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I am sure we have done this before? Unfortunately for me, your diagram is difficult to understand! So the pump supply comes directly out of the bottom of the tank through a drilled hole? I assume you will have a very good quality ball valve to isolate this facility and enable you to safety...

Noise factor may pay a part too, small impellers require high revs and larger ones require more power, I would guess manufacturers take a lot of things into consideration when marketing their products. Most pumps that produce a high head of water like swimming pool pumps or central heating...

There are numerous ways to form an overflow, my own preferred method is a cut out at water level in the tank glass, rather than a hole! Unfortunately this is only really feasible on a custom built tank. The cut out will depend on tank size but on my 200l it is 150 x 28 mm so that allows a...

It just shows that there is lots of oxogen in your water, cavitation is common in many situation, it occurs when the propeller or impeller is spinning faster than the water can flow. Very common on boats when the boat accelerates the prop will Initially spin up and make lots of bubbles….. a...

It would be quite possible and easy enough to adapt the principle operation by lifting the undergavel bed up from the tank floor. I have done this in several home tanks ( i might even have a thread somewhere) by placing a matrix of pipe under a perforated plate. This means you can obtain a more...

Great subject and not a new discussion as I can remember how popular UG filters were back in the 80-90s. UG filters were always a favourite subjects in the glossy magazines, before internet forums but still heavily discussed in their day! Fundamentally a great idea, a really large filter mass...

LMuhlen, you should try it and maybe start a new trend!

Tim, that has always struck me as a good way to distribute C02.

It would prime a lot easier if the tank was full of water as you are trying to lift the water vertically upwards 14” before it will start the syphon.

The filter might survive OK but I dont think it is a good idea, there could be other repercussions? However with so many tanks, perhaps you are in a position to experiment with one or two especially if they have no fish or low fish stock.

I am not sure? UV works extremely well in the right circumstances, where I live it is used in many household water purification units where water is drawn from the ground, normally in banks of mutable 110 w units. Also in fish ponds, for cleaning green water but not as an anti bacterial...

I have nothing against UV units, in fact they are almost essential for out door koi ponds but very few people use them on a planted freshwater tank. It just seems to be a lot of bother for so little gain, if any. Of course if you want use one then that is cool, I really don't think it matters...

You would need to try it out for your self and then tell us if it works. I love doing things like you are planning, it is all part of the hobby for me but I have not come across anyone trying what you propose so I can not say if it will work or not. Pointing a spray bar at the surface from the...

I still use those bio balls and in fact I have lots of them in my shed! I once built a koi pond with a large trickle tower, the pond was decommissioned years later and I retained the bio balls, probably got about 100 litres of them left.

You can check it for yourself with a bit of hose a bucket a one litre jug and a watch.

I would check the ceramic shaft as they are prone to wear over time. It is the white rod that holds the magnet in place.

Success, new pump fitted and quietly working away. ;) Thanks ….

Thanks guys, I have just ordered one, I will report back in a few days….

I am looking for a very small ie 3-5w water pump, to power some irrigation I have instated in a gravel bed to grow some root immersed plants. This is in my living space and I have already tried two small power heads but the high frequency noise is very distracting! So any suggestions or...

I think one issue is sticking to 16mm pipe as that will really limit the flow and add quite a bit of back pressure to the pump ! You can only pump so much water through a 16mm pipe. If I was going to use just one filter I would be looking at bigger bore piping ones, you can tee off some flow and...

It is really difficult for me to see what os going from your videos and I have no idea what a stockman is? However sumps are used very sucsesfully by many people including myself so what ever your issue is, it can be sorted….

If you are planning to run a high tec 550l tank then I would assume you have already found a good affordable C02 supply because you are going to use plenty of it. What little more gas that might be consumed, wont be as significant as having a good suppy to start with. There is no disputing...

What sizes are you talking about and what sort of return pump ? Depending on design and position, non return valves can really restrict flow! I have always strived to avoid non return valves.

I have not come across any post about people using under gravel filters in a C02 enriched tank, as Phil points out there were labelled taboo in the 80s as they would draw oxygen over the plant roots and kill the plants! Also because the roots would clog up the filter slots... that sounds more...

The ten x flow rate is based on the filters rating not the actual flow, it is a guide line. If we go back 10 years or so, there were several guide lines (based on tried and tested methods) that were quoted on this forum on a daily basis. 2 x T5 tubes the same length as the tank, 10 x flow rate...

I agree with Marcel about making sumps over complecated, i have always been a fan of sumps but keep it simple and basic is my advice. just dont get any blind cave fish, they jump weirs like a race horse jumps a fence!

I am not a technical expert but I have successfully used plenums in marine tanks, freshwater tanks and koi ponds. The koi pond method that seems to have worked amazingly well is based on a deep suspended bed of gravel that is heavy planted and has flowing water over the water surface. I have one...

Yes just like i said, take the head off, take the impeller out and switch it on. You can just hold it in your hand to see if the motor makes a noise.

The easy way to see how noisy the actual motor is would be take the head off remove the impeller and switch it on..

You will have to try it out but I think most debris will get caught in the sponge. Settlement chambers are a pretty standard filtration method and very well documented in sewage works but perhaps the best examples in this scenario would be Koi pond filters. Virtually every dedicated koi pond...

The concept of a settlement chamber is a good one and widely used in commercial filtration plants however in your design, I dont think the debris will sink to the bottom but more likely be suspended and moving in the confined area causing most dirt to be caught in the sponge. The larger the...

Why would you want to do this?

You will be lucky to find a silent cheap external pump but there are some very good ones available if you can justify the cost. Best place to look is at marine systems sump pumps but personally I use a central heating pump with an aqua turn conversion . Quite cheap to set up and silent but at...

I would say not to bother, any holes are always potential leaks! Having a hole drilled for an overflow to a sump yes...but just to connect a power filter is not something I would do. Just my personal opinion of course .

The pumps are very heavy and cost more to run that many low pressure pumps but on the first two settings, there is very little noise or vibration. In fact on the first setting the pump is virtually silent. You can just see the kit on this vid and notice just how quiet the pump can be...

The Aquaturn conversion are very good indeed, there are many benefits. I have installed dozens of them on fish ponds, marine tanks and my own tanks, the latest versions are made from clear plastic (polythene) and are self sealing connection. I have had them running continuously for over 20...

All water pumps will have a maximum head rating, in other words... how high the pump will pump water before it can no longer pump against the water pressure above. Certain pumps are designed to work against high pressure, they tend to be high wattages and have different shape impeller that...

Lots of submersible pond pumps will do that, Draper sell a powerful version for around £70

I am not sure just how long I have been useing this pump but it has been used on several sea water tanks, lots of freshwater tanks and just recently on a large Vivarium. It is a standard three speed central heating pump fitted with an Aquaturn conversion, basically a moulded polythene front...

Has the filter pump broken then?

Old Chinese proverb...

Well if you used cegs method, you would in effect, be forming a reactor in the sump compartment. Depending on how well the top of the compartment was sealed, this may or may not produce a pressure differential and a build up of gas below the top seal. I suspect if you sealed the top with cling...

Probably best to let Ceg guide you from here on as I don’t quite get his idea of how you are going to transfer the micro bubbles to the main display tank?

Reactors and needle wheel pumps are completely different in thier function. Both do a job in a completely different way. Both methods have potential to work as well as each other. Obvious you don’t like the idea of an atomiser in front of the pump, I can only tell you what I have experienced so...

Well I have used Eheim NW pumps and I have modified several other makes, I use a Grundfoss central heating pump fitted with an aqua turn conversion myself. Needle wheel pumps will not be able to pump or circulate the same amount of water as the same pump with a standard impeller. Buy thier...

Needle wheel pumps do work, I have used them but they have reduced flow compared to a standard impella pumps and can be very noisy. From my own experience, useing a “fine mist diffuser” in front of the pump inside a bottle is a cheaper, easier and better method. Reactors like the one you have...

I doubt it is the most efficient but it is a simple and effective way.

No connections necessary, just a cut down bottle.

Hi Costa, I don’t think you got what I was suggesting. I mean you can place your Co2 line directory into the pump inlet. You could use any type of atomiser if you want, just let the pump suck in the gas.

I think it would be a lot more simple and more effective to place you Co2 directly in front of the sump pump.

Well if you want to get really confused ( and bored) you could try reading through one of the longest forums threads...... https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/twinstar-what-is-it.28335/

Hi Tommy, air pumps are an unusual addition in a planted tank, some folk use them to drive off exsess C02 at night time but that only applies if you have been injecting very hight amounts of C02 in the lighting period. Perhaps you have seen a twin star working in one of George’s tanks?

Most ridged pipe is made from PVC, it has very good bonding properties and is cheap. Acrilic is fantastic to have on display but it is far more fragile than PVC and if it is clear allows algae to grow inside. The main issue with acrylic is trying to bond it to other plastics but it can be done...

I can’t think of any easy way around this, short of changing the whole concept! Obviously you could extend the return pipe up to near the tank surface but that would require as massive rescape in order to hide the pipe, or you could block off the existing return and just go over the top like the...

Do you know how the valve works, there are a few different types, is it a valve that is supplied it’s the tank? Every non return valve I have used, effects flow quite a lot, some spring powered ones are extreamly restrictive while the rubber flap models are better but still restrictive. If it is...

Best to use bends rather than elbows, the route from your filter outlet to the spray bar needs to be as direct and smooth as possibly if you want max flow and pressure.

Water flow It a fascinating subject, I don’t pretend to know any calculations but I seem to have made dozens of spraybars that work really well! They might not produce the ultimate performance but I don’t really care, as long as it looks pretty good to my eye that is fine with me. I think that a...

You could just try out different hole sizes and spacing useing sacrificial pipe. You might find your local B&Q sells 20mm black pipe used by electricians or my favourite.. 21mm overflow pipe. Armed with some pvc tape, battery drill and a few drill bits around 3-6mm, you could experiment and find...

It even comes with a hole saw!

Yes a very nice overflow box at that! As far as I can see, the box fits over the glass & somehow pulls water from the surface. It has a main sump feed via the lower outlet & a secondary pipe in case any blockages . I cant quite work out how it fits together but it looks like two main separate...

Yeah that would be great, it looks like a 32mm or even a 40mm fitting, so you would need the correct sized hole.

Yes of course but there are other factors like avoiding blockages & air locks. If you intend to use 10 x flow & a spray bar return then 16mm id gravity feed will not carry much flow. Also, having a overflow box in a scaped 100lt tank might not be very pleasing eye?

That is a very small return, a more standard return would be more like 25 32mm. What is the actual size of the drilled hole? Perhaps the box is designed to be used as a skimmer and could be connected to a external filter. The problem with that would be fluctuating water levels running the...

Crikey mate, that is some analogy .... :)

Thing is you can do whatever you want :) Floss is very good at removing very fine particles & therefore clogs very quickly but, generally speaking, water clarity is not a problem in most planted tanks so floss is not needed. Of course you can try out your idea to see if you are happy with the...

Noise, evaporation, flooding the room, running the pump dry, drilling holes in tank, cost, accessibility..... Yeah, I love them myself but you do need to understand how it all works to avoid any potential issues. Try googling 'sumps UKAPS' hundreds of post on the forum.

The 10x rule only really applies to C02 enriched set up's so I guess that is what you are planning? In which case 900lh should be ok in your tank but, that might depend on any accessories you might add in line. The 10 x rule is there to help folk choose a filter, we need to have very good flow...

You don't say much about your set up.....in many planted tanks the filter media is not that important! In fact more often than not, it is recommended to remove some of the media to gain better & more powerful flow. The plants themselves are very good at filtering the water & hopefully you will...

Well if you have a flourishing tank full of healthy plants & you change 50% of the water every week, what sort of biological media you use is not really important! However, open media like course sponge or bio balls allows for better flow. Floss will very quickly reduce the flow rate

Never the less, sumps are used very successfully & do hide equipment. Sumps have other benefits such at maintaining a constant water level in the display & offer the opportunity of auto top up. By diffusing the C02 directly in front of the return pump you will also have an efficient method of...

Under tank heat mat (best on small tanks) under gravel heating wire, sump with heater.

You will get much better results if you search Google just adding UKAPS :)

One of the longest threads on the forum... https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/twinstar-what-is-it.28335/

Yes you will, it will appear as micro bubbles in the tank, but you could also use an inline bubble counter....

You probably don't need a diffuser, just stick the end of the line into your pump inlet, the impeller will break up the bubbles into a mist.

There are lots of post in the forum about fitting inline devises without restricting the 25mm pipe... if you can find them.... try goggling what you want & adding the forum name. Basically you need a by pass to fit the device, you can buy the fittings required.

UV light only helps with free floating algae (green water) so very few folk use them on planted tanks.

If you use an auto top up valve in the sump then water changes offer very little problems, as long as you don't remove water faster than the ball valve can top it up, then it will be very painless. Obviously there are times when you need to actually reduce the display tank water level but if no...

Well this is my opinion, if you run 10 x times the tank volume, you will need two overflow boxes & two return pumps. The noise will be considerable & the flow like a jungle waterfall into the sump. Personally I would not flow such a large quantity of water through my sumps. There are no 'planted...

One alterative I have used with amazing success was a needle wheel pump, they have mutable fins instead of an impeller & are used on large marine protein skimmers. They are purposely designed to chop up air bubbles but work in the same way with C02. I now use a reactor because I down sized my...

I have run many sumps, marine, Koi & planted, my present 200l tank has a sort of sump but, it is situated at the same level as the display tank, behind a false wall. I have never use a filter socks (they do look good though) I have just used synthetic sponge & bio balls in a trickle tower. I did...

I think sumps offer major benefits. Consistent water level & skimmed surface in the main display tank. Auto top up (requires ball valve in sump). Hidden equipment. & increased volume of total system are a few but, in my mind the single most important factor is the incorporation of a trickle...

I do occasionally rinse my trickle tower bio balls, I pour them into a big bucket of tank water during a water change & stir them around a bit, but only once every year or so. As far as I know, trickle filters are still the most efficient form of biological filtration - fish tank or sewage...

I wonder how effective a fluidised bed filter would be, working as a C02 reactor?

Here is one of mine running an overflow and sump with one of my C02 reactors .....

The last few tanks I have run, I have used a sump that is only one inch below the main tank. This is possible because my tank is against a false wall. I use this format very successfully by keeping any associated equipment in the sump. I use a smaller pump to recycle water from the sump into a...

Yes lots of folk use sumps and inject Co2 and yes you might well use more C02. You will loose gas down the overflow and from your proposed chamber, whether that matters depends on the cost of you gas & how readily available or convenient the refills are?

A picture paints a thousand words :) Once installed the device makes water changing extremely easy too.

Yes, use 6mm RO water supply tube from the mains supply to a micro RO water top up valve clamped to the rim of the tank. In the same manor you would fit one to a sump.

Try typing "sump UKAPS" into Google as there are lots and lots of threads on this subject. Sumps have good and bad points but they seem to be getting more popular due to marine tank keepers changing over to plants.

Are you referring to bacteria inside a power filter?

It wont save you a few quid on gas though as sumps can be C02 hungry! Imagine a glass of fizzy water, pour that water into another class & repeat a few times.. before long you will have no fizz. Just like your tank & sump! However that might not be an issue, as long as you except you might use...

It is not really that important what you use but plastic bio balls are low maintenance & easy to clean. You don't mention if you will be using a C02 system? I am not familiar with a "clearseal reefspace 900S" is that 900 litres? The thing with a nicely set up & flourishing planted tank, is that...

I can understand your concern, I can only speculate as to the effect on the biological bacteria but I could imagine that some bacteria would multiply during the main flow time and possibly die off during the reduced flow time? I would guess that the filter would work more actively if it was left...

There seem to be plenty of room for improvement to your present design. In an ideal world you would have perforated sheets between each tray, the sheets would have to be designed to distribute the water evenly over the bio media. It is important to drip the water evenly & consistently over the...

They are not necessary for the average tank & very few folk use them but apart from reducing flow wont do any harm either!

I guesse one would have to experiment to really know but, generally speaking a single elbow or tight bend will dramatically decrease flow so 2mts of smaller diameter tube will also have a similar effect. At the end of the day if you want to try it out then do so, the filter might be fine for...

I am sure lots people have done that but, it is obviously not recommended as the flow rate will be considerably reduced. I assume you are talking about a high flow filter, if you want to keep the flow then you need the inside diameter to be 25mm. The suction or feed side will need to be 25mm but...

Yes Paraguay is right, the bacteria will die from lack of oxygen. The time it takes will depend on how long it takes to deplete the oxygen held in the water surrounding the filer media. You could prolong that time by removing the water & allowing some air to enter the canister but the media must...