# Laguna Pond filters for indoor tank use



## angelover98 (Mar 3, 2004)

Laguna makes a nice line of Pond canister filters for ponds up to 3000 gallons US.
Could these be used as a giant canister filter for a 300+ gallon aquarium?


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## TangSteve (Sep 20, 2009)

Most of them are gravity fed as a return meaning they have to be placed above the water line.

Pond filters are a waste of money IMO unless you are using pressurized pool equipment. You can just use a trash can full of media and gravity to do the exact same thing.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

might be cheaper than using a sump, you'd have to find a way to hook up a pump to the return to pump it back up


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I used BioForce 2000 pressurized pond filter indoors for 5+ years....

Gravity fed pond filters will not be safe for indoor use....

When properly connected... pressurized pond filters can be safely used for indoor use...

You will want to use some form of "quick disconnects" that will serve as a shut off valve as well as a place to disconnect the filter for service.

Despite the recommendations of the manufacturer, you will want to connect the pump inline AFTER the filter, NOT BEFORE. Connecting the pump inline before the filter will mean there is positive pressure inside the filter. If the filter leaks, water will shoot out of the filter/leak. Connecting the pump inline AFTER the filter will create negative pressure in the filter. Therefore if there is a leak, air will be sucked into the filter/leak and bubbles will be blown out the filter's return... which you will notice and immediately address.

The net difference in performance is you will lose about 5% of the potential flow from the pump. The difference of not doing it this way is X number of gallons of water on your floor.

Do not use a ball valve in this system to slow down the water flow at any point. If you must, think long and hard about the potential impact on water pressure or back pressures this will cause.

Many people will suggest you have to have the pressurized pond filter above the surface of the tank. This is not true. The reason is, you have created a negative pressure inside the filter, not a positive pressure. This slight difference changes many many things.

Functionally... there is no difference in an aquarium canister filter and a properly put together pressurized pond filter system... the single big difference is the manufacturer of the aquarium canister has thought things through and built them into a single unit. With the pressurized pond filter, you have to think things through and built it right...

But when put together right... with a pressurized pond filter you can create filtration that has double the media capacity as a FX5... and double the flow rate of a FX5... for a few bucks less than a FX5...

Or you can pay Fluval for doing the thinking for you....


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