Hi .. I'm not sure if this is a dumb idea, but if it isn't, I think I'll still need some advice. Apologies for the long screed. I'm still fairly new to UKAPS and this is my first real post on here, apart from the intro a week or so ago.
Background: returning to fishkeeping after a lay-off of c. 20 years, previously kept fish for 10 or 15 years, livebearers, breeding corys and danios; tanks with a mix of undergravels and sponge filters. No real aquascaping, modest planting with vallis, swords, moss. I never had serious issues with algae, but lighting was modest, a single fluorescent over most tanks.
Plans: I have a Blau cube, 45 x 45 x 45, c. 90 litres. I plan a low-tech tank, well planted, with a modest stocking level of simple fish (a ffew platys and a shoal of tetras). I'm currently growing on plants in a couple of small tanks.
Possibly mad idea: I'm considering a smaller tank set behind the Blau, something like a 30cm cube, with a Matten sponge as a divider, with a lily pipe set, input and output either side of the Matten. The tank tops at the same level, of course. So, sort of a sump. I would use it to hold the heater, and I'm also considering a UV. In the past, running a large koi and goldfish pond (as in, c. 8 x 5m with a header pond) adding a UV made a noticeable difference to water clarity and fish health. They're not a catch-all solution to anything, just part of the overall management.. I've been looking at the FishRFun 9watt UV, (here) which has a powerhead, which I'm hoping I could connect to the lily pipe that returns water to the main tank. I'm not looking for a fast flow rate through the sump.
Advantages of the sump, as usual, keeping the main tank uncluttered, adding water volume, plus it would be a backup space for, e.g. livebearers birthing.
So, questions: a) is it a mad idea, and b) in terms of flow rates, does the modest powerhead on the UV likely work with lily pipes and the flow through the Matten? As far as flow within the main tank, I'd likely add in a separate wavemaker or powerhead, purely to get movement around the tank.
Plus, of course, c) .. any advice gratefully received.
If you read this far .. thank you!
Background: returning to fishkeeping after a lay-off of c. 20 years, previously kept fish for 10 or 15 years, livebearers, breeding corys and danios; tanks with a mix of undergravels and sponge filters. No real aquascaping, modest planting with vallis, swords, moss. I never had serious issues with algae, but lighting was modest, a single fluorescent over most tanks.
Plans: I have a Blau cube, 45 x 45 x 45, c. 90 litres. I plan a low-tech tank, well planted, with a modest stocking level of simple fish (a ffew platys and a shoal of tetras). I'm currently growing on plants in a couple of small tanks.
Possibly mad idea: I'm considering a smaller tank set behind the Blau, something like a 30cm cube, with a Matten sponge as a divider, with a lily pipe set, input and output either side of the Matten. The tank tops at the same level, of course. So, sort of a sump. I would use it to hold the heater, and I'm also considering a UV. In the past, running a large koi and goldfish pond (as in, c. 8 x 5m with a header pond) adding a UV made a noticeable difference to water clarity and fish health. They're not a catch-all solution to anything, just part of the overall management.. I've been looking at the FishRFun 9watt UV, (here) which has a powerhead, which I'm hoping I could connect to the lily pipe that returns water to the main tank. I'm not looking for a fast flow rate through the sump.
Advantages of the sump, as usual, keeping the main tank uncluttered, adding water volume, plus it would be a backup space for, e.g. livebearers birthing.
So, questions: a) is it a mad idea, and b) in terms of flow rates, does the modest powerhead on the UV likely work with lily pipes and the flow through the Matten? As far as flow within the main tank, I'd likely add in a separate wavemaker or powerhead, purely to get movement around the tank.
Plus, of course, c) .. any advice gratefully received.
If you read this far .. thank you!
