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Hi all!
I once had a 28g NanoCube office tank that did really, really well. Acans, SPS, a few zoas, everything looked great. I attributed most of my success in that tank to the simplicity of it: I had a media rack with pillow stuffing for physical filtration, followed by Purigen and ChemiPure Elite along with a Tunze 9002 skimmer and a 150w Phoenix 14k DE in a Viper MH fixture. I decided then that physical filtration was a must and even though I probably won't do Purigen or ChemiPure Elite on my 180g I just setup due to cost, the pillow stuffing idea stuck with me and with some help from friends, I've got a design that is simple and inexpensive to build and should last the lifetime of your tank. If you're lucky, you'll only need one trip to Lowes, too. :)
Physical filtration is so easy and effective, there's no reason not to run it. Pillow stuffing is the easiest physical filtration I'm aware of because once it gets dirty, you throw it away. No overflowing socks, no washing, no expensive chemicals... just a $5 bag of pillow stuffing and some PVC. Lets get to it.
All of these parts can be purchased at Lowes, and I have pictures of each one. In a nutshell, all we're going to do is take some 4" PVC, a 4" to 3" PVC reducer (thanks for the idea, pickupman66!), some 3" PVC, and some egg crate. I am using a BeanAnimal style drain on a Ghost Overflow, so I have 2 1.5" drains that have constant water flow and I needed both to fit into the filter, so that's why I chose 4" PVC. If you just have dursos, and single drain, etc., feel free to adjust the sizes accordingly. The size doesn't matter other than needing your drain to fit into it.
Here are the parts I used:
4" to 3" PVC Reducer
3"x5' PVC Section (this is also available in 2' sections, but its only $0.60 cheaper for 2'... I went for the 5' in case I need it later)
4"x2" PVC Section (the 5' section was not a small jump in price as with the 3" pipe, so I would just get the 2' section unless you need more for some reason)
In addition to egg crate and a $5 bag of pillow stuffing from Wal Mart.
First, cut the egg crate out to the same size as the inside of the 4" PVC. I just drew a circle on the egg crate and cut it out.
The bottom of your 4" PVC is essentially going to be where your pillow stuffing sits and should allow for enough room to remove the pipes that hang above it to get to it. In my case, my pipes above it are just pushed into an elbow that can also flex so I can push the pipes down to get them out of the elbow, move them over, and pull them out. You will need to have your 4" PVC long enough to accomplish this task.
Once you have your 4" piece sized so you can remove your 1.5" drains (or whatever size you have), place the pipe into the 4" side of the reducer and drop the egg crate down into it, making sure its level and as far down as it can go.
Next, cut the 3" PVC to size. You can make this as long or as short as you need. Mine is currently resting on live rock I have in my sump until I find a way to mount it to the size of my sump. :)
This is what mine looked like when I was finished:
Then I grabbed and handful of pillow stuffing (a little smaller than a softball) and put it in:
And that's basically it! Change the stuffing out every couple of days and you should be good to go. This is what mine looks like after a few days of running (and keep in mind, I only have two clowns and a purple pseudochromis in my tank right now... I'm not feeding very much at all!):
Here's a video of the end result and how I have it plumbed. I apologize, my video skills leave a lot to be desired, but hopefully it shows how I've done it. This is not easy to explain with photos.
[video=youtube;a67DUg2Qxzc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a67DUg2Qxzc[/video]
And that's it! Pretty simple and, in my opinion, much better than filter socks. :)
Some people have brought up the concern of fish going over their overflows. That is a perfectly valid concern if your overflows are open enough for that to happen. On my tank, I am running a Reef Savvy Ghost Overflow and none of my fish have even the slightest chance of going through it.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Brandon
I once had a 28g NanoCube office tank that did really, really well. Acans, SPS, a few zoas, everything looked great. I attributed most of my success in that tank to the simplicity of it: I had a media rack with pillow stuffing for physical filtration, followed by Purigen and ChemiPure Elite along with a Tunze 9002 skimmer and a 150w Phoenix 14k DE in a Viper MH fixture. I decided then that physical filtration was a must and even though I probably won't do Purigen or ChemiPure Elite on my 180g I just setup due to cost, the pillow stuffing idea stuck with me and with some help from friends, I've got a design that is simple and inexpensive to build and should last the lifetime of your tank. If you're lucky, you'll only need one trip to Lowes, too. :)
Physical filtration is so easy and effective, there's no reason not to run it. Pillow stuffing is the easiest physical filtration I'm aware of because once it gets dirty, you throw it away. No overflowing socks, no washing, no expensive chemicals... just a $5 bag of pillow stuffing and some PVC. Lets get to it.
All of these parts can be purchased at Lowes, and I have pictures of each one. In a nutshell, all we're going to do is take some 4" PVC, a 4" to 3" PVC reducer (thanks for the idea, pickupman66!), some 3" PVC, and some egg crate. I am using a BeanAnimal style drain on a Ghost Overflow, so I have 2 1.5" drains that have constant water flow and I needed both to fit into the filter, so that's why I chose 4" PVC. If you just have dursos, and single drain, etc., feel free to adjust the sizes accordingly. The size doesn't matter other than needing your drain to fit into it.
Here are the parts I used:
4" to 3" PVC Reducer
3"x5' PVC Section (this is also available in 2' sections, but its only $0.60 cheaper for 2'... I went for the 5' in case I need it later)
4"x2" PVC Section (the 5' section was not a small jump in price as with the 3" pipe, so I would just get the 2' section unless you need more for some reason)
In addition to egg crate and a $5 bag of pillow stuffing from Wal Mart.
First, cut the egg crate out to the same size as the inside of the 4" PVC. I just drew a circle on the egg crate and cut it out.
The bottom of your 4" PVC is essentially going to be where your pillow stuffing sits and should allow for enough room to remove the pipes that hang above it to get to it. In my case, my pipes above it are just pushed into an elbow that can also flex so I can push the pipes down to get them out of the elbow, move them over, and pull them out. You will need to have your 4" PVC long enough to accomplish this task.
Once you have your 4" piece sized so you can remove your 1.5" drains (or whatever size you have), place the pipe into the 4" side of the reducer and drop the egg crate down into it, making sure its level and as far down as it can go.
Next, cut the 3" PVC to size. You can make this as long or as short as you need. Mine is currently resting on live rock I have in my sump until I find a way to mount it to the size of my sump. :)
This is what mine looked like when I was finished:
Then I grabbed and handful of pillow stuffing (a little smaller than a softball) and put it in:
And that's basically it! Change the stuffing out every couple of days and you should be good to go. This is what mine looks like after a few days of running (and keep in mind, I only have two clowns and a purple pseudochromis in my tank right now... I'm not feeding very much at all!):
Here's a video of the end result and how I have it plumbed. I apologize, my video skills leave a lot to be desired, but hopefully it shows how I've done it. This is not easy to explain with photos.
[video=youtube;a67DUg2Qxzc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a67DUg2Qxzc[/video]
And that's it! Pretty simple and, in my opinion, much better than filter socks. :)
Some people have brought up the concern of fish going over their overflows. That is a perfectly valid concern if your overflows are open enough for that to happen. On my tank, I am running a Reef Savvy Ghost Overflow and none of my fish have even the slightest chance of going through it.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Brandon
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