MOVED!!!! Filtration

[adampetherick]

Just been looking at Pond filters

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FISH-MATE-15000-P ... dZViewItem

Would these be suitable for an aquarium? Seems you got more litres filtered per £/$ with a pond filter than you do with designed for aquarium filter.

What is it that makes them unsuitable for indoor use?

[Martin Thoene]

Adam, moved your post to this more appropriate forum based on your other queries here.

You do realise that this item is not a stand-alone filter? i.e. it has no pump motor?

It's designed to be fed by a pond pump, so you have to factor in that extra cost too. It's electrical supply is to the built in UV sterilizer unit.
I suppose theoretically you could use this indoors. Don't see why not. You'd want to hide it I guess as it's not exactly aesthetic.

The UV could prove useful. I didn't catch the size, but if it's meant for a pond then it must have a decent media capacity and might work on a big tank. You have to look at its serviceability and such. All these things factor in when choosing big throughput, expensive filtration for a big tank project. It has to be user friendly....i.e. you friendly.

Martin.

[adampetherick]

That particular model is rated at 15,000 litres.

Was looking at pond filters for when I get to do my big tank project (3000l), a pond filter looked to work out cheaper than buying another 2 fx5 filters even if it doesn't include the pump

[LES..]

Adam, consider that most pond pumps are huge submersible beasts, you will be sacrificing the aesthetics of your tank if you go the cheep route.

I have looked into using pond pumps for river tank circulation, the best option i have found are sequence pumps prices for these pumps alone make another fx5 look cheap! They can not be submerged so you will have to plumb them in with huge syphon intakes or drill the tank. This may be an option for you as you are building your own tank. Then consider that most pond filters will be designed to sit above the surface of the pond with a gravity return, if you site them under your tank they may not take the pressure and leak. Not too much of a problem out in the garden but will make a horrible mess of the living room carpet.

Certainly they are an option and you can save a lot over the cost of aquarium gear for volume filtered but think long and hard about how you will manage the plumbing.

Have you guessed that this has come up before yet? Nuvolari provided an excellent link to a pleco forum: http://www.plecofanatics.com/gallery/sh ... puser=3172 where this had been done. Well worth a read.