External Filters

[funkyhoney]

I was just wondering, in most canister filter manuals it notes that the flow rates are always measured when the hoses were the same length. Most also tell you to but the intake and output at opposite end of the tank, generally making one shorter tan the other unless you plant it dead centre.

So, how do you do it? Have both hoses going to one corner of the tank or have it stretching to the opposite side?

It makes more sense to me circulation-wise to have them at opposite ends, but shorter hose means higher flow rates

 

[Miss Wiggle]

i've odne it in a variety of ways, some with equal length hosing, some with the same, sometimes input nad output together, sometimes at opposite ends. i've never noticed any significant difference in performance because of it. so my honest answer would be just don't worry about it, put it wherever suits you best

 

[raptorrex]

I was just wondering, in most canister filter manuals it notes that the flow rates are always measured when the hoses were the same length. Most also tell you to but the intake and output at opposite end of the tank, generally making one shorter tan the other unless you plant it dead centre.

So, how do you do it? Have both hoses going to one corner of the tank or have it stretching to the opposite side?

It makes more sense to me circulation-wise to have them at opposite ends, but shorter hose means higher flow rates

quite so . but i bought my external second hand, and at the time knew no better, so i have one 3 foot pipe, outlet, and one 5 foot pipe, inlet, and seen no problems. perhaps it the fact that it is the inlet that is longer, fed by the head of pressure caused by the syphoning effect and gravity. keeping the outlet short, would seem to follow logic( but then again, that's my logic lol) less pipe length so less water weight for the pump to push.

 

[waterdrop]

Do they usually give you enough hose to allow for different shelves below the tank?

I've got my first cannister filter being shipped to me and I wonder if most of you had to buy extra tubing? Then, if I do have to buy extra tubing I've noticed there is such a thing as tubing that resists deterioration by CO2. Is that something you think about? I read a neat article (by George Farmer I think) about dumping CO2 into his input tube so that the pump impeller would mix it in...

 

[funkyhoney]

Do they usually give you enough hose to allow for different shelves below the tank?

I've got my first cannister filter being shipped to me and I wonder if most of you had to buy extra tubing? Then, if I do have to buy extra tubing I've noticed there is such a thing as tubing that resists deterioration by CO2. Is that something you think about? I read a neat article (by George Farmer I think) about dumping CO2 into his input tube so that the pump impeller would mix it in...

Ummm, generally so! Having said that both canisters I've set up I ran into the same corner but still had some left over. Most companies sell additional tubing but I've always found sufficient length in the box.

 

[raptorrex]

Do they usually give you enough hose to allow for different shelves below the tank?

I've got my first cannister filter being shipped to me and I wonder if most of you had to buy extra tubing? Then, if I do have to buy extra tubing I've noticed there is such a thing as tubing that resists deterioration by CO2. Is that something you think about? I read a neat article (by George Farmer I think) about dumping CO2 into his input tube so that the pump impeller would mix it in...

you should be able to get tubing from any, reasonably sized LFS. the pipe size is measured as a diagonal of to the internal not the external edge, i think more often than not they are 16mm or 22mm, lol but i would not put my life on that

 

[T1KARMANN]

its only really the return pipe that should be short

if you want to put 1 hose at each end of the tank put the drain pipe at the far end and the return pipe closest to the filter

if the hose for the return pipe is to long it will slow down flow rate

i have 2 x eheim 2078s running 1 with short hose and the other 1 has 7.5ft hoses the one with longer hoses loses about 20% of the flow rate

 

[jgray152]

I have always wondered how long the hoses were that were the same length... wouldn't that be better information to have instead of "the hoses were the same length". How long? 1'? 2'? lol

The intake is just as important as the output for length since the suction will superceed any gravity feed, although the gravity feed should help, the longer (not height) the hose, the higher the static pressure, the harder the pump has to work. Now the static pressure should decrease as the end of the hose is lifted higher, but adding more length will still increase the static pressure. Thats my theory. Boboboy, agree?

I wonder, if you were to reach a point where say a 1" diameter tube is to long (VERY LONG and not realistic for us) for the pump to be anywhere near efficient, I wonder if switching to 3/4" would help at all since there is less mass to move and bring up to speed. Add a coupler that could velocitize the flow? I dunno, im going to far with this now. I just like to do this since its interesting to bounce theorys off of other people such a Boboboy

 

[MELVIN ASHLEY]

hi guys dont worry about the flow on your filters the intake pipe just suck the pipe and water will fill the filter up then turn the filter on and its primed then the water flows through the out pipe my filter is a 2217 and its 2ft 8 below my tank and pumps water around great :