# commercial filtering



## happyhounds (Jul 17, 2012)

We need some input. We are a small ma and pop pet store and currently have 26 tanks. We used to use hang on filters in each tank until a couple years ago when we doubled the amount of tanks we are using. I then switched to undergravel filters in each tank with a hang on canister that I rotate from tank to tank. I can afford to get the big filtration systems that I should probably be running, so my question to you is what would you recommend? I cant run 26 hang on filters due to the amount of electrical demand that would take. Any ideas?


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## grogan (Jan 23, 2011)

simple, use sponge filters. They are cheap and can be run by a few massive air pumps. The shop I work at uses only spong filters on our entire fish wall. They are extremely effective!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I agree, sponge filters, airline is the easiest thing to plumb. You can buy pipe with the valves in them from jehmco.com. Worth a call to talk to this guy, he knows his stuff. Saves a lot of electricity over individual power filters. http://www.jehmco.com/

If it were my place I'd also plumb an auto water change system like this. http://selectaquatics.com/ft_9_water_changes.htm 

Because of all the fish disease, I'd rather see a system where water doesn't move from tank to tank.

One other option is some sort of DIY central filtration maybe with a pond filter and a mile of pvc http://www.ponddoc.com/Store/Filters/filters.html


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

I'd stay with the undergravels already in use, myself. Central systems? An old adage about eggs & a basket comes to mind.


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## Cory1990 (Jun 14, 2012)

I don't like te huge filtration systems. Trust me sponge filters or independent filters are your friend.

Hook all then tanks to one big filter and guess what's going to happen. One tank gets algae they all get it. One tank gets ich well guess all tanks will get it now. You can have 2 tank filters spliced together using one plug. That's simple and easy to do and with some no how you won't run into problems.

If you get all tanks hooked together your nice ma and pa shop really is going to end up with tanks like Walmart display= all unhealthy all sick all algae= no one but the newbs will by from you. And I'm sure you don't want that problem. 

Best of luck to your shop, and I hope you get everything worked out.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You can do auto water change without connecting takes together. It just takes a truckload of pvc. You have one system for clean water with pipes above each tank and another for dirty with overflows that drain into pipe to drain. The main issue with this is that it will be loud to use since there is air in all the pipes.

I would go to central air first. Get a big linear air pump or blower. Use it to run the UG and sponge filters.

With shared water there are fewer deaths from ammonia, but fish get exposed to everything. Low level meds and UV sterilizers keep disease in check in the store, but it flourishes once you take a fish home.

I would say do the plumbing yourself or get someone local that can give you exactly what you need and fix it when you have a problem.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I don't know much about it- will only say that my LFS has independent tanks all on sponge filters. When they get ich it seems to stay in just that tank, so it's effective. The tanks are almost reasonably near a sink so they have a very long python, use that from tank to tank. They have a regular hose from the bathroom that they fill back up with. The main reason those idiots get ich is because they don't temp match the water- and they lean towards cold rather than leaning towards warm. Replacing water with water that is too cool is more likely to stress and cause ich outbreaks.


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## happyhounds (Jul 17, 2012)

I have heard from several people that the sponge filters are the way to do. Can I use them without gravel? I think I would have an easier time keeping the tank clean without the gravel in the bottom.
Do the sponges just get rinsed out every so often?
I really dont want to go with a fancy central system due to cost and worries about flooding all the tanks with disease if one gets it.
I am interested in the water change systems. Any more info about them?


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Personally I would want at least some gravel- without it your tank will look fairly dirty constantly because of the constant poop and food. You probably don't want to have to clean the tank daily to keep it looking nice.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Sponges work fine in bare tanks. You clean them out by squeezing them out repeatedly in the waste bucket or in a sink. Its a bit of work, but less than gravel washing. Once a week is fine unless you feed heavily as with small fry.

Supposedly there are plans for a water change system on the selectaquatics site. Someday I'll change water in all my tanks by turning a few valves. In the mean time I drain with a powerhead attached to a garden hose (from jehmco) and fill with a sink hose (aquaclear brand python-thing)


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## Cory1990 (Jun 14, 2012)

If you want to cut down on maintenance, 

Take out the gravel, IMO gravel is a way to keep a tank messy not clean.
Without it crap and food is not going to be stuck and held down in it. Bare tanks are always easy to care for. If you want substrate go buy some sand. It's cheap and stuff is easily Cleaned because it's all picked up from the filter. 

Sponges work ok, not the best but ok. Reason being is that it's filtering the water not really sucking every little thing up in it. I'm still thinking your best option is hob filters for each tank, but without gravel in each one. 

If you have someone or yourself do it you can splice 2-4 filter wires together using one plug for 2-4 tanks.


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## OhYesItsMe (Oct 1, 2011)

i know my lfs does sponges on the small tanks, hobs on the med size tanks and i believe canisters on the large, without substrate, the tanks will not look as clean so you could do a thin layer of sand or fine gravel


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## happyhounds (Jul 17, 2012)

what if I used sponge filters without gravel but still used my canister filter from tank to tank to get better filtration like I have been doing?
As far as wiring multiple hang on filters together and using one outlet, I could do that easy enough, but I would be worried about overloading the circuit. The outlets that are near my tanks are not dedicated circuits, meaning they are tied into several outlets. So even though it's a 20 amp circuit, I would still be worried about overloading.
We do have 2 20 long tanks we use for feeders and currently run hang on filters with those tanks. It's the 5.5 gallon tanks that I'm having the issues with. There are 20 of them.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

That works, too.


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I've had several bare bottom tanks with good filtration, and little piles of debris etc around, usually in the areas farthest away from the filter. To me that looks dirty and not something I would want in a shop. 

Sand is also a good idea.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i'm not a shop ; but i do have several tanks running..i like undergravels but most of my tanks are bare with sponge filters...i think that using a good sized canister to go from tank to tank should work great if you have a way to disinfect it between tanks...it can mimic the central system eggs in basket sybdrome as TOS suggested...
i have a DANNER AP-100 air pump running all of my tanks..i love it..and very quiet too.


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