Creating a "SNTS" Filter, help!

[chinoanoah]

I'm building a SNTS (sit next to side) filter and I would like some advice from anyone who can offer any. This is the filter aka water pump that I bought and siliconed so that water is directed up an airline tube. I can fill the tupperware filter with water no problem, but how can i get the water back into the tank? (Yellow arrow) I realize I have basically built a HOB, but I am not sure where to put my spout back into the tank, and would like to use more air lines to return the water. Any ideas?

Also, I have 900mL activated carbon I bought and will get some sponges, any ideas on how to set up the media in the filter?

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

Here is a bio tower I built from 4 inch PVC, packed with plastic pot scrubbers. The long thin pipe goes in the tube, a pump forces water into it and fills it from the bottom, and it overflows back into the tank through the 2 inch tee section on top. So far it works great.

 

[chinoanoah]

That's great! Anyone have any ideas with how I should design mine?

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

if you take a hole saw drill and cut a 1" hole in the bottom of that pan, you can put a pipe threaded adapter in it (the type sold to put on a hot water heater overflow pan) and then, attach a hose or a hose barb on it to drain back in the tank...

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

that setup you have there actually would be perfect for a tank I have sitting beside a cabnet thats about 12 in taller than the top of my tank. brilliant!!

 

[chinoanoah]

Would putting the tube out of the bottom be better than the putting it out the top? I am thinking that putting the hose out of the bottom might keep the water level in my filter really low, meaning i'd have less water overall.

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

I'd put the outlet up high. what are you going to use as bio filter... plastic scrubbies, or bio-balls or.... what.


I'd put those in dry and then put the bottom of the hole abou 1/2 over the top of that level so your bio material is always covered.

Thats a good idea the more I think about it.

you could even rig a drip line coiled on top and put the hole down low, so the bio material has a max air exposure but always is wet.
Some do it that way and the bacteria grows faster/better/ thicker since it gets more air.

you would need to make a small spray bar or something.

IMO thats getting to complicated really, just having a fresh water flow over the stuff continuously works fine for my setups.

Then again, it depends on the bio load you are trying to keep clean.

How big is the tank
How many fish are in it
??

 

[chinoanoah]

10 gallon with only 3 tetras, a GBR and an oto

 

[krap101]

Normally people using sump-like devices use a pump/gravity to circulate the water. You could try for something like putting the "sump" lower and creating a siphon to get water and place the pump in the stns and have it pump the water back into the tank. (not sure if this is a sump-like application)

 

[chinoanoah]

Normally people using sump-like devices use a pump/gravity to circulate the water. You could try for something like putting the "sump" lower and creating a siphon to get water and place the pump in the stns and have it pump the water back into the tank. (not sure if this is a sump-like application)

Can you show me with a diagram?

 

[krap101]

Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

This site is the general sump idea.

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

10 gallon with only 3 tetras, a GBR and an oto

Your idea is overkill for that size tank. A standard HOB filter and the gravel on the bottom of the tank would be more than enough biofilter for 10 gal with 5 little fishys.

but if you are like me of course, I have to tinker and make trippy new stuff too, needed or not.


With that sized filter at least you wont have to worry much about getting one to many fish.

 

[chinoanoah]

These sumps seem like a bit much for a 10g FW, am i right?

Will my idea work for my simple endeavor?

Should I instead put it like this?

 

[krap101]

It should work, but I would agree, for a 10g+a HOB, that is kinda overkill

 

[chinoanoah]

I am kind of just tinkering, experimenting with plants, co2, building my own filter, all these things i am doing just so that one day when i live in a house i can not be a complete noob when I build my big planted tank...

 

[Nyquil Junkie]

well, those flat containers are cheap, make a couple a few different ways and see what works best.
I have piles of "didn't work so well" pieces.
LOL

here is a thing kinda like yours I made years ago, it actually worked very well. I got a big 2 gal watering can with a spout that was long enough to be usable, packed the inside with plastic pot scrubbers (I love those things) and then pumped water from the tank into the can, and placed the spout where it would flow back into the tank.

It took up to much room but it was fun to watch work.

 

[chinoanoah]

Hey thats a cool idea too. Maybe even making a legit fountain, next to a tank as a filter would be cool.