Double Filtration

[Rorie]

If I were to decide to get a second filter for my 360l tank to help plants with higher turn over, I was wondering what the set up should be like?

I currently have a filter intake low down at one end of my tank, then the output is through a spray bar which is 3/4 the length of my tank. The output is low as i've extended it to distribute the co2 better.

If I add a second filter, could I join the output to the other end if the spray bar to increase it's output a bit? If not, what is best practice for my input and output? One will have the co2 reactor on it too

 

[Rorie]

Just bumping this up a bit....my late night posts never seem to get replies

 

[Tizer]

I seriosuly read that as Double Penetration, I think i need an eye test or something...

 

[Danbarb]

I seriosuly read that as Double Penetration, I think i need an eye test or something...

Hahahah.

Okay on a serious note... I recently added a HOB filter to my external filter setup. My external canister intakes on the bottom left of the tank, and sprays out above this which is angled on a spray bar towards the front of the tank from the back.

My HOB filter intakes bottom right, and pushes to the front of the tank on the right. I have a powerhead on the right rear of the tank, which pushes the water from the right hand side HOB and the co2 diffusing (which goes into the HOB) from right to left.

The reason I used a powerhead where my HOB is, is because that is where the co2 diffuses from. Therefore, I wanted to push the "co2 flow" around the tank. In an ideal world, I'd have the co2 diffusing from one external at the top right of my tank, and then have the output of another filter lower down on the left side of the tank. So there is a circular flow of water from the top right to top left, pushing then from the left halfway up to the right side as it were.

This setup seems to be working.

I guess if it's another external filter you have, you could do the same setup but in a mirror image of what you have if you get what I mean. This probably sounds a bit confusing in text.

Eh, I guess... Intake bottom left. Out top right. (one filter) Intake bottom right. Out top left. (2nd filter) That would give flow to a large majority of the tank and be more a more even spread as it were.

I wouldn't advise putting two intakes onto the spraybar, as to me it seems like you'd have flow issues seeing as one filter would output more than the other. If it's a spray bar longer than 10 inches or so, I'm sure that would be fine (which yours is from reading what you wrote)

 

[Rorie]

Thanks for the reply! It makes sense other than HOB... what that? lol

I am thinking as my spray bar is already just about the whole length of my tank, i dont really want a second spray bar....and like you say, connecting the two may nt be a good idea. So i am thinking the second filter could have a duck bill type output. That way i am still getting my output but i dont need a even spread as i'm not distributing the CO2 through this second filter. I can also aim the duckbill to keep the circular flow.

I posted on here about my expensive experiment - getting 4 drop checkers dotted around the aquarium to see the CO2 distribution. It appears all but one corner are getting CO2 which is great. The corner which is not getting CO2 is under my Powerhead - hence i think its pushing the CO2 away from there!

If opposite corners are the way to go then i should be able to pull that off......though i still cant work out what HOB is