In tank planted sump filter.. It's finaly happening..

[zozo]

Looks great - those little flaws will be well hidden once setup! Amazing how quiet it is with media added - that first test would have worried me it was going to sound like a waterfall.

Thanks you Tam.. Yes the back and the filtersides in view will be covered with black foil. This hides everything anyway.. And indeed without media it was awfully noisy.. The girl that gets this tank on her bedromm said the same, the noise worries me.. i told she needs to get used to it or sleep in the cellar.. She yet hasn't seen the second test run. I guess till now she aint realy happy..

But with media added and the water level in the last compartment hiegh enough it is absolutely quiet. The trickle tube will be bellow the planted media later on. It still needs plants and it will get a top layer of those hydroculture clay pebbles. Still looking for something preferably black.. Do not know if it excists only seen them in terracota color.

When water evaporates it will not show in the tank.. The last sump compartment will lower it's level. So once you hear water falling you know it's time to add water.. That comes in handy than you do not have to check all the time.. You'll hear it..

 

[tam]

But with media added and the water level in the last compartment hiegh enough it is absolutely quiet. The trickle tube will be bellow the planted media later on. It still needs plants and it will get a top layer of those hydroculture clay pebbles. Still looking for something preferably black.. Do not know if it excists only seen them in terracota color.

Grey maybe - would make sense as some clay is grey? Otherwise would black lava rock work?

 

[zozo]

Otherwise would black lava rock work?

Probably.. The isue is more like availability.. You know young girls, now the end is in sight she's dancing in anticipation and it needs to be up and running, preferably yesterday.. So i guess i have to go with what's available in the local stores.. Ordering only a handfull/small bag via interent the shipping cost spoil the fun.. The only shop i know selling coarse fuji sand, thats black lava gravel.. Is in Germany.. 5 euro for a bag 14 euro shipping..

The possitive is, she has to like it, not me.. But if it were me, it needs to be black..

Maybe a layer of peat litter will do as well.. The trickle tube will be bellow it anyway..

 

[tam]

What plants do you have in mind? If they are sturdier ones you could cap with something more decorative. Slate chippings are fairly widely available from garden centres/DIY stores, well they are here: https://www.homebase.co.uk/blue-slate-chippings-midi-pack_p369423 some places you can buy by weight so very cheap for what you'd need. I think most plants would push through that ok; they are often used to top dress terrestrial plants.

You can get black glass pebbles in homewear stores (sold for putting in the bottom of glass flower vases) but I don't know if they would be aquarium safe.

Like you say, though, as long as she likes it

 

[zozo]

I already have an adiantum fern, a syngonium and a bog pimpernel as creeper.. Depending on what's available in the garden centre.. If they have in store a Spatifilum, anthurium, a parlor palm, maybe a ficus benjamin.. And possibly depends on the trends they might have some bambino fern in store.. Very small young on small pots.
And a hydrocotyl would be nice hanging over into the water.. The pimpernel does this also.. I actualy have to see the plants, find me a tray in the same dimensions 50 x 9 cm and essamble some to get a beter picture the composition possibilities and looks. I tend always to see it larger than it realy is, than i likely come home with way to may plants.

But thamx for the suggestion.. something to thinka about.. I was thinking peat t give mosses a beter chance.. But fanely, the girl is the boss.. She decides what looks best to her..

 

[zozo]

Finishing touch.. The the black window foil.. No see through what's seen from the back panel. The light above is the actual one it is going to get.

And the sides covered.. The tank that stands behind it i'm going to strip down.. And donate the light, all the plants and fish to this tank.. That will make a good already transitioned starting basis.

Even the spray bar is (partialy) DIY.. It is made actualy from several sunsun filter inflows.. This one.. Took 2 apart and modified it a bit and had to make a fitting cap at the end from the same material..

The nice part is one comes with 2 seperate tubes fitting in eachother. i drilled the holes in these..

Used 3 pieces, that can be positioned seperately spraying up or down or straight.

 

[Edvet]

Updates??
Should be running perfectly by now

 

[zozo]

Updates??
Should be running perfectly by now

Haha.. Nope it yet isn't running at all.. The girl i build it for is a friends 16 year old daughter.. We installed the tank in her badroom a few months ago.
But girls in puberty!? And we all know puberty time is the time when parents start acting difficult. She isn't complying to household rules at the time and making a mess.. Daddy is using the aqaurium as leverage because he's paying for it..

I'm still waiting for who's going to win this battle. If she looses the tank will be installed downstairs in the livingroom instead.

I do not interfare i'm just a spectator..

 

[Edvet]

 

[Filip Krupa]

But girls in puberty!?

Thats another level of complexity no DIY job needs

Good luck.
Fil

 

[zozo]

Almost forgot about it.. As said this tank stands in the bedroom from my best friends daughter. No easy access to take randowm snapshots. Few months back it was stil dry starting. These pictures taken by phone were send to me.

By now it runs flooded for 2 months.. She is yet not a champion growing plants, she kills more than she grows.. But the sump system works like a charm so far.. Next time when i visite them, i try not to forget my camera and take a few shots myself from the flooded tank..

 

[Andrew Butler]

Next time when i visite them, i try not to forget my camera and take a few shots myself from the flooded tank..

I look forward to seeing it (maybe hearing it too)

 

[zozo]

I look forward to seeing it (maybe hearing it too)

Look at the test run videos further up in the thread. You can't hear it run, it's awfully quiet.
Since this tank stands in the Bedroom of a friends daughter i have yet no idea when or if i ever get the access and chance to make a video of it as it is running now.
I don't visit every day and most of the times when i visit i don't think about asking about the aqaurium. Alzheimer light i guess. The last time i saw it, it still runs perfectly as expected. Another thing is, its a teenagers bedroom, it looks most of the times as if a bom exploded in there, i guess the last thing she wants me to do is run around with a video camera and show th eresults on line..

 

[Andrew Butler]

@zozo as you know I've been messing around with an AIO for a while now and although not the way you've set about it I'm starting to think things over a bit more and wondering about filter socks and how they've worked out? Figure this could be less messy than pulling a snug fitting sponge out providing they don't block too quickly.
I've started a thread and hopefully more people have experience to share of using filter socks in a freshwater system etc.

 

[zozo]

This aquarium is not set up in my house, it's in use by a friends daughter. But afaik running great and the filter sock doesn't seem to be any problem.

They have one issue you should definitively address, it is prone to clogging if they are not cleaned properly or often enough.
And you should create an extra overflow space behind the sock, incase it slowly clogs and flowthrough restricts the water can flow freely over the sock. Lets name Emergency Overflow that takes over in case the sock clogs up, this shouldn't happen if maintained correctly but never say never.

In diagram, i made it like this. The green block is a coarse filter sponge

As said again, i'm not using this setup myself i only build it and tested it shortly. But since it is running for over a year now and i hear no complaints i assume it works like a charm..

 

[Andrew Butler]

This aquarium is not set up in my house, it's in use by a friends daughter. But afaik running great and the filter sock doesn't seem to be any problem.

View attachment 133309

They have one issue you should definitively address, it is prone to clogging if they are not cleaned properly or often enough.
And you should create an extra overflow space behind the sock, incase it slowly clogs and flowthrough restricts the water can flow freely over the sock. Lets name Emergency Overflow that takes over in case the sock clogs up, this shouldn't happen if maintained correctly but never say never.

In diagram, i made it like this. The green block is a coarse filter sponge
View attachment 133310

As said again, i'm not using this setup myself i only build it and tested it shortly. But since it is running for over a year now and i hear no complaints i assume it works like a charm..

Thanks Marcel,
I knew you weren't running it but thought you might be privy to some info.
Do you know what they see as 'often enough' - I know stocking etc makes this broad but just interested if you know of their experience.
I do wonder whether it's worth the trial and error or just go with foam and not bother faffing about, especially as there's not really any around with a very coarse grade to them - I know it's a product aimed at marines. One to think on maybe

 

[zozo]

Do you know what they see as 'often enough'

No i actually don't, i never asked.. And as long i'm not asked i assume it runs as OK and as should. Tho the last time i seen it in person i noticed the sock was pretty dirty but didn't really mention it. I just thought the emergency overflow obviously works just fine.

I know from previous and personal experience in other setups that such an emergency overflow is a good thing to install. Because as you say it is broad i can not give a number. Not only stocking but also the type of sock used in Microns that go from 100μm up to 1000μm and the sooner it might clog. Amount of turn over, high flow tanks have more tiny particles in the water column. Age of the aquarium, it gets dirtier with age. All things that can make a difference.

It simply trial and error to find out per specific setup.

 

[Andrew Butler]

No i actually don't, i never asked.. And as long i'm not asked i assume it runs as OK and as should. Tho the last time i seen it in person i noticed the sock was pretty dirty but didn't really mention it. I just thought the emergency overflow obviously works just fine.

I know from previous and personal experience in other setups that such an emergency overflow is a good thing to install. Because as you say it is broad i can not give a number. Not only stocking but also the type of sock used in Microns that go from 100μm up to 1000μm and the sooner it might clog. Amount of turn over, high flow tanks have more tiny particles in the water column. Age of the aquarium, it gets dirtier with age. All things that can make a difference.

It simply trial and error to find out per specific setup.

I'm thinking the most sensible thing is to stick to my original plan of foams which I can chop and change grading's until I find a balance.
Maybe just wishful thinking something could be (almost) as easy as the Fluval G6 filters I'm used to and rinsing the pre-filter weekly when I carried out a water change and that couldn't have been more straightforward.

To be honest I've no idea how often do clean sponge type filtration!?!?!?

I'm very much an err on the side of caution man when it comes to things like this so simply getting foam cut to size and sitting it on some shelves isn't exactly hard work to rinse through.
Thanks Marcel