Pond Filter For Large Fish Tank

[heymickey94]

Ok I want to set up a fish tank that is 340 gallons, 120x24x25. This tank would have only stingrays in it. What I'm wondering is if I could use a pond filter to filter the tank, as it is so large. I would like to use a pond filter like this one, http/thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/206347/product.web . That filter has a 700 gph and is recommended for a pond up to 1250, however I know that fish tanks need more filtration than ponds. I would have to hide the bottom part of the filter with something (any suggestions?) and I would have to find some way to make the fountain into a river, or something other than a fountain (suggestions?). Please give your input in this. Thank you

 

[Yetti]

You are better off with getting a sump, but there may be some pond filters that could do too. That would be one strange filter to have in an aquarium .

 

[Dorkhedeos]

i think you would be better off getting a sump and having your tank drilled. just get a few small pumps for circulation and to keep all the crap up so it will go through the intake tube. its very easy to replace the media in sumps, and you can put a whole bunch in there. if you ever have any injured fish, you can just put them in the sump

 

[heymickey94]

Ok. This will be a freshwater tank, I know that sumps are more common in saltwater. What would be an appropriates sized tank for a 340 gallon fish tank? And would I just stuff it with bioballs and lots of substrate?

 

[heymickey94]

I have 1 more question, does it have to be a tank that I use as the sump or can it be a large rubbermaid contanior/bin?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

i would say a 55+ sump. rubbermaid will work if you find a way to put baffles in it.

 

[Yetti]

Well, the size of the sump could be from 40 to 50 gallons. Some people go to their home improvement stores and buy big plastic containers and use that.Oh yeah, you can always go bigger than that, the bigger the better if you have it stocked well.

 

[Ilya]

Or a home made Canister Filter using PCP pipes, and filter sponges wrapped around the intake. Then with have it drain to a lower chamber where it is redistributed as a waterfall.

It's much cheaper, less maintenance, and will last you ages!

 

[andywg]

Ok I want to set up a fish tank that is 340 gallons, 120x24x25. This tank would have only stingrays in it. What I'm wondering is if I could use a pond filter to filter the tank, as it is so large. I would like to use a pond filter like this one, http/thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/206347/product.web . That filter has a 700 gph and is recommended for a pond up to 1250, however I know that fish tanks need more filtration than ponds. I would have to hide the bottom part of the filter with something (any suggestions?) and I would have to find some way to make the fountain into a river, or something other than a fountain (suggestions?). Please give your input in this. Thank you

You could very easily use a pond pump. CFC uses a poind pump in addition to a couple of Eheimcannisters on his 200 gallon tank with rays in. The problem is that pond pumps are not made to be sited below the pond, so you would have to have the pond filter on the same or higher level than the tank water level.

Ok. This will be a freshwater tank, I know that sumps are more common in saltwater. What would be an appropriates sized tank for a 340 gallon fish tank? And would I just stuff it with bioballs and lots of substrate?

I have 1 more question, does it have to be a tank that I use as the sump or can it be a large rubbermaid contanior/bin?

I would look for between 40-50 gallons for a sump, though a rubbermaid will work admirably.

For messy preds like Stinrays, consider a trickle tower. You essentially want a tower rising out of the sump (above the water line in the sump) and for it to be full of bioballs. At the top of the tower have a drip tray (a sheet of plastic with loads of holes drilled in it) and then have filter floss on top of the drip tray. The water flows from the display tank onton the floss which filters out any larger waste and prevents it blocking up the bioballs.

The bioballs have access to roughly 1,000 times as much oxygen as they would when submerged, so can filter very well. A return pump in the sump then pumps the water back into the tank.

If you do go for a sump, do a double weir so that you pull water from the bottom of the tank as well as the top.

Or a home made Canister Filter using PCP pipes, and filter sponges wrapped around the intake. Then with have it drain to a lower chamber where it is redistributed as a waterfall.

It's much cheaper, less maintenance, and will last you ages!

less maintenance than a wet dry? I rinse or replace some filter floss once a week. I actually clean out the bulk of a sump once every 2-3 years. Also, DIY cannisters are more likely to leak (very bad) or have media bypass (making most of the filter media superfluous).

 

[heymickey94]

Wow thanks for all the help. The pond filter that I was talking about was not one that has to sit at the same height as the waterline or higher, it was one that sits underwater, on the substrate and the water is pumped through the box on the ground with filter media in it and then the water is returned through a tube in a fountain.