Over-Tank Filter

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Loulou

Loulou

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 12, 2007
1,343
8
0
Mauritius Island, Indian Ocean
I have a 5 x 2 x 2 feet tank serviced by 2 canisters and I wanted to add some more filtration... but I don't have enough space underneath for a sump... so I've been thinking about an over-tank one...

Here's the plan:

watermark.php


  • This would be made of glass and would be sitting on top of the tank on a sturdy wood frame that would sit on that tank itself - the weight supposedly equally distributed on the 3 sides.
  • I would be putting shoots of Philodendron-type plants in the Aquaclay - they don't need much light and would quickly send roots and contribute to the bio-filtration. And Aquaclay is great for plants.
  • The filter floss would be redundant really as the water would come from the canisters but well...
Please tell me what you think. :)
 
You want more filtration or you need more filtration? Resting another tank on top of one isn't a good idea IMO.
 
apart from Amehelo's warning, which is true, I think it works if the pklants get enough light to thrive.

If it were me I would divert water to this sump ( it is a sump ) directly from the tank via an immersed pump and skip the passage from the cannisters.

as to the weight issue you could try it with acrylic or plastic instead of glass,,,
 
building a frame over the tank and suspending it from that might be a safer bet ,i would worry with a lot weight on the top of the tank .
 
i use this sort of filtration but of course its much much smaller.
it could possibly break your tank due to the weight.
 
Well, I haven't started mine up yet but it won't hold too much water so it shouldn't be too heavy especially since there's no reserve,
So in Loulou's case yea, it would be too heavy unless there was some support like Frasertheking mentioned.
 
Whoa! So many replies! :) Thank you, guys. I really appreciate it. :)

I understand that the weight seems to be the problem. Here's what I was thinking to deal with it:

watermark.php


The top view shows how the weight is really distributed...

Riv D, I have a filter like this at home on a smaller tank and this is what inspired me for the one I want to build. :) I wish I could build it in acrilic or plastic but I can't get these materials here unfortunately... that's why I have to go with glass... it won't have to be too thick because of the size of the sump (except for the bottom part, of course).

Miguel, why would you have preferred to get the water directly from the tank? As in regards to the plants, they would be getting indirect sunlight from a window. :)

FSM, I want more filtration as I believe that there's no such thing as over-filtration ;) I wouldn't say I'm resting a tank atop another one... it's more a sump over a tank... the size of the sump (which I should reduce in terms of height and width to help with the weight issue) prevents me from considering it as a tank... unless it's for tetras or something. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom