# 125g mechanical filter question



## ephman (Dec 15, 2004)

hello,

thinking about putting together a 125 gallon tank with 2 overflows. plan on putting in a wet/dry with flow rate of 800gph. i think there'll be about 35 fish in the tank. but what do you suggest i use for some mechanical filtration? any suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks,

ephman


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

The wet/dry will do some mechanical filtration, and I just go with occasional substrate vacuuming to get 
the rest. Adding another filter will do more, but never all, so you'll still have to vacuum the substrate 
anyway. You'll also now have another filter to clean. Try to adjust your returns or add a powerhead to 
keep stuff in suspension as long as possible, so the overflows have the best chance of picking it up.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 11, 2006)

IMO, I would add another canister to aid the wet/dry. You can never have too much filtration with trophs and having something as backup to the wet/dry definitely won't hurt.

Here is what I am running on my 125g
Pro-clear 300, HOB overflow, mag12 return pump, mangrove plant filter
2x Eheim 2262
Tunze 6025 modded
Ecotech vortech mp40w (plan on replacing the tunze with a second mp4ow)

I rarely have to siphon the substrate now and filter changing is super simple since I run both canisters with only coarse sponge and all bio-media and with the drain valve on the Eheim I am able to reverse flow all the crud out and down the drain.

My wet/dry has a single layer of fine-med filter padding which does not need changing but like once a month.

Trying to get detritus to reach the water surface so that the overflow can remove it from the water column is gonna nearly impossible since most will probably settle back on the substrate before reaching anywhere near the water surface.


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## ephman (Dec 15, 2004)

hi,

thanks. eklikewhoa i'm curious about something. are you using the vortech mp40w instead of a ugj system? are there any advantages to the vortech mp40w if you are using it instead of a ugj system?

thanks,

ephman


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 11, 2006)

I personally do not like the UGJ system.

The Mp40w is so versatile and pushes so much volume at very little wattage use it's unreal. Also the wave capabilities, alternate flow option and battery backup at an astonishing 30hrs is a plus.


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## fmueller (Jan 11, 2004)

I'll have to go with Prov here, a sump system with two overflows powered by a good sized pump should provide plenty of filtration for a 125G tank. The key is to keep debris from settling so that it can actually get into the filtration system. In that regard, the Ecotech vortech mp40w that eklikewhoa suggested sounds like a very interesting alternative to an UGJ system. I am going to have to check that thing out myself!

Other than that, regardless of how much filtration you put on a tank, you'll always have to do water changes - or ad an automatic water change system. I built mine from parts costing less than $30, and it's worth more than another dozen filters and pumps :thumb:









_You can see the water from my automatic water change system dripping into the tank. No more need for manual water changes!_


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## sleepy09 (Jan 15, 2009)

The Ecotech vortech mp40w is pretty cool but the price isn't. Over 400 even on ebay. Hmmm wonder if the wife will notice........ They even have a foam cover that goes over them. I guess you even get some bio filtratration out of the deal.


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## sleepy09 (Jan 15, 2009)

I have a 125 gallon tank that has dual internal overflows. They flow into an Oceanic 150 Plus wet/dry. The return pump is a Mag Drive 9.5 that is submerged in the wet/dry with a prefilter sponge on it and a 400 watt heater in it. The flow rate on the Mag Drive 9.5 is suppose to be 950 gallons a minute. I am also running an FX5 canister filter with the intake about 5 inches from the bottom and the out flow nozzles pointing up at the two overflow boxes. I had 2 Koralia #2's running but now I am down to just one that is mounted right in the middle of the tank, pointing straight toward the front of the tank. There is about 150lbs of holey rock and 100 lbs of Eco Complete sand in the tank. I have 19 fish in it so far, some medium size and some juvies that are fed twice a day. I do a 30-40% water change weekly and clean the canister and wet/dry filters every third week. I hardly have to vacuum the sand because the filters pick up most of the poop. I do stir the sand once a week to get the fine stuff out of the sand and to release the gasses that get trapped in it. The filters pickup what is released and my water does clear up quickly.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 11, 2006)

sleepy09 said:


> The Ecotech vortech mp40w is pretty cool but the price isn't. Over 400 even on ebay. Hmmm wonder if the wife will notice........ They even have a foam cover that goes over them. I guess you even get some bio filtratration out of the deal.


If you shop some more you can get it for less, I believe the $400 price tag is the minimum advertised price dealers are allowed to publicly advertise.


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