hi all im in the early stages of a new 180uk gal tank build and i had an idea for increased filtration ....this is how it goes??????? inside the back of the tank im fixing in a piece of glass the whole size of the back of the tank 30mm off the original tank back stuck in with aquarium silicone............as you look through the front of the tank at the new glass back..there is a 3"hole in the bottom left corner about 3"up from the bottom and 3"in from the left end of the the new glass back.........there is also a 1"hole in the top right corner 3" deeper than the water level....thus creating a cavity of 30mm at the back with a 3"inlet at the bottom left and a 1"outlet at the top right.....the 3"hole has a grille that fits in it ........the cavity will be filled with bio balls and the inlet of an fx5 pushed into the 1"hole in the top right corner!!!!!!!!!!!!!drawing the water through filter media 72"x30"....then through the fx5...then back into the tank through the standard method for inlet pipes on external filters,a back ground will then be stuck onto the inside of the new glass back ....hiding all the media and giving the impression that all is normal with the tank....the only water displace ment will be by the bio balls... that is extremly minimal,and i only lose 30mm/1" of space in the tank ...so a 24"wide tank will become a 23" WHAT DO YOU THINK????????.......feedback please on this ..thanks to all who give their input on this it will be greatly received thanks

the way you discribe the concept, i can see it will work.
i am just confused on which element are you gonna bore a hole,
the adapter box or the main glass wall. if it is at the main glass
wall, i am not in favor. any bore in the main wall is suceptible to
water leaks and i believe you dont like that. the way i visualized
your design, it is something like a compartment inside the main tank
that will hold filter media and bioballs where the water will pass thru
catching the dirt in the process. am i right? i hope you can post a picture
once done so that we can deliberate the pros and cons.

i used to design filtration in the food processing, brewery, sewer and
sanitation system, cooling tower system, and swimming pool system. the
best way to filter any thing is to put the filtering media in-between the
suction point and the discharge point. the pump will be more effecient if
there is not empediment in the suction line. it is better to put some pressure
at the discharge rather than vaccum effect at the suction.

thanks paul ..the only holes will be in the new panel of glass....the original tank wont be toutched at all...however i do have to remove the top strap on the tank in order to get the new glass back with the inlet and outlet holes bored in it ...then of course once the new pannel is stuck in place 1"/2"off the back of the tank the top strap will be secured back in place !!!!!!what do you think ???????????????

that is how i imagine the concept. it will be perfect.

this will give me a media surface area of 72"x30"x2" HUGE!!!!surely this can be great filtration before the water goes through the filtration in the fx5 ..i hope i wont have to run 2 fx5,s this way as the one filter will have a massive media surface

i just want to reiterate the concept of filtration.
media plays important role but cycle of the water is
also paramount in the system. media surface will take
care of the catching and holding the dirt as well as
the good bacteria but number of water cycle is also
needed to keep it in good condition.

have you thought about how your going to clean the media?
other than that your idea is sound to me however wouldnt a sump be a little easier? just wondering

PAUL wrote:


your post has me confused here what exactly is the number of water cycle? im not a noob and i have a fairly good knowledge of fitration and how to keep a healthy tank but i really dont know what your talking about.

im always willing to hear new ideas and concepts but im at a loss here. any clarification would really be appreciated

the media will be placed in mesh bags made from landing net mesh(for fishing)sewn into roughly 9"x30"x2" bags with drawcords on top of each bag so the 9"sections can be removed one at a time simply by lifting the bags out at the top allowing small amounts of media to be cleaned at a time ,very easily,the cleaner bags can then be slid allong to the dirty end and clean ones re inserted ,also you can combine media in any combination you like with these bags and even cutting filter foam or polishing foam into the 9"x30"x2" rectangles and simply slide them in ....the reason for using landing net mesh is it has a very open weave ,so as it wont clog and its rot proof and fish friendly....its not easier to use a sump IMHO as the sump for this ammount of filter material would have to be of conciderable size and cost a lot more to buildand need much more space to house than one simple piece of glass or perspex/acrylic, the external filter can be housed in one end cupboard as normal and im sure once the water is running over that huge media surface area the good bacteria will keep the water good ....please remember the water is then going to enter its seccond filtering process via the fx5= 2500 lph before returning to the tank ....thanks for the input,..hoping for more

didnt think about bagging the media for easy removal and replacement. sounds good to me and should really help in the biological filtration on your tank. with this design you can use the fx5 for more mechanical fitration.

good luck with this and let us know how it turns out for ya

or if you want you can make two 1" holes for two fx5,s to draw through the media but i think one fx5 filter will do the job ...more input apreciated please..

necromancer4 wrote:
your post has me confused here what exactly is the number of water cycle? im not a noob and i have a fairly good knowledge of fitration and how to keep a healthy tank but i really dont know what your talking about.

im always willing to hear new ideas and concepts but im at a loss here. any clarification would really be appreciated[/quote]

water cycle means if you have 75 gal tank, you filtering
system must have a capacity of say 75 x 5 cycle for one hr,
depending of type of your filtering system.

for 670 gallon, one could have a lee-way in the cycle because
of the volume, unless it is over populated. that size of tank,
one could remain calm without worrying of ammonia spike, nitrate,
nitrites, with a good filtration. however, even how big is your
tank is but without adequate cycle, you will be prone to water
problem.