Originally Posted by Urban Aquaria
Its basically just connecting an external water pump to the outflow tube of the canister filter and using it to power the filter instead.
This diagram for the Aquael system shows how it could be setup to work (look at the 2nd configuration whereby the external pump is installed on the outflow hose):
Photo from Google Images.
You can buy external water pumps from most LFS... here is an example of a 1,000 l/ph external water pump from East Ocean:
Photo source and product link: http://www.eastoceansg.com/hailea-hx...mp-p-1554.html
The listed power consumption for this particular model at 35W is high though.... i guess you could shop around to find other external pump designs too.
Anyways, just connect it inline on your outflow hose and use it to run the canister filter. Just make sure to remove the Eheim canister filter's own impeller to reduce resistance (since its not being used).
Theoretically, one could run a pre filter with a pump then as the main filtration in a tank? Could be useful in tight spaces whereby there is limited space for canisters coupled with a refusal to use Hang on canisters, hang on filters etc
selecting ext pump would be - energy saving, space and noise level.
Some older canister filter models have yet to adopt new energy saving technologies so option is to remove its impeller as suggested... The problem is the disti do not sell AquaEl pump separately and those pumps in the lfs are not as efficient.
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Yeah, thats how some people DIY their own canister filters using plastic containers (or empty pre-filters) and simply power it using an external water pump.Theoretically, one could run a pre filter with a pump then as the main filtration in a tank? Could be useful in tight spaces whereby there is limited space for canisters coupled with a refusal to use Hang on canisters, hang on filters etc
Its a good way to re-use old canister filters with broken/faulty motors too.
I've also noticed the external water pumps available at most places tend to consume quite alot more power too (for equivalent flow rates)... the higher quality compact power-saving pumps are much more pricey, some pumps cost even more than the canister filters themselves.
simple and nice!!!
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A wavemaker might be ideal if you need more flow in the tank. You need to hide it if aesthetic is your main point. Otherwise an upgrade to the current canister filter or a secondary canister filter might be necessary.
If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.
Its been almost a year since the last update of this tank, here is what it looks like now...
The overall layout is still more or less the same. As time went by, i gradually separated and transferred out the various Bucephalandra sp. plants to another tank. In their place, i added in more Anubias sp. "Petite" to fill in the foreground areas, along with other variants like Anubias sp. Coffeefolia as mid-ground cover. Most of the grey volcanic rocks were also removed because the plants ended up covering them anyways.
Paracheirodon axelrodi (aka Cardinal tetras) were swapped in a while back to add some dashes of red and blue colors to the tank.
A closer look.
View from the substrate level.
So far this tank has stayed relatively low maintenance. The usual routine involves just feeding the fishes every 2-3 days, weekly 20% water changes (sometimes bi-weekly if i'm busy) and some occasional pruning of old leaves every month or so.
Algae is kept under control by the resident population of cherry shrimps and horned nerite snails. The snails really make a big difference by constantly eating algae on the tank glass and plant leaves, this ensures that everything is kept sparkling clean. I keep around 12+ horned nerite snails in this tank and haven't needed to use an algae scraper for more than a year.
One thing to note is that while anubias are naturally slow growing and thus assumed to be low demand in terms of nutrient requirement... its usually when the tank has only a few of them. In a tank with higher density of anubias, especially the larger leaved variants, their combined nutrient uptake can actually be surprisingly high.
In the case of my setup, i found that i had to start dosing additional fertilizers once the plants density started to fill up more than 70% of my tank's base area. Just simply feeding the livestock was no longer sufficient. Without additional fertilizer supplements, the anubias leaves tend to progressively turn yellowish and develop holes. Once that happens, it means their nutrient reserves have run out, hence the need to dose both macro and micro fertilizers to support further growth.
Overall, this concept of a low maintenance modular planted tank went according to plan and worked quite well over a long term period. My next project will probably involve setting up a much larger tank layout. Most likely it will incorporate the ideas and plants from this tank too.
Stunning beautiful of simplicity!
May I know what kind of food that you use to feed the fauna? Thank you.
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Thanks!
For the fishes i feed them mainly New Life Spectrum Thera+A Small Fish Formula... occasionally i'll feed them some live foods like daphnia moina or newly hatched baby brine shrimp as treats.
Once a week i will also drop in a slice of blanched zucchini or cucumber as supplement food for the algae eaters. Zebra otos and shrimps like to graze on those vegetable slices. The rest of the time they eat algae and clean up leftover fish food in the tank.
Thanks UA. I will take note of that so that I can apply in my tank in later stage.
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It's been a couple of years since i last visited AQ and it's a great pleasure and inspiration to come back here again after such a long absence only to see such a simple yet beautiful tank.
BTW i have the following questions
1. do you still dose this tank with CO2?
2. from your experience do low maintenance plants (like what you have in this tank) need CO2 or excel dosing to help them establish themselves when you first startup the tank and can they later go without the need for any CO2 or excel dosing?
3. can i have a successful low maintenance (eg. nanas, ferns, bucep, crypts) planted tank without CO2 enrichment or excel dosing from startup to 1 year after startup?
Admiring my Fishes calm the Beast within me
Thanks!It's been a couple of years since i last visited AQ and it's a great pleasure and inspiration to come back here again after such a long absence only to see such a simple yet beautiful tank.
BTW i have the following questions
1. do you still dose this tank with CO2?
2. from your experience do low maintenance plants (like what you have in this tank) need CO2 or excel dosing to help them establish themselves when you first startup the tank and can they later go without the need for any CO2 or excel dosing?
3. can i have a successful low maintenance (eg. nanas, ferns, bucep, crypts) planted tank without CO2 enrichment or excel dosing from startup to 1 year after startup?
Yes, i still do have Co2 injection in this tank.
Low maintenance slow growing plants like anubias don't need Co2 injection or Excel dosing to grow, most of my other tanks are simple low tech setups and the anubias in those tanks still grow well. But if supplied with Co2 and/or carbon supplements, they do grow noticeably faster (still not as fast as stem plants, but there will be noticeable increases in growth rates).
It possible to switch back and forth from high tech to low tech, and these plants will simply adapt to those conditions, the difference is mainly seen in their growth rate. Do note that if you do remove Co2 injection or carbon supplements, lights and nutrients should also be reduced accordingly to match the slower growth rates of the plants.
You can definitely have a successful low tech tank with those types of plants, as long as you can moderate the light and nutrients level to keep everything in balance, it will slowly develop into a nice lush scape after a period of time. Just need to have patience to wait for the plants to grow out.
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