Feedback on this DIY filter design

[Seisage]

Some of you may know I'm working on constructing a completely custom tree frog vivarium. I want it to have a water feature with a little waterfall type thing, but since frogs are messy creatures, I'd like it to have some semblance of actual filtration instead of the one or two small pieces of foam most people use in these applications (usually just for keeping particles out of the pump). This means making a dedicated, blocked off space for media. I'd like to know if this mock-up looks like something that could work.

Here's a rough sketch of what I'm thinking. Things aren't to scale.
This structure would be up against a back corner of the tank and ideally will be made out of glass (in which case, the slots on the intake side wouldn't happen). If not glass, then corrugated plastic—easier to work with, but less stable long-term.

Arrow at the bottom showing directional water flow through the filter media to the pump—the thing on the bottom left. The dashed lines indicate that everything is behind a wall of material, so it's an enclosed box, except for an opening at the bottom right for water intake. The media housing portion would come up to above the substrate line. That way, I could actually access and clean the media every now and then.

(By the way, this is a messy sketch, so things aren't perfectly depicted. Don't worry, the water and substrate won't be mixing. The egg crate surface will sit just above the waterline, covered in mesh to keep substrate out of the drainage layer, which is basically just a water reservoir)

 

[MattW]

I like the design of this. My paludarium waterfall plan was a L-shaped 30cm tall box around 2-3cm off the bottom of the tank so a 1-inch thick Matala mat and fine sponge could be used as mechanical filtration while the pump and heater rest on top of that. I'm also stuck on the fence between using glass or some PVC foam board I have.

 

[MaloK]

As unorthodox as it seem I put bio filtration ahead of mechanical.

Here are the reasons why:

1: Microscopic, tiny and small particles will go trough and bring a lot more food to you biological filtration. (live filter) that can contain from bacteria to all kinds of crustacean and pods living from the water flow. (But they must have place to work in) Nice ceramic rings wont clog fast. and leave a lots of space between, Personally, on small filters I use the largest space I can with coarse sponges for this.

2: Mechanical, at the end, removes nearly all unwanted bits during previous process. Normally Medium Sponges are clearing things good for me, while not clogging too fast.

3: You can clear you mechanical filter... That is on top now. a lot more easily, and more often without disturbing the rest.

4: Try it. I mean if you put mechanical filtration first in a pond What will happen ?

 

[anewbie]

There is no value to ceramic rings; save your money. The foam is more effective at biological filtering.

 

[Seisage]

There is no value to ceramic rings; save your money. The foam is more effective at biological filtering.

That's fair, and I may end up taking your advice and just use more foam. I use sponge filters in my aquariums for this exact reason, so... I guess I'm not sure why I felt the need to include the rings in this design

I like the design of this. My paludarium waterfall plan was a L-shaped 30cm tall box around 2-3cm off the bottom of the tank so a 1-inch thick Matala mat and fine sponge could be used as mechanical filtration while the pump and heater rest on top of that. I'm also stuck on the fence between using glass or some PVC foam board I have.

I like your design too! I really wish it could work for me, since it saves a lot of space. Unfortunately, since my tank won't be an actual paludarium, I have to keep all the filtration equipment really low to accommodate the low water level (I'm thinking only ~2.5" depth).

I do really want to use glass, but it is more difficult. I'd have to find a way to get the outflow tube through the box at the correct height for the waterfall without drilling a hole in the glass, since I don't have a hole saw
I'm thinking maybe have the glass box go only partway up the tank and then the rest of the housing for the pump tubing/power cord gets made out of a half-round of cork bark Much easier to drill a hole through that

 

[MattW]

I've managed to find a place that does 2mm thick picture frame glass at a decent price. For drilling a hole I'd have to spend more money on a diamond-tipped hole saw a bit. The PVC foam board I have is also 2mm thick but I can glue two together to get 4mm. Which I've done with two prototypes and had no issues with.

I'm thinking maybe have the glass box go only partway up the tank

That's what I'm thinking for mine as well. I'm going to have around 23-24cm height of water. The PVC board is 30cm and the tank's height is 43cm. I'm thinking of using cuttings of PVC board to create a stair effect going down and getting wider. I can use these pieces to foam in and create an overhang for a waterfall and a shaded area underneath which I know my Amano's will appreciate

pump tubing/power cord gets made out of a half-round of cork bark Much easier to drill a hole through that

I saw an ingenious use of a power cord in a terrarium the other day. Silicone the cord and press in tree/coco fibers to make it look like a jungle vine. Cork would definitely be an easier material to drill through.

This is the current design I have in mind.
As you can see art is my specialty

 

[Seisage]

That's what I'm thinking for mine as well. I'm going to have around 23-24cm height of water. The PVC board is 30cm and the tank's height is 43cm. I'm thinking of using cuttings of PVC board to create a stair effect going down and getting wider. I can use these pieces to foam in and create an overhang for a waterfall and a shaded area underneath which I know my Amano's will appreciate

View attachment 340366
This is the current design I have in mind.
As you can see art is my specialty

Ooh, that looks like it'll turn out fantastically!

Yeah, I'll have to keep toying with ideas, but I think I am going to go with glass. It'll just be a lot sturdier long-term since the silicone can actually bond to it properly. I'll just make the design such that the outflow tube comes through a piece of cork instead of glass.