[Karlos5000]

I have a 130 gallon planted discus tank. The filter is an overflow/sump. The return from the sump goes through a nice Lifegard micron filter. I also have a HOT magnum on the sump for chemical/mechanical and a fluidized filter for bio.

I am noticing a lot of debris in the tank mainly from the hungry discus. I have five 5 to 7" discus in there. The overflow just does not pick up a lot of the heavier crap and it gets caught in the plants and looks unsightly. :smile:

I have been usin a powerhead with a foam intake prefilter to try to increase the circulation and thus the amount of debris that gets to the sump. But this does not really fix the problem.

Can any one recommend a filter for the mechanical job? I was thinking of adding a Eheim 2028 or an XP4 or ??? Any other ideas?

-Karl

 

[Karlos5000]

Sniff sniff.

 

[turbosaurus]

You're on the right track as far as increasing flow. If the junk is sitting on the leaves of the plants the only way to get it off on a regular basis without manual removal is to increase the flow and effectively blow it off- which is not the same as removing it from the tank, but it will solve the ugliness issue to some extent.

I don't think you're going to find a way to get it all blown up into the overflow if the particles aren't buoyant no matter what you do. Same with a canister- there is no way to direct all the debris into the intake. A canister will help from the standpoint of increased water flow- but it won't Vacuum your tank per se. If I were you, I'd see if you can get the powerhead situated to blow the water over the messiest parts where it is currently collecting so that the debris is forced to collect in a less conspicuous area of the tank. A canister with a spray bar will spread the flow over a wider area.