Modern External filter design

[Aqua sobriquet]

I’ve been running an Eheim 2213 which is the only size in the Classic range that has a media basket. It seems like a good idea and I used it to start with. It became apparent though that some of the water bypasses the bottom of the basket and goes up the outside, depositing detritus onto the top of the media. Not a big deal but not what I expected to happen. I’ve now removed the media basket and just stacked the foams and media directly into the canister.
I also have two other external filters, a Tetra and a Sera and they both exhibit a certain amount of bypass as well. This has made the biological media physically dirtier than it should have got. I’m not sure if this is of concern or not but it didn’t happen in my old filters 20+ years ago.

 

[tiger15]

I think all filters that have external plumbing are vulnerable to leak. If sturdy home plumbing can leak, so can but more vulnerable with flexible hoses, clamps, O ring and connectors in external filters. External filters include all canister and sump filters with external hoses. Filter plumbing can fail mechanically from wear and tear, and from human error due to repeated assembly and disassembly in cleaning. There is no superior canister brand that will never fail.

I have 75 and 125 gal show tanks on hardwood floor in my living area. I notice that canister is most popular with planted tanks, and sump filter for big tanks over 100 gal. I chose not to have either as I’m paranoid of flooding and tank draining accidents, and the only sure way to prevent accident is to avoid filters with external plumbing. My choice of filters are double HOBs for my 75 and triple HOBs for my 125, and both have CO2 reactors driven by power head. With zero external plumbing, I can sleep well at night.

 

[Zeus.]

Planning to have all filters/pumps/reactors/CO2/heaters in room below tanks when I move as new house has extensive cellar/garage below living area. So two/four hoses/pipes going though floor and all filters/pumps/reactors/CO2/heaters at working height in cellar/garage - well that's the plan 🙄

 

[Wookii]

Planning to have all filters/pumps/reactors/CO2/heaters in room below tanks when I move as new house has extensive cellar/garage below living area. So two/four hoses/pipes going though floor and all filters/pumps/reactors/CO2/heaters at working height in cellar/garage - well that's the plan 🙄

Sounds like a shared sump would work Karl?

 

[Zeus.]

Sounds like a shared sump would work Karl

A Canister is a Sump with a lid 😉, but yes may do a sump

 

[Wookii]

A Canister is a Sump with a lid 😉, but yes may do a sump

Lol not really - it will allow you much more flexibility, and multiple return pumps for different tanks. It is the way I intend to go we end up moving to somewhere I can utilise a centralised ‘processing’ room (read; utility room).

 

[Zeus.]

it will allow you much more flexibility, and multiple return pumps for different tanks. It is the way I intend to go we end up moving to somewhere I can utilise a centralised ‘processing’ room

Tanks will not be that close, plus wife not keens on the word 'tanks' and prefers 'tank' - So I have put four in the Google Sketchup I have done so far to keep her on her toes


Plus spares in cellar/garage😇

 

[tiger15]

A Canister is a Sump with a lid 😉, but yes may do a sump

A canister is very different from a sump system with a lid. A canister system is closed and pressurized. When a canister leaks, it can shoot out a fountain, and can go anaerobic in extended power outage . A sump system is open to the atmosphere, and stays aerobic even in power outage.

I am not sure how you pipe your sump system to the basement. Hard plumbing with drilled holes and PVC pipe is safer than flexible hose with overflow box. In either case, it is not energy efficient as it is necessary to pump water up pipes to overcome gravity and frictional head loss.

The safest place to place tanks is in the basement where flooding is less damaging and won't make a big mess. But then no one can appreciate it in hidden basement, so it was my dilemma to move my show tanks up onto my living area. My choice of HOBs isn't the prettiest nor low maintenance system, but likely the safest and energy efficient one.

 

[robinj]

IMHO, the ideal would be to have some kind of a bathroom drain directly close or under the tank. I think it would be easy to do in the house with crawl space. The other thing is aesthetics...
It will not save everything, but there will not be hundred of litres on the floor.