John Lange
January 3rd 04, 11:58 PM
<<snip and snip again see bottom>>
Filtration would be by canister filter. Inside the tank, (before
anything is put in), place a UGF plate in the far-end, and connect a
horizontal run of pipe from the UGF plate to the wall-end. This plate
becomes a very wide filter strainer, not a UGF filter. It's location
makes it a continuously running gravel vacuum. It will be covered by
river stones (3/8" to 1" diameter). This type of an input will not clog
and is virtually maintenance-free (and you don't need to gravel vac
either). It is also unlikely that there will be much in the way of
aquascaping at the far-end, so a cleared area of river stones will fit
almost any bio-tope being planned. Stack a few low stones and/or low
driftwood in this area.
At the wall-end, install a 90 degree elbow and run a pipe up the middle
of the wall-end glass to a U fitting to run canister hose down inside the
This weekly backwashing of your filter and reversing flow direction
through your hoses will significantly increase the servicing interval
needed. With the right balance, your canister servicing interval may
only become an annual event.
Oh yeah, your filter return is at the wall-end, so you have nice
leisurely top-rear to front-bottom circulation, adaptable to almost any
bio-tope (you don't need high flow rates for their detritus pick-up power
as your sucking debris right off the bottom. Your slope from the far-end
to wall-end would rise (nothing dramatic, just enough for detritus to
roll downwards).
----------------------------------------
THIS INFO IS SO PERTINENT TO MY CURRENT PROJECT...
I am starting the planning stages for a 405g Plywood & Glass tank. 6' X 3' X
3'
I understand what you have here and am wondering about a later comment about
YOUR swimming pool filter. You have an 800g indoor pond. I was thinking
about the swimming pool filter for my project because it is basically a
sealed unit (canister) with little maintenance. Not sure about the capacity
needed for a 400g FW with local game fish, Bass, Muskie, Bluegill, etc.
(not to go into the game fish legality discussion)
What is your filter, what size and gph?
Never heard a swimming pool filter / pump run, are they noisy?
We are on city water with chlorine, NOT chloramines. Water changes... can
I do it like you discussed and just dump "Aqua Safe" or other chemical in to
treat the chlorine??? Prefilter the city water to remove the chlorine?
My stand will be 30" high with 24" inside height available. Will a swimming
pool filter fit in here?
In a plywood tank, what about a shower stall or garage floor drain built in
the bottom, or will compromising the structure of the bottom be a source of
failure?
> plastic drain pan in the top of an open canopy, and pumped water up to
> it, you could fill the canopy 'shelf' with a variety of terrestrial plants
Cool, this could be the return line from the filter, right? or is this tooo
much flow?
Thanks for ALL your help
JOhn ><>
Filtration would be by canister filter. Inside the tank, (before
anything is put in), place a UGF plate in the far-end, and connect a
horizontal run of pipe from the UGF plate to the wall-end. This plate
becomes a very wide filter strainer, not a UGF filter. It's location
makes it a continuously running gravel vacuum. It will be covered by
river stones (3/8" to 1" diameter). This type of an input will not clog
and is virtually maintenance-free (and you don't need to gravel vac
either). It is also unlikely that there will be much in the way of
aquascaping at the far-end, so a cleared area of river stones will fit
almost any bio-tope being planned. Stack a few low stones and/or low
driftwood in this area.
At the wall-end, install a 90 degree elbow and run a pipe up the middle
of the wall-end glass to a U fitting to run canister hose down inside the
This weekly backwashing of your filter and reversing flow direction
through your hoses will significantly increase the servicing interval
needed. With the right balance, your canister servicing interval may
only become an annual event.
Oh yeah, your filter return is at the wall-end, so you have nice
leisurely top-rear to front-bottom circulation, adaptable to almost any
bio-tope (you don't need high flow rates for their detritus pick-up power
as your sucking debris right off the bottom. Your slope from the far-end
to wall-end would rise (nothing dramatic, just enough for detritus to
roll downwards).
----------------------------------------
THIS INFO IS SO PERTINENT TO MY CURRENT PROJECT...
I am starting the planning stages for a 405g Plywood & Glass tank. 6' X 3' X
3'
I understand what you have here and am wondering about a later comment about
YOUR swimming pool filter. You have an 800g indoor pond. I was thinking
about the swimming pool filter for my project because it is basically a
sealed unit (canister) with little maintenance. Not sure about the capacity
needed for a 400g FW with local game fish, Bass, Muskie, Bluegill, etc.
(not to go into the game fish legality discussion)
What is your filter, what size and gph?
Never heard a swimming pool filter / pump run, are they noisy?
We are on city water with chlorine, NOT chloramines. Water changes... can
I do it like you discussed and just dump "Aqua Safe" or other chemical in to
treat the chlorine??? Prefilter the city water to remove the chlorine?
My stand will be 30" high with 24" inside height available. Will a swimming
pool filter fit in here?
In a plywood tank, what about a shower stall or garage floor drain built in
the bottom, or will compromising the structure of the bottom be a source of
failure?
> plastic drain pan in the top of an open canopy, and pumped water up to
> it, you could fill the canopy 'shelf' with a variety of terrestrial plants
Cool, this could be the return line from the filter, right? or is this tooo
much flow?
Thanks for ALL your help
JOhn ><>