DIY filter

[dee77]

this will be on a fish only tank and i will be getting a skimmer also, im not going to make a sump but this will be in the tank on a shelf or i will make a stand on the out side.

 

 

would this work if i got a bucket from home depot and run a pump to it then have it go threw felt bio balls and then back into the tank?

 

[grassi]

Put about 10 inches of playground sand instead. Nice flow, filtered inlet, no light (put the lid).

You will have better results

[dee77]

Put about 10 inches of playground sand instead. Nice flow, filtered inlet, no light (put the lid).

You will have better results

 

sand insted of bio balls and filter pad? and how often would i have to change it?

[CA2OR]

Bio Balls are a big no no in reef keeping from what I understand.

[dee77]

i know but it will be a fish only.. or would they still be bad?

[Rick]

Most fish only systems are using live rock instead now. (FOWLR) A deep sand bed will work similar to LR.

[reef165]

Bio Balls are a big no no in reef keeping from what I understand.

 

Wet drys are the no no, bio balls that are in a wet dry while wet they creat bacteria and when dry the bacteria dies off producing the bad, if the bio balls are wet all the time the bacteria grows and dosnt have the dieoff, so it dosn't produce the bad.

[dee77]

ok has any one done the play ground sand?

[grassi]

ok has any one done the play ground sand?

 

A guy named Antony Calfo

There is a million pages thread on RC

A DSB bucked works pretty well for nitrates

[dee77]

ok well i will give it a try do you know how often to change the sand

[Trautman]

i would be worth it to also get some egg-crate and pieces of plastic. then you can glue the plastic on the side, and have the egg crate rest in the plastic nubs. this would be good for making defined levels that each part of the filter can rest on. also, it might be worth it to use a different shape container if you do this, like a rubbermaid. this would be better for the egg-crate.

just out of curiosity, why no sump?

[dee77]

ok well i will give it a try do you know how often to change the sand

[Trautman]

change? take out?

IMO i would go with live rock rubble... 1$ per pound...

and you should never take out the sand, that is a disadvantage, because if debris gets in the sand, its not the best thing.

if you do LR then you can manage it much better. also

why no sump? you can do exactly what you are talking about with the same amount of money most likely with a sump, and you will have more options.

[ReeFit]

you have not defined what you are trying to do. for one, if this is a temporary tank setup for fish, you don't need to establish biological filtration in a separate aparatus, just put some live rock in with them and filter the water through a 200micron filtersock and be done with it. if you are trying to create some kind of a Fishonly tank then you will want some kind of permanent biological filtration and a fuge would probably be a good alternative to that with some cheato or calerpa in it, plus it will grow pods that fish like to eat.

[dee77]

there will be no sump because the skimmer will be inside or will be external the demsions are 68 1/2L 47W and 24 D it will not be temp i will also use it as a hospital tank.

[ReeFit]

there will be no sump because the skimmer will be inside or will be external the demsions are 68 1/2L 47W and 24 D it will not be temp i will also use it as a hospital tank.

 

if it is a hospital tank, it can not have any biological filtration if you treat with any kind of meds, it will taint your system. any rock and live sand will soak up the chemicals and leach them back into the water when you don't want it.

[dee77]

ok so what i planned on doing was having a skimmer some type of filter and some rock, then running it with copper would that work?

[ReeFit]

ok so what i planned on doing was having a skimmer some type of filter and some rock' date=' then running it with copper would that work?[/quote']

 

just know that once you put copper in the system, all the rock and sand, etc will be tainted and will probably never be useable in any other system but a hospital tank.

[jgf86123]

I was going to say the same thing, you can't let any of the rock sand or water anywhere near your reef tank, period

 

Same goes for the tank itself an the skimmer an any an all pumps, copper will leach into them, and any reef tank they go near afterwards will get copper in them, bad joojoo

[Rick]

I was going to say the same thing, you can't let any of the rock sand or water anywhere near your reef tank, period

 

Same goes for the tank itself an the skimmer an any an all pumps, copper will leach into them, and any reef tank they go near afterwards will get copper in them, bad joojoo

 

Agreed, especially anything acrylic which will leach copper into it pretty fast.

[CA2OR]

then you get on easy street because you wont have any coral to worry about....because it will all be dead.

 

You will kill it dead.