]

AndyM,

I do this all the time. I normally buy used tanks. I love the large size ones and love acrylic tanks. So most of the ones I find happen to be reef tanks or salt tanks. (Now salt people are some crazy fish keepers. Spending big amount of $$$$). I have converted about 6 tanks so far. Biggest being a 240 I have sitting in storage.

If you don't want to go with w/d. You can plug up the bulkhead at the bottom with a pvc cap from Home Depot. Just some pvc glue and your good to go. Pretty easy to do and reservable should you decide you want to go w/d later on.

My personal perference is to go with a w/d. I think they provide the best mechanical/biological filter. Now normally those can cost around 200-400 depending on how big. You can also build one on your own for 1/4 of the cost. Should you decide you want to do it. Let me know. I will post a step by step on how to build one yourself.

I happen to be thinking of building one for my 100 gallon tank.


Henry

[SmellsFishy0]

hey all.....i didnt get any of the plumbing......just the tank thats it.....along with a 180g reefready (that leaks) and a 125 with stand n hood for a steal so i couldnt turn it down..... they were bought to resell....but i have to admit, i keep havin visions of the 210 full of discus dancin in my head ......it seem a wet/dry is the way to go and if doin a diy isnt so hard id be intrested in tryin it.....so henry if or when the times comes your help would be appreciated....thanks again -----AndyM

[jaydoc]

I use a 175 gallon reef ready bowfront tank with a wet/dry and I love it. There are afew little issues with the set up ( Like keeping the floating food out of the overflows) but it is manageble and it looks great without all the other clutter of sponges etc. I do have one AC 500 on it for back-up/ extra bio purposes.Here is an older pic of my first juveniles in the tank.

[henryD]

Andy,

Can you take a pic of the tanks? This way I know what your working with.

Also if the other tanks leak I can help you fix them up no problem. Like I said. I buy used tank all the time and it is part of the package of buying used tanks.

Henry

[mikeos]

WD/sump filtration is the only way to go for display, massive bio capacity, additional water capacity, easy maintenance, and cheap to boot.

MAke your own, you need a tank about 20-25% vol of main tank, so 40-50 gal or so, pump to turn over about 3-4x/h max so 700gal/h or whatever. Plenty of plans for layout & filling on the SD forum or elsewhere on the net.

IME less than half the cost of canisters, less plumbing & junk in the tank, and a huge increase in bio capacity. Big canisters hold what, about a gal or so of media? in a sump that size I would have 15-20 gal, bio-balls, alfagrog & mat.

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: Andy, agree with Mike, I have a W/D on my 90g tank, which is the oldest tank I have. Was leftover from my days of SW fish, & I wasn't sure I wanted to use it when I got into discus. But now I love it, much less maintenance, more useful, & I'm sure when I move & set up more tanks, I'll get into more. Mine was bought commercial for the SW, but there are several threads in the DIY section(s) for making them a lot cheaper. So, Go For It!!!!!!!!!! You won't be sorry, & Henry & others can help, JMO, Dottie ;D ;D

[slicksta]

smelly....
I would use the overflows and a wet/dry....you wont be sorry....

jaydoc....
I have a similar set-up on a 155g
I use a feeding ring for floating food.....works well...actually 3..to keep the fighting down
Curious...how do you have yours plumb'd
I use one overflow as an in and one as an out....this way you get a slow steady current from one end to the other.....

[SmellsFishy0]

hey jaydoc nice pic and slicksta feeding righ is a slick idea.....thanks everyone for your replys it helped me make my mind up....and henry as soon as i can get a few pics of the tank up close i will post.....-----AndyM

[SmellsFishy0]

hey henry could u email me ya email address.....im havin picture postin issues ...mine smellsfishy0@aol.com...thanks

[jaydoc]

Slicksta,
I have two small wet/dry filters-one at each end. They each have their own pump. This created a problem at first because the flow into each sump was not identical so over the course of a few hours, one sump would effectively pump itself dry. I fixed this by running a siphon between the two sumps and now they equilibrate to each other. I have a similar feeding ring setup but I still have some trouble with sinking pellets of Tetrabits getting stirred back up in the current and going into the overflows. I know that this wouldn't happen if I shut the pumps off but the biggest problem is during the day when I am gone and the automatic feeder goes off. Small problem, corrected by frequent cleaning of prefilters, which I feel needs done anyway. Also notice the grey plastic fill tube in the back left corner and the grey plastic drain tube in the right corner. The current in the tank is set up so that all waste accumulates in the right hand corner. When I turn on my drain, everything gets sucked up! I don't have to hand siphon the tank and only take the canopy off to clean the prefilter or wipe the tank down every few days. The fill tube is plumbed to my holding system in the basement.