Help with built in (overflow???) filter

Hey guys,

I bought a new tank and it has this filter thing on the inside. I`m a bit clueless as to how it is suppose to work...... Any suggestions (medium ect.)?

 

Where does water enter and exit. I can't really tell from the pic...

 

Try and give some more pic's, zoomed out a bit, also from top.

 

Hi
Filter wool in First Compartment on the left.
Biomedia(Lava Rocks,Bio Rings etc.) in Middle compartment.
Pump in last Compartment on the right.

 

Nr. 1:
Water enters/exit from tank into chamber, but chamber has no other inlet/oulet.....

Nr. 3:
Water enters/exit from tank into chamber

Nr. 2:
Water can move between the 2 chambers

I can`t figure out why the first (one on the left) chamber is not connected to the other two......

 

The first and the second compartment aren`t connected

 

Me thinks someone screwed Up somewhere with that tank

 

lol!!! I thought so to......

 

was this a marine tank at some stage ?

maybe 1 was for a protean skimmer that dumped that water over the side into the middle chamber that loads of media in it. The return pump would have been on the right - probably a spray bar that went over the side ..

 

I don`t know......

 

Why not remove the panel above 1 (keep the glass) and swap it with the panel on the right but install it flush with the base so that you have a two compartment filter. Then you can clean-up the front of the tank ... so media would go into the middle and pump heater in the right .. left will not exist anymore.

 

Your probably right...... any ideas on how I can use it?

 

Thanks! That`s a great idea

 

I would still like to see a photo from the top at a slight angle.

 

Okay here it is.......

 

Soetvlei, one can still not properly make out what is going on at the top, too close and can not see what the complete setup looks like and what the water level should be, compared to the filter. Maybe a shot from the other side will also help.

So far it looks like the water level in the tank should be higher than in the filter. That way water enter compartment one at the bottom, overflow on top to compartment two. But it looks like the divider on compartment two is the same height as in compartment one. That means the water will flow straight over to compartment three as well, whereas, if that divider is higher, it would stop the flow and force the water through the bottom of compartment two to compartment three, from where it gets pumped back into the tank.

It looks like my whole theory is crashing as the two dividers is the same height, unless it is an optical illusion. Is it a glass shelf in front of the filter? Is there a gap right through, between the filter and this 'shelf'? Try and show a picture from the other side. That slanted glass in compartment two. What is happening there? Where is the gap?

 

Take the following photos:

One from the TOP DOWN. (You may need a ladder.)
One from basicaly where the dog is sitting in the second picture. Taken from the same level of the tank.
One from about 3m away from the FRONT of the tank, at the same level as the tank.

Do NOT Zoom in any pictures. (Zoom often distorts and blurs)
Take photo's square with the tank.. don't take from angles.

 

I will take better pictures when the tank is out. It doesnt have a stand yet and the space is limited. Will probably move it tomorrow and then i`ll try and show you

 

the overflow into chamber 3 from the middle one is at the bottom, the water level in the tank will only be as high as the over flow.

So what i will do is the following:
Chamber 1 with a power head, just to circulate water, it is nice for currents and thats it, or you could attach a spray bar (going into the main tank at the back) to the power head and get a nice bubble effect
Then bio media into the middle chamber make sure you have a raised grid on the base (below bio media) to ensure circulation.
Then pop some filter wool on top of the bio media, to catch particles, clean often and the mess should be manageable.
lastly a decent, strong power head in the 3rd chamber to do all the hard graft.

the one negative with having an overflow bio filter is that all floating food will end up in the filter. It helps to put the food in the water with your hand and not dropping it in. or you can buy sinking pellets or feed live/frozen food.