Need Help With A Tank

[IONMEL]

im going to buy a 110g tank what filtration system do i need

 

[fatheadminnow]

I would do a sump filter personally. A sump filter is the most customizable filter you can get. If you do not want to go that route, then an external (canister) filter would be highly recommended!

-FHM

 

[waterdrop]

Also, on a tank as large as a 110g, a pair of larger external cannister filters, running at each end might be the way to go. This would have the advantage that you could set up a maintenance schedule where you clean them on alternating dates. Also, the noise that filters make is usually not a straight line function that goes up evenly as the filters get bigger. Instead, they get suddenly much louder as you approach the large end of the scale. So by getting two somewhat smaller filters your sound may be less. Depending on the tank location this may have more or less importance to you.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[IONMEL]

Also, on a tank as large as a 110g, a pair of larger external cannister filters, running at each end might be the way to go. This would have the advantage that you could set up a maintenance schedule where you clean them on alternating dates. Also, the noise that filters make is usually not a straight line function that goes up evenly as the filters get bigger. Instead, they get suddenly much louder as you approach the large end of the scale. So by getting two somewhat smaller filters your sound may be less. Depending on the tank location this may have more or less importance to you.

~~waterdrop~~

i seen this filtration system that you have to make a hole for it on the bottom of the tank is that one good?

 

[fatheadminnow]

The one where you need to make a hole is for a sump filter. Sump filters are used on larger tanks, such as yours. These filters are very effective!

-FHM

 

[waterdrop]

Many larger tanks are "drilled" so that hoses can go directly to and from the bottom of the tank to the filter in the undertank cabinet.

To tell the truth, I don't really know what would constitute the dividing line between when it would be recommended that you simply place hoses over the back edge of the tank and when there would be some advantage to moving to a drilled tank floor. There must be some obvious reason. (Ideally we'll have some of the hardware forum members stray over here!) I suspect one possibility would be that after a point, the typical 16mm (or certainly the smaller 12mm) hose sizes might be too limiting for the volume of water flow the pump needs to move as the overall filtration system gets larger and larger. Funny thing is, my rough memory is that the hose sized typically seen connecting to these undertank drillouts seem to be the same size at those used on the larger external cannister filters!

When I first got here on TFF I had some fun asking about "overflows" and "weirs." These are the large walled-out sections in big tanks that have slits at the top allowing the water at the tank surface to spill into them and fall to tank bottom, where the water exits through the drain that runs to the undertank filtration system. I actually don't remember if I ever asked the reasoning behind moving to this type of system and what advantage it gains.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[drobbyb]

A sump would be the best answer, I agree, but if you are unsure of how to set one up, I would go with 2 large canister filters.

The advantage to a sump is total customization, like FHM said. You can keep far more bio-media than in a traditional canister or HOB setup, and you can keep all your hardware out of the main tank (even your heater) and into your sump. The extra volume of water doesn't hurt things either.