MarbleShark
Active Member
Ok so I am curious about the group's opinion on this...
Cannister Filter or Sump for say.. 90g Saltwater Reef tank.
Ready.... GO!
Cannister Filter or Sump for say.. 90g Saltwater Reef tank.
Ready.... GO!
Filtration Debate!
- Thread starter MarbleShark
- Start date
Pat24601
Well-Known Member
For a reek tank, I think there is no debate. Canister filters are nitrate factories and aren't a common feature at all from anything I've seen.
For freshwater planted tanks, totally different story.
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Got to agree with @Pat24601. Canister filters can be used on SW systems, but they are vastly inferior in this use. For a 90 gal tank reef, a canister would be a poor second choice.
Don't get me wrong, in certain kinds of aquarium systems canisters are ideal. I use an Eheim Pro3e on my 90 gal FW planted tank. In this case, it being a nitrate "factory" and oxygen consumer is a big plus. Plants got to feed on something.
Another factor is that if your willing to do a lot of DIY projects on your filtration system, you can build most of the parts of the sump and overflow yourself. In some cased this can even cost less than a canister filter. OTOH, if your buying everything, it's likely a sump and overflow will cost a lot more.
Don't get me wrong, in certain kinds of aquarium systems canisters are ideal. I use an Eheim Pro3e on my 90 gal FW planted tank. In this case, it being a nitrate "factory" and oxygen consumer is a big plus. Plants got to feed on something.
Another factor is that if your willing to do a lot of DIY projects on your filtration system, you can build most of the parts of the sump and overflow yourself. In some cased this can even cost less than a canister filter. OTOH, if your buying everything, it's likely a sump and overflow will cost a lot more.
MarbleShark
Active Member
It is a pre-drilled tank and I found someone that is going to make it for me. I just have to measure and such when I get home. This is the basic concept of partitioning that I am going to go for in the design. Simple yet effective in my opinion. 
This kind of sump design is ok. it will work, but you can do a lot better.
My big problem with it is placing the refugium in the middle. With a refugium, you generally want fairly slow water movement it in. Far less than what you get out of your filtration system. Another problem is that refugiums in this position tend to trap a lot of dirt. It becomes, in effect, a settling area for any thing not picked up by the skimmer. I recommend doing the refugium either as a separate tank or placing it at the right end. Either way it's fed from a T and valve off the main return pump.
A note on refugiums. To really do any good the refugium needs to be fairly large. Most of the smaller refugiums, especially those hang on the tank models, are far too small to really be effective. I sometimes refer to them as "feel good" refugiums.
A minor thing is the 3 baffles between the refugium and return. This is a bubble trap to keep micro bubbles from the skimmer from going into the return pump. You'll get better results placing it after the skimmer section. As a note the last baffle doesn't really do anything, but people seem to love them.
My big problem with it is placing the refugium in the middle. With a refugium, you generally want fairly slow water movement it in. Far less than what you get out of your filtration system. Another problem is that refugiums in this position tend to trap a lot of dirt. It becomes, in effect, a settling area for any thing not picked up by the skimmer. I recommend doing the refugium either as a separate tank or placing it at the right end. Either way it's fed from a T and valve off the main return pump.
A note on refugiums. To really do any good the refugium needs to be fairly large. Most of the smaller refugiums, especially those hang on the tank models, are far too small to really be effective. I sometimes refer to them as "feel good" refugiums.
A minor thing is the 3 baffles between the refugium and return. This is a bubble trap to keep micro bubbles from the skimmer from going into the return pump. You'll get better results placing it after the skimmer section. As a note the last baffle doesn't really do anything, but people seem to love them.
Florida Sunshine
Member
Sump with a good skimmer any day! Nice to have a canister around for the occasional cleaning as stated above but for your primary filtration a sump is the best way to go IMHO.
oneofmany
New Member
I like to keep things simple, a return pump, a heater and an efficient skimmer. Maybe an ATO as well. Keep all the compartments bare and just focus on the DT.
Running a filter sock, a HOB filter or a canister filter for a few hours during a water change is a good idea too though.
Running a filter sock, a HOB filter or a canister filter for a few hours during a water change is a good idea too though.
MarbleShark
Active Member
I am trying to come up with the design for the sump that I am having made and the problem I am having is trying to come up with a design that will fit in the standard stand that came with the tank.
For a 90 gallon tank what is the estimated water volume that it should hold?
The sump that I am thinking is 2ft 6in L x 1ft W x 1dt 4in H.. but then I am wondering if that is too small.. I just would hate to have this custom sump built and then it not fit in the stand.
For a 90 gallon tank what is the estimated water volume that it should hold?
The sump that I am thinking is 2ft 6in L x 1ft W x 1dt 4in H.. but then I am wondering if that is too small.. I just would hate to have this custom sump built and then it not fit in the stand.
That's the whole trick, isn't it? Placing a sump in the stand also requires that you can remove the sump if there is an issue with it. With the way a typical 90 gal stand is put together, this can be difficult.
If your building your own stand things work out a lot better because you can leave the entire back open or make the outer shell removable.
If money is no object, you can have a custom sump made to almost any size. If your going to build a sump, several standard tank sizes will work fairly well. A 20 long, standard 30 or 40 breeder would all work, depending upon your stand design.
Personally, I found the best solution was to leave about 20 inches between the tank and wall and put the sump behind the tank. That way it's easy to get at and the tank hides the sump. However, a lot of people seem to feel that the sump "must" reside inside the stand.
If your building your own stand things work out a lot better because you can leave the entire back open or make the outer shell removable.
If money is no object, you can have a custom sump made to almost any size. If your going to build a sump, several standard tank sizes will work fairly well. A 20 long, standard 30 or 40 breeder would all work, depending upon your stand design.
Personally, I found the best solution was to leave about 20 inches between the tank and wall and put the sump behind the tank. That way it's easy to get at and the tank hides the sump. However, a lot of people seem to feel that the sump "must" reside inside the stand.
MarbleShark
Active Member
Yeah since the tank is going in the living room my fiance wants the sump to go inside the stand. I have someone possibly building the sump for me and I am going to take pictures and a video for him tonight and send it to him.
Witfull
Well-Known Member
If you wanted to, you could go super fancy and build a room just wide enough for a door. Think tiny closet. Plumb through the wall and have everything out of sight, easily accessible, and quiet. Also gives a place to store assorted needed items.
Sent from Capt. Kirk's communicator
Sent from Capt. Kirk's communicator
MarbleShark
Active Member
Lol if this was my house I would.