# Help With Simple Filter



## nofinga911 (Sep 18, 2007)

I have been looking at sumps and planning on building one but once I saw a lot of them I changed my mind. There are many things in a sump that my application does not require. All I need is water to be moved out of my tank into another tank with different filtration media levels (also with room for heaters) and then have the filtered water pumped back into my tank. Can someone give me any simple ideas? My main question is, do you need two pumps? One for input and one for return? Thanks


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## verbosity (Nov 16, 2007)

If your sump will be under your tank you only need one pump pushing water back up.


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## nofinga911 (Sep 18, 2007)

how does that work?





verbosity said:


> If your sump will be under your tank you only need one pump pushing water back up.


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## nofinga911 (Sep 18, 2007)

I have no idea how to post pictures, but if you look at the tetra clearchoice gravity flow biofilters (for ponds) that is pretty much what I am talking about. I want something like that. I even saw someone who got a regular 5gallon home depot bucket and put filter media in it. The water was then pumped through the bucket and returned to the tank. I want to make something similar but nicer looking and has room for a heater.


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## verbosity (Nov 16, 2007)

If the filter is under the tank a simple siphon will move water from the tank to the bucket (The same way you change water)

The siphon by itself is not fast enough though. So if you seal the 5 gallon bucket so that no air can get in then you can easily just use the return pump to speed up the siphon.


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Now the one you mentioned for the pond is meant to be above water level.. If that is the case you will need something to pump the water into the filter, and the water will just use gravity to go back to the tank.

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A siphon (also spelled syphon) is a continuous tube that allows liquid to drain from a reservoir through an intermediate point that is higher than the reservoir, the up-slope flow being driven only by hydrostatic pressure without any need for pumping. It is necessary that the final end of the tube be lower than the liquid surface in the reservoir.


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## nofinga911 (Sep 18, 2007)

what is the BEST/STRONGEST water pump I can use for this project for my 125?


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