sump pump/filter

Please if someone can help.

-i have a 800 Litre tank with a sump filter system.i still need to figure the system out and connect all the pipes etc.there is no pump and i need to get one,what size pump do i need?how many times must the water be Circulated in an hour?

-the heaters,where does one put them,in the tank or in the sump filter?

-the platic balls in the sump filter,is that the firts stage of the filter or the last?

 

What is your budget for the pump ? look for something between 2500-3000 L/ph

 

your tank water should be circulated at least between 6-8 times per hour, the heater can be placed in the sump, so you don't have the heater in the main tank...

 

Thanks JesseG,

would i need 2X 300 Watt heaters?the tank will be set up in my lapa for time being.outside temp differs about 4 degrees from the temp in the house.What is the enery(eskom) use on heaters?

6-8 times,so i should not get a pump that pumps less than 4800l/h?

 

two 300W jager heaters would be perfect Hoyt...i'm not certain about how much current the heaters use, as for the pump 4800l/h would be ideal but that also depends on what your budget will allow as george said earlier...i'm sure the other guys on the forum will have other ideas as to how to cut costs etc...

 

Jesse, a 300w Jager is rated for 1000L, i would rather suggest 2 x 200w Jager. Look at the aqua medic ocean runner 3500, i think that would be perfect.

 

yip, you are right about the heater George...he has a 800l tank, 300W is perfect...

 

also check on the pump what the actual l/h is at about 1.5 to 2meters coz the lift hight drastically effects the pumps performance.

And get one with a ceramic shaft.

 

You are both right... BUT... if the 300w packs up.. you are left in $hit.

It one of the 200W packs up, you at least have the other 200W working... maybe a bit overtime... but at least it'll maintain temp until you rectify the problem.

 

cool,ill then get 2X 200W,how much will a Ocean runner 3500 set me back?

 

They are about R1300 +/-. This is one of the better pumps out there (also have a look at eheim) so you could get away much cheaper if quality isnt that much of an issue for you.

 

what about a boyu pump ? 4500l/h pump is around 900 rand odd.

eheim is the best and most expensive!
if your budget allows go for it but there are cheaper options you don't have to get a Rolls Royce of a pump , a Mercedes will be good to .

you can also check out the octopus range of pumps they are not bad priced .

its up to you those jager heaters are not cheap so make sure there is room in the budget for a pump after buying those bad boys .

cheers

 

What do you guys think of the Resun pumps?can get a 4500l/h for roughly R550.they apperantly also have a ceramic shaft.

ill be going to Andrew today to see what he has available,maybe i can get some good pre owned jager's from him...

where can i get gravel for a fair price and what should i get,i want to start of with Oscars,Dollars and maybe some Malawi's?

i have also cleaned the sump last night,how many bio balls must one put in the sump?must it cover a whole compartment?

 

Resun are cheap and nasty. Cheaper pump that you can look at is Hailea....

Look at playpen sand from Reggies or fine pool filter sand from a pool shop/builders warehouse. Playpen sand is R35/20kg and pool filter sand is around R50/40kg. Another alternative is river sand. Will be a LOT cheaper than any LFS gravel

Please do some research on your fish first. Malawis prefer harder more alkaline water, oscars and SDs prefer softer more acidic water

 

go with pool filter sand its great!

resun is a bit ah not so good , you putting jager heaters can't have a resun pump lol !

seriously what brand pumps do you have access to ? please give their specs and list the ones that are within budget ?

as for the sump, how many compartments do you have ? im sure you know what media goes where but to recap mechanical media in the first and biological in the 2nd . if you have 3 compartments then it will be mechanical in first , rings in 2nd and bio balls in the 3rd .

if you have only one compartment for biolgical media I suggest you put a layer of bio balls over a layer of ceramic rings .
you place the media every where that water will flow so if water flows over the top of each compartment you fill to the top with media .

as neilh said research your fish. those fish have different needs .

cheers

 

ok,what about a Dolphin Wet/Dry 4500l/h pump?can get one for R550-00 or a HQB 5500 for roughly R825-00?

the sump i have has got 5 compartments.please assist,1st comp. Bio balls?2nd- sponge?3rd-bating/wool?4th- Bio rocks?5th-do i put something(charcoal/or is it carbon) in there or is it just the pump and the heaters?

Where can i get volcanic ash(black small sand stuff) @ a good price in Jhb,Andrew charges R9 p/kilo?

 

First chamber: Mechanical filtration, i.e. filter floss, sponge ect.
Second chamber: Mechanical or Biological filtration, i.e. bio balls, ceramic rings ect.
Third chamber: Chemical or Biological filtration, i.e. Purigen, activated carbon ect
Fourth chamber: More Chemical or Biological filtration
Fifth chamber: Pump and heater.

 

and the number and type of bends in the return piping...

can you post a pic(S) of the sump and its chambers...

how high is the top of the tank from the bottom of the sump where the pump would sit?

this is the chart for the eheim universal pump. the 1262 would be your best bet from this range for your size tank and would cost you +/- R1950...there are many much cheaper pumps available...

 

from the bottom of the sump to the level where the water must run into the tank is about 1.6 meters.that Dolphin 4500 has a similar chart on the box and it shows that the max height is 4.5 meters on the specific model.

will post a picture shortly

http://http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff125/jnwright1/Tank011.jpg

 

is the front glass curved and does the overflow have an inner and outer section, the outer sucking in from the bottom and the inner skimming the surface? if so its and AquaH2O Amazon. BE CAREFULL with this tank! These 2m tanks have had the stand/cabinet collapse and in other horror stories the front glass has burst...not a good buy! sorry!