# Dual Canisters Intakes and Returns



## eTrain (Oct 15, 2012)

I'm going to run two canisters on my new 75g and ditch my HOB. So I'm asking how you guys set up your intakes and returns. I'm trying to decide if I want to put both intakes on the same side with spray bars across the length of the back. Or put the intakes on opposit sides with short spray bars on each side.


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## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

If you use the factory intakes i would put them about a quarter to a third of the way in on opposite sides

Im going to purchase a second canister to run with my FX5 on my 220. Here is what im going to try. Im going to use black PVC to build a 6" long intake bar for the bottom that will be mounted against the back of the tank. Im going to then build a 4" long spraybar that will be mounted obviously at the back top of the tank. I am going to hook the filters up at opposite ends of each. This will allow me to drill 4 holes for the hoses in the top of the tank, and i will be able to hook them up right to the PVC. Im using black because i plan on having a black background with pool filter sand that has a little black sand mixed into it just to give it a bit of contrast. The holes in the intake will be closer together at the center of the intake, and further apart near the hose connections allowing me to create draw acrossed the whole bottom.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I have canisters on both my tanks and on one tank I have two. On the tank with a single canister I have my intake on the left about 2" from the side glass and the spray bar runs the rest of the way with a bit of a gap on the other side for the heater. On the tank with two canister filters one intake is all the way to the left and the other is about 12" from the right glass with its output right next to it. I made a spray bar for the filter that has the intake all the way to the left so the spray bar runs the length of the tank and in front of the other filters intake/return.


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## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

and speaking of the reason im buying said second canister!! LOL. Somebody should be a salesman for for a particular filter company!! HAHA


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Mschn99 said:


> and speaking of the reason im buying said second canister!! LOL. Somebody should be a salesman for for a particular filter company!! HAHA


Yeah....forums like this are GREAT advertisement for those companies.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Mschn99 said:


> If you use the factory intakes i would put them about a quarter to a third of the way in on opposite sides
> 
> Im going to purchase a second canister to run with my FX5 on my 220. Here is what im going to try. Im going to use black PVC to build a 6" long intake bar for the bottom that will be mounted against the back of the tank. Im going to then build a 4" long spraybar that will be mounted obviously at the back top of the tank. I am going to hook the filters up at opposite ends of each. This will allow me to drill 4 holes for the hoses in the top of the tank, and i will be able to hook them up right to the PVC. Im using black because i plan on having a black background with pool filter sand that has a little black sand mixed into it just to give it a bit of contrast. The holes in the intake will be closer together at the center of the intake, and further apart near the hose connections allowing me to create draw acrossed the whole bottom.


I'm assuming you mean 6' (feet) not 6"(inches) and 4' (feet) and not 4"(inches) for your components.

My approach on the tanks with multiple filters is to put the intakes together at one end, and the outlets at the other end, pointing to the intakes. The idea being detritus gets blown to the intakes. I try for a circular current to the water as you look at the tank from the front. For example, the intakes on the left side, towards the bottom, the outlets to the far right, deep in the tank or at surface but pointing directly down. This forces the return water along the bottom, towards the intakes and moves the detritus along.


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## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

If you did that with the return without something elst moving water up hight you would not break enough surface tension to properly oxygenate the water.


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## nodima (Oct 3, 2002)

Mschn99 said:


> If you did that with the return without something elst moving water up hight you would not break enough surface tension to properly oxygenate the water.


I'd love to see research backing this up, given experiences I've had with tanks over the years with little or no direct surface agitation.


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## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

Its a common classroom experiment http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=w ... PuAB2BlGOg


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## R6RaVeN37 (Aug 10, 2012)

Mschn99 said:


> and speaking of the reason im buying said second canister!! LOL. Somebody should be a salesman for for a particular filter company!! HAHA


 :lol:


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

nodima said:


> Mschn99 said:
> 
> 
> > If you did that with the return without something elst moving water up hight you would not break enough surface tension to properly oxygenate the water.
> ...


I think strong surface agitation, according to Dr. Tim, is good and necessary when using canister filters or closed filtration systems for biological filtration since the bacteria need good oxygenation to grow.


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

13razorbackfan said:


> nodima said:
> 
> 
> > Mschn99 said:
> ...


 Plus it looks good for that "shimmer effect" if using LEDs. :wink:


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## JimA (Nov 7, 2009)

Mschn99 said:


> If you use the factory intakes i would put them about a quarter to a third of the way in on opposite sides
> 
> Im going to purchase a second canister to run with my FX5 on my 220. Here is what im going to try. Im going to use black PVC to build a 6" long intake bar for the bottom that will be mounted against the back of the tank. Im going to then build a 4" long spraybar that will be mounted obviously at the back top of the tank. I am going to hook the filters up at opposite ends of each. This will allow me to drill 4 holes for the hoses in the top of the tank, and i will be able to hook them up right to the PVC. Im using black because i plan on having a black background with pool filter sand that has a little black sand mixed into it just to give it a bit of contrast. The holes in the intake will be closer together at the center of the intake, and further apart near the hose connections allowing me to create draw acrossed the whole bottom.


 My only concern on this would be the 6' pvc intake sucking in sand or the holes getting plugged.. I like the idea, but I guess it all stems around what you do to the PVC? slits, small holes, big holes or ??


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

JimA said:


> 13razorbackfan said:
> 
> 
> > nodima said:
> ...


Yep...that too!


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## Mschn99 (Dec 24, 2012)

JimA said:


> My only concern on this would be the 6' pvc intake sucking in sand or the holes getting plugged.. I like the idea, but I guess it all stems around what you do to the PVC? slits, small holes, big holes or ??


Im already running my FX5 in my 80 gallon this way. I have it set up so the intake bar has quarter inch diameter holes angled down at the bottom at like a 45* angle, not strait down. I put "legs" on it that i bury in the substrate that are just deadheaded to raise it up about two inches off of the substrate. The whole things with the intake hose on it looks like a squared off lower case h with shorter legs. Only mistake i made was the holes close to the intake hose on this one are a little close together so suction at the other end isnt very strong. I will fix that with the next one. The one i currently have has been running for almost a year with no problems or blockages.


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## slb.76 (Jul 30, 2012)

I also have two canisters for my 90 gallon, I'm planning on putting the intakes 6" from each side of the tank, and have both spray bars horizontally on each side, so both outputs would spray towards the middle of the tank, I'm wondering if this would be a concern, but there's nice water movement all across the top.


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## slb.76 (Jul 30, 2012)

slb.76 said:


> I also have two canisters for my 90 gallon, I'm planning on putting the intakes 6" from each side of the tank, and have both spray bars horizontally on each side, so both outputs would spray towards the middle of the tank, I'm wondering if this would be a concern, but there's nice water movement all across the top.


Top View of my 90 gallon










And front view with air stones and circulation pump, i want the air stones in the middle of the tank and in front of intakes so the idea is the air bubbles will hide the intake tubes, and the circulation pump will be somehere in the top half of the tank, and near the front of the tank to provide a circulatory current around the bottom of the tank. That's the idea anyways.


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