concealable filter

[aquazen]

I have recently been sketching out ideas for a 70G aquascape. Like any good aquascape, you don't want something 'foreign' to the scene to stand out too much, i.e. filter tubes, etc.

My knowledge of filters, beyond the power filters that I use, is severely lacking. I would greatly appreciate any advice on a concealable filter that can be fully immersed in a tank.

Thank you kindly.

[amosf]

A canister might be the least obvious while still offering good filtration. Or drill the tank and put in a wet/dry sump. Or an above tank wet/dry could also be concealed in the hood and the pump could be hidden in the tank and the filter could be home made 'real cheap' and be a very effective filter.

[jacktheknife]

i want to glue a bunch of rocks on and make it look like a waterfall.......

[gheitman]

I would definitely recommend going with a canister filter underneath your tank. That way you only have to obstruct the view of the inlet and outlet.

[chrism]

i switched to a caister... my tank looks sooo much bigger!! im growing some plants in front of the intake and then i'll only be able to see the outlet, but you could hide that better than i can as ive only got a 20G

On a 70g a canister would be a great option. If you really wanted to concel the intake and exhaust tubes of the canister. You could have a couple of holes drilled into the bottum of the tank and install bulkheads, prior to set up. Have the intake tube to where it just sticks up past the substrate. Do the same for the return. Depending on the return you choose (spraybar or jet) you could hide them with rocks, driftwood, plants etc...

If you really wanted some awesome filtration, you could do the same thing with a wet/dry sump. Building a 20 or 29g sump for a 70g tank would really increase your filtration and bioload limits. Not to mention a DIY sump can be built cheaper than the price of a large canister filter.

Check out this site. if you do some research and get a basic understanding of sumps, they really are'nt that confussing or hard to build.

http://www.melevsreef.com/what_sump.html

Edit: I forgot to mention. With a wet/dry filter you can place the heater in the sump. Eliminating another piece of equipment in the tank.

[jsoong]

I second the wet/dry idea. With a sump, Everything is in the sump, hidden & out of sight. The only thing in the tank is the inlet & outlet tubes.

[FishLover14]

Canister Filters are the way too go, try puttting rocks where it looks like a waterfall like jacktheknife said it looks awesome!

Dan

[TomK2]

I used two canister filters, and put a black background on. The black background makes it hard to see the fliter tubes, and even the slightest decoration in front of them makes them disappear. I also use an in-line heater, so there is no heater hanging in the tank. If I had a tank with built in overflows, I would use a sump.

[Fishyfanatic]

I agree with TomK. We have a 55 gal with a canister filtration unit and put on a black background. The plants stand out along with the coloring of the fish, taking attention away from the intake tube. It is barely noticeable.