A box with one wall...

[Enki]

Hey everybody,

I have an idea for a simple overflow tank mod, and I am hoping for some feedback.

I am no expert handyman . I like to keep it relatively simple, but why should the saltys have ALL the fun with PVC?

The tank I am designing for is a 40 gallon 'breeder' FW tank (36" x 18" x 17") with 2"-3" "pool filter sand" substrate. I am setting up for African shell dwelling cichlids, Lamprologus ocellatus, so the decor will be sand, shells and a few rocks. Not much stuff to hide pipes and heaters behind.

I want to use a canister filter. I want an overflow intake to avoid sand in the impeller. I like having my equipment hidden. What to do...

I've been playing around with a simple drawing program, to work out ideas, and I think I have hit on a winner. A single wall corner overflow 'box".

This is a sketch of the 'wall' cut from 1/4" acrylic, ~12" x ~16". The bottom corner notch is for the outlet pipe:

The wall is cemented into the corner at ~45 degree angle, cutting off 1 back corner from the rest of the tank.

The intake for the canister and the heater fit behind the wall and the output line runs down to the bottom, through the notch, and across the back bottom edge. The outlet line has 2 nozzles aligned to maximize water movement and surface agitation.

The best part is, IMHO, with an opaque wall and substrate in the tank, almost everything is already hidden.

So, what do you think? Am I reinventing the wheel? am I missing a fatal flaw? Do I have a winner?

 

[deli_conker]

Just make sure that your overflow holes let enough water through. Otherwise It might be like filling your bathtub at a rate that is more than the bathtub's overflow can handle (which equals a lot of water on the floor).

 

[BillyZ]

I like it. The plans look simple enough. My only thought is on the efficiancy of the heater. It may not be a real concern but here's what i'm thinking.

Water is only heated when it comes into the overflow area. That water is then drawn out of the tank into the fluval, then back into the tank. My concern is that the water will lose much of its heat as it flows through the fluval.... but I guess that's no different than water flowing through a sump then back to the tank so... nevermind.. I think you're all set!

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Is pool filter sand a good sand to use? I was under the impression that it was very sharp.

 

[ferret]

Is pool filter sand a good sand to use? I was under the impression that it was very sharp.

I don't personally know but this would be a major consideration for the fish he's talking about. They're rather small (2" max) diggers.

 

[Enki]

Thanks for the feedback!

From my research, pool filter sand is silica sand similar to play sand, only of more uniform size and color. It is also supposed to have a LOT less dust than play sand, I have read of folks losing up to 1/4 of their volume of play sand after rinsing out all the dust

I will double check its sharpness too, probably a good idea anyway. You never really know if 'pool filter sand' around here is going to be the same as somewhere else.

 

[JProx]

hey enki,
i have a question/concern about your setup. I forget the max head height of the fluval 404 (i have a 303 and it tops out at 6foot for head height) however my concern is that the fluval might not be powerful enough to return the water into the tank.you might want to double check it's head height, then measure the distance the water will have to travel to enter the tank. besides that though, i think you have a great setup.

 

[Enki]

Thanks for the compliment, I can't wait to see it come together!

Head height is something I had not considered until just yesterday actually.

It was right after I decided to go with the filstar xp 2, (On sale at drfostersmith.com BTW) I was reading some online installation info where it said the canister top needed to be between 24" and 55" inches below the waterline of the tank. I had not even thought it could be too high!

I guess it is as much a problem as being too low, this canister was designed to use the siphon pressure along with the pump power to operate properly, I imagine this is so for most canisters.

According to my calculations and estimates, I will be at about 35-38 inches down. Golden!

 

[JProx]

lol well i am kinda fighting a similar problem. I moved like 8months and dismantled my saltwater tank, at the time i was using the 303 as a chem/mech to power a fluidized bed filter. during the move, the stand was damaged, and recently i constructed a new one, i also have plans on building a wet/dry sump [and a overflow box] and refuge system thus removing the need for the 303, my orginal idea was to recyle the canister as a return pump untill i found it's orginal installation instructions which stats it needs be below the water line of the tank. since the sump will be at the lowest point of this setup, there is no way to plumb the canister into the system to operate as a return pump.
Try to save a few bucks, and got shot down i guess i will just get a mag drive 5, i wish i could have saved the 60bucks though but it was worth a shot. i might set up another fw tank (probably a 30gal goldfish tank or cichlid) and use the canister for that, but who knows.
hope you everything works out for you enki, you have a nice solid setup. you will have great results i am sure. maybe after everything is up and running posting some pics of it in operation ?
last piece of advice, which i am sure your aware of though. there is a large variety of plants you can buy that will grow to the top of the tank, that can be used to hide unsightly filter hoses, heaters, ect.

 

[Enki]

I like the idea of using the canister to run the fluidized bed, how well did it work?

Could you raise the sump on the new project so the water levels worked out better?

I like plants, but these fish are digging machines. I might give them some Java fern to beat up on, but that is probably it.

 

[JProx]

The canister/fed filter worked pretty well, amid some minor complications. The fluidized bed filter I was using was a sea storm (made by coralife, I believe) it was generation 1 of fluidized bed filters, I think. I read an article back in 96 about them, went to thatpetplace found this one, for 20bucks and bought it.

the biggest problem was limiting the water output of the canister filter. as you might know the bed filter has to reach a point of saturation (or fluidization) to be effective. Basically all the sand like particles have to be thrown around and mixed well with the incoming water. if you do not get the right amount of water pressure, chaos can ensue or the bed filter becomes completely useless.

my biggest problem was over fluidization, where the sand like particles would be ejected from the bed filter, and get lodged into the output (of the bed filter) hose, or worse yet into the tank.

I was using a fluval 303 with all stock plumbing parts. my unit came with water control values for both the incoming and outcoming hoses; I used the output value to control the water pressure for the bed filter. it just took a lot of fine adjustments to get the bed filter working optimally. looking back i could have made life a lot easier getting a better (more sensitive) valve but hindsight is always 20/20 lol. i would clean out the canister every month, and by doing so i would have to re adjust the output for the bed filter every month, i really wish i would have used my head more back then.
last comment on bed filters: my sea storm was a pretty crappy model as compared to the new stock especially the model made by rainbow. that one has a built in control value that makes those fine adjustments easier, and a better diffuser plate to ensure more fluidization, both features not present on my sea storm. i am setting up a 55 gallon tank sw tank soon, and i still haven't made up my mind, whether it will be reef or fowlr. if it's a reef tank, then i won't use the bed filter, if it's fowlr then i will probably replace the sea storm with the rainbow model and use my head this time in it's plumbing.

well i could raise the sump to use the canister, but i'll run into some problems. the stand is 30inches tall, 13inches in width, 48inches in length, the sump is going to probably end up being a 10gal or 15h tank [which are both 20inches tall] so i would most likely have to drill into the side or bottom of the tank, install a bulkhead then plumb that into the canister for the return. expect it's very hard to drill glass tanks, and most attempts will end in a full pane being shattered, and even if you don't shatter the glass in the drilling process, you induce micro fractures and those could eventually give away at any time. my other idea was use a rubbermaid - sort of plastic container for the sump, however i can't find one that meets the width requirement, and the volume. i am sort of shooting for a 10-15gal range. i have checked a bunch of plastic vendors online for a container that does meet my requirements but no luck yet. another thought was get some acrylic and build my own sump, but that will cost just about the same as the mag drive pump. then after taking all that into account, it would probably be just easier to buy a 60dollar pump and a 10 gal tank and miss out on these hassles. lol

well java ferns can take a good beating, and i have heard of people using little plastic baskets (similar to how people use burlap in above water plants/trees) and plant the ferns into those baskets, then plant the assembly in the tank. i have never tried it personally but it makes sense to me.

if you have any more questions, just let me know.

 

[dansemacabre]

Sort of off-topic, but on my african cichlid tank, I have an XP3, and I love it. The compartments, the self-priming, it's great. I'm under the natural assumption the XP2 is just as grand. Good choice on that! =]