How many filters?

[kid creole]

I have a 65 gallon with a Marineland Tidepool II and a Mag Drive 9.5. The flowrate of the tidepool is 300 - 600 gph, and with a 6 foot head and some elbows, the Mag Drive can push somewhere around that max of 600. I have it controlled with a valve.

My question is should I add another filter? I have both fish and plants, and my biggest concern is that since the pump is hard plumbed, if it were to die it would probably take a week to get a replacement put in, or I would have to take a day off work and go through all the trouble of installing whatever pump was available that day.

I was thinking about adding a canister filter to have a redundant filter. Is this recommended? Common? Overkill?

I was also thinking about having the intake to the canister be in the sump, and then output into the tank, possibly pumping through a DIY CO2 reactor. Can a canister pump 6 feet over its head?


What are your thoughts? What flowrate would be good for the canister?

 

[nerbaneth]

Hi there!

After doing some research on the tide pool filter, it seems as if it would allow massive amounts of CO2 gas to be released from the water. This is true with any kind of wet dry filter.

I would -consider- replacing the tide pool II with a powerful canister filter. Its kind of a bad trade because of how efficiently wet dry systems aid the nitrogen cycle when compared to canister filters.

That is just my two cents. Lets see if there are other people out there with wet-dry filters on their tanks.

-Nerb

 

[kid creole]

Thanks for the response. This tank will be fully stocked with fish, and you just can't beat the performance of a wet/dry filter for a stocked tank. The biological filtration is huge, and the ease of maintenance is a big plus. The goal is a miniature view of a vibrant ecosystem, where the life and activity is the focus, not plants and fish.

Some research has lead me to believe that a canister wouldn't have enough power to overcome the 6 foot head if the intake was in the sump, and that would be defeating the purpose anyway.

So, my plan is to add the canister filter with an inline CO2 diffuser. I'm not looking for 30ppm in the tank, I think I would be happy if I could just maintain consistent low level. In my dream tank, I have enough CO2 and nutrients to sustain growth in my glosso, which my festivums think is delicious.