ill definitely try your method so simple why not. im glad you talk so highly of it. ill just be glad not to have to put buckets of water in every day to keep the level in the sump above my reactors. and a bit of less noise the hum of the pump does spoil the relaxing part a bit.
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hypothetical fx5 (now on order)
- Thread starter danmil3s
- Start date
Re: hypothetical fx5 (now fitted)
filter turned up today super fast from e bay seller. set up in under an hour. only thing is i have to keep getting up to check its still running so quiet and im surprised at how powerful better than i could have hoped.
filter turned up today super fast from e bay seller. set up in under an hour. only thing is i have to keep getting up to check its still running so quiet and im surprised at how powerful better than i could have hoped.
my co2 ran out last Thursday im hoping to get some tomorrow. will have to start up with half lights and build up co2 levels again. ive left the tank lights off under clives advice.
i thought i had 1/2 an fe for emergences but guess it leaked. i probably wont be injecting the full amount of gas for several weeks now unfortunately. i will update this thread with how i get on
i thought i had 1/2 an fe for emergences but guess it leaked. i probably wont be injecting the full amount of gas for several weeks now unfortunately. i will update this thread with how i get on
sanj
Member
danmil3s said:
Hmm very sensible, ive just been rabbiting on about this. I use two MP40s for the same, I do use a FX5 and it has a UV attached, but I do use two other filters primarily for co2 delivery with external reactors like those mentioned, although mine where Aquamas reactors from Deutchland. The website is a pain unless you read the lingo.
Probably better co2 conservation than a sump, but then again sumps great advantage to my mind is the extra volume, but its pros and cons and it doesnt suit all situations.
sanj
Member
Yup FX5s are great, i have two and well there is greater probability that one would have had some problem, but no theyve been going strong since 2008. 
Garuf
Member
If you had a pair of closed loop reactors that are dedicated to co2 would that not negate the speed at which co2 could be out gassed? I mean, Amano uses sumps on his big tanks, and so does Tom Barr and a couple of polish aquascapers?
Re: hypothetical fx5 (now fitted)
i think sumps can be used well with planted tanks if planed right. but unfortunately when i set my tank up it wasn't going to be planted. so the initial set up wasn't right. it was all a bit noisy and a bit of a bodge. the sump was sealed with selotape and expanding foam to make it air tight. the fx5 was the easiest way of fixing all my problems with out pulling the tank down. getting new weirs fitted, getting a new co2 friendly sump built and buying a quieter pump. so far im really happy with the fx5. and for the price its well worth it.
i think sumps can be used well with planted tanks if planed right. but unfortunately when i set my tank up it wasn't going to be planted. so the initial set up wasn't right. it was all a bit noisy and a bit of a bodge. the sump was sealed with selotape and expanding foam to make it air tight. the fx5 was the easiest way of fixing all my problems with out pulling the tank down. getting new weirs fitted, getting a new co2 friendly sump built and buying a quieter pump. so far im really happy with the fx5. and for the price its well worth it.
Garuf
Member
That always made me think, just how do you clean a sealed sump? Or a sump at all for the matter?
i used to just pull the tape off and put fresh on after id finished. to clean id pump the water out using a power head with a length of hose in to a bucket. so the mulm wouldn't float about. then just clean the media as normal. when you re fill the tank it will refill the sump.if there made with proper lids and the section dividers at the right hight i think they have the potential work really well. my main problem was the noise from the weir and the pump itself.
so i had the co2 just poked in to the filter inlet. Although this seemed to work ok i could hear the bubbles going up the tube. Also the noise coming from the impeller worried me a bit, not as quiet as it was when i first turned it on with out co2. so i came up with a cheap plan i brought from ebay. 1 meter of 25mm hose, an atomizer (one of the cheap ones) and a 25mm hose tail connector. i drilled a hole in the pipe pushed a bit of co2 hose through, with a enough inside to put on the atomizer and change/clean if needs be. i used a bit of aquarium silicone i had to seal it then waited for it to dry. Then i fitted the end with the atomizer to the fx5 tap, then the other end to the hose going to the spray bar. i clamped all the parts together with hose clips 3 in total. Turned it all back on, no leaks and now no noise and all the co2 is still dissolved. Much easer than building a proper reactor cost less than a tener and still works. Hears a photo best i could do with camera phone and no photo skills.
there is the odd squeaky bubble from the spray bar . maybe a few bubbles in the tank but not a mist i mean like a couple of hundred in the whole tank at any one time. i plan on putting something in the spray bar like a bio ball or something to brake up the last little bit.ill let you know how i get on.
Gfish
Member
- Joined
- 5 Mar 2010
- Messages
- 426
I'm surprised to hear you've not had success with this.
It seems the way you have it set up is much more complex than I have it. Or I'm misunderstanding it? :-/
I just poke the CO2 tube straight into a slot in the intake head and up the tube about 6 inches or so.
I can hear the bubbles if I'm by that end of the tank but it's not too noisy really. It doesnt affect the impeller at all. I've no wish to change it and I'm really happy with the results.
Atomiser??? What's that, and why???
Sorry to hear it's not worked well for you mate.
It seems the way you have it set up is much more complex than I have it. Or I'm misunderstanding it? :-/
I just poke the CO2 tube straight into a slot in the intake head and up the tube about 6 inches or so.
I can hear the bubbles if I'm by that end of the tank but it's not too noisy really. It doesnt affect the impeller at all. I've no wish to change it and I'm really happy with the results.
Atomiser??? What's that, and why???
Sorry to hear it's not worked well for you mate.
gfish this is what i mean by atomizer
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aquarium-CO2-Air- ... 4aa83b4a3a
it is a shame it didn't work i think it just got to dirty being in such high flow, as it was basically in side the out flow filter pipe. im glad your way works i did try it but could hear the impeller struggling against the bubbles so chose not to use it. my bubble rate is quite high so that's probably the problem. there its more like one big bubble in the counter. hard waters the cause of that i think. im going to get a sera Flore Co2 Active Reactor 1000 see if that's up to the job. fingers crossed im getting fed up of experimenting.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Aquarium-CO2-Air- ... 4aa83b4a3a
it is a shame it didn't work i think it just got to dirty being in such high flow, as it was basically in side the out flow filter pipe. im glad your way works i did try it but could hear the impeller struggling against the bubbles so chose not to use it. my bubble rate is quite high so that's probably the problem. there its more like one big bubble in the counter. hard waters the cause of that i think. im going to get a sera Flore Co2 Active Reactor 1000 see if that's up to the job. fingers crossed im getting fed up of experimenting.
