Is this worth it?

Would you use something like this in your aquarium?
I thought today that this might be usefull, if packed right

I have tow HOB filters and a little circulation powerhaed in my tank
Penn-Plax Cascade 200 - max circulation around 700l/h
Hagen AquaClear Mini, max circulation apparently at 200-300 l/h
Small Chosen powerhead to circulate water near the heater

Its a 3ft, 180l tank, yes i know the filtration looks manic, i have set up a qt tank, and its only got a corner filter (the floss-charcoal-airtube kind)
Its 54 liters, i want to move the AquaClear to it

Also, the little Chosen powerhead to help circulate heat
Then all i'll have is one HOB, nothing more

I was thinking today, at work, that this might be a good solution, its a box that connects to a powerhaed inlet, so the poweread sucks the water through the medium, currentlt two big nylon like sponges, same (bigger scale) as what i have in the AquaClear...
Beneath where the sponges are, is about 1,5cm space that can be packed with ceramic rings...

I was thinking, my water is currently clear, but if i swish my hand in the tank, the fine little debris that collects at the bottom swirls up and its actually not that clean when you see the little particles drifting about everywhere... so if i have fish and fish poo in eventually, and whatever other food particles drifts to the bottom, it would probably be a right mess...

Any thoughts, critic, etc?

I thought i might hide this in a back corner with some large rocks over in a sorta cave structure (see my construction thread)
in the right corner

 

If I understand correct... you want to use this filter on the floor to suck up the fish waste?

I wouldn't waste my time. You have to do a wate change once a week... and the gravel vacuum is ideal for sucking up the waste AND taking out the 20-30% water.

Remember the gravel vac takes the waste OUT the tank and get's thrown out. The filter will just trap it, and turn your tank into a nitrate pit.

 

right... okay, so is the Cascade on the side enough? as in, apart from siphoning and water change, will that be enough?

I currently has that sponge insert that looks like a scotchbrite scourer, and i packed it full of superpet filterfloss, its a bit more coarse than normal "stuffing type white flosswool stuff?

I took out the ONLY other insert pennplax provides, the charcoal canister,
because the inserts for this filter sucks, thats why i also use the aquaclear on this tank, so water also filters through those bio-sponges i put in the aquaclear, oh yes, and my purigen bag is also in the aquaclear...

 

Yeah, it should be... let's wait and see what the other experts have to say. They don't seem to be online on a Saturday evening... they obviously have a better social life than us... heehee

 

also,

i want to add a stronger powerhead to the tank, a waterfall 700l/h, that box is also a waterfall product, it can be taken out and cleaned, just like internal filters,

So, it'd be sucking crap into its box with filter media, and i can even have just biorings/balls in it, whilst the outlet will be giving me quite a nice circular current for even temp and fish to jol in

lol... what is this ... social life you speak of?

...
and when its dirty, take it out and rinse it like you do with the normal filter cleaning routine

 

I would leave the filtration as you have and keep the QT tank with the corner filter as it is.

Hey Zoom - my social life was moving 1,2m tanks and plants, and feeding brine shrimp

 

Heehee.... my social life is then just a tad better.... I only got 1 and a half tanks... so I do get the odd chance to go out... or chat on TASA

 

Gav, that corner filter big bubbled blunder thing is irritating the crap outta me, BUBBLEBUBBLEBUBBLEBUBBLE.....
Thats why i thought of shifting things around.
The box filter thing is just something i noticed at work when i was checking the shelves for a stronger powerhead

 

If it is irritating - get rid of it - put on a small cheapo HOB

 

Cheapo hob? this cheap phenomenon you speak of, does it occur naturally, or should it be induced by big baseball bat and threats ?

I'll go see if i can find one next week, tomorrow i gotta study for criminal law, no time this weekend

 

Cheap HOB - means the small one - come to CT I'll give you one...

 

i picked up a boyu HOB for R100 for a similer size tank

 

i'll go take a look in Pet City Montana next week, see what they got, their big, so most probably will have some made-in-china copies that go for cheap

 

Need two 800lph .Got some prices at AK Yesterday.Will pop in today and see if i cant get better prices at PCM.

 

duuuuuude - dont complain about vacuming a 3ft tank - i just did a 2.5m tank (700L later) and i am stillllllllll not done

 

I'm not complaining about gravel hoovering at all. I just want to hear if people think extra circulation through a submerged box filter would be worth it

 

What fish are u thinking of getting ? Some like current some dont , i think you should cross that bridge when you come to it

 

I made a shortlist of fish i'm thinking of keeping, their in my thread in members forum. (Can't link it, i'm using my phone) mostly small fish though. Some cories, tetra, etc. i want mini schools about

 

That box looks like it has plenty of filtration potential, but you're best off with just the Cascade and another filter. That way you have a backup if one of them needs work, and it should pretty much cover you for bacteria volume.

 

yeah,
and after thinking on it for a while, if i do get a stronger-ish powerhead in the tank, i can always make a box on the same principle, one thats flat enough to hide level with the sand - from one of those tupperware boxes liftcrazy used for his canister filter
http://www.tropicalaquarium.co.za/showthread.php?t=206

It just needs a piece going through the side that connects to pipe for the powerhaed inlet, and then you sommer take a grinder to the lid of the box and make slits in it where the water comes in, then fill it with cottonwool and sommer one of those Aquaclear bio-sponges, one big enough to fill the box. and there you'll have a large surface that sucks up all the little particles floating around in the tank when you move the gravel around etc... the little stuff that doesn't get caught by the HOB's

If i ever get to making one, i'll post a diy.

Dunno, seems like it has bacteria holding potential... maybe one can even just fill it with bio balls or rings...

its a simple make really
like this

Dont mock the lines,,, i did it very quickly, with the pencil tool...