Looking for feedback on my 20g long AIO design

[Sockcman]

Hi! I am just about to start the build for my first SW tank. I am gonna go with a 20g long and build my own AIO chamber. I have attached my current blueprint and would love some feedback on chamber dimension / anything I might have overlooked before I start cutting acrylic. I believe all the equipment size in the diagram should be pretty close to reality.

Mechanical Filtration chamber​

I am going to cut weir teeth in a 2.5" x 1.5" zone which should give me a max flow rate of 420 GPH assuming I cut the teeth right. I am going to shove a media bag of ceramic media down into the chamber then have a mesh plate that sits on ridges to keep filter floss right below the overflow.

Equipment Chamber​

This chamber will house a bubble magus mini q skimmer and eheim 75w heater. I think i will also put the output of my ATO in here.

Return Chamber​

This chamber will have a Sicce Syncra 1.0 connected by vinyl tubing to a bulkhead with output nozzle. The ATO sensor will also be in here.


One question I have is how close to the surface should i place the bulkhead for the return pump? Do any of these chambers seem too small? Any advice at all on AIO design would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Fish Fan]

I have *almost* no idea what I'm talking about, but I'm going to throw some numbers at you if it helps

I have several Innovative Marine AIO tanks from 10 to 25 gallons. My 15 gallon and my 25 gallon have basically the same specs for filter sections, the 25 just has double; two on each side. I'd suggest modeling your project after these tried and true AIO tanks

I just measured, and my IM 15 has a weir that's about 2.1875" (2-3/16") wide from the left edge of the left most slot to the right edge of the right most slot. The height of the slots is about 1.5". The slots are 3/16" wide and spaced 1/8" apart.

The distance form the top edge of the tank to the center of the return line on my IM 15 is approximately 1.5".

The back-side dimensions of the IM tanks is well documented; here's an example:

I am going to shove a media bag of ceramic media down into the chamber then have a mesh plate that sits on ridges to keep filter floss right below the overflow.

I like this, I think it will work. But, consider crafting your own media caddy, something like what IM offers or what InTank used to make (I believe they are out of business). A media caddy would make adding and removing, or cleaning you filter media much easier. Here's an example, this can just *slide* into your first filter section just after the weir:

Also, please consider replacing the ceramic media with rock rubble. At least some ceramic media has been known to leech heavy metals, and in my humble opinion you can't improve upon the simple rock

I think the plan for your other chambers is solid, as long as you're running an ATO. It's not typically advised to place heater in the return section, but on my AIO's that's all I have room for, and I run dependable ATO's that make this a moot point.

I would see if the following, genuinely knowledgeable individuals could take a look at your plan
@UncommonSense
@Troylee

Best of luck with your project!

 

[Sockcman]

This is super helpful thanks! I thought about a media caddy but I think the overhang of the tank rim would make it hard to take in and out.

Good to know about the media, I have some leftover fluval biomedia from my FW take so figured I'd just use that.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@BeanAnimal

 

[Rhetoric]

Every once in awhile I see a thread I might be useful in! Hah. This isn't it. However...

I run an Initiative Marine 20 gallon peninsula. Ive had this AIO photo stashed in my journal forever just incase I ever needed to reference it.

The dimensions are super close to yours. I hope it helps you somehow.

 

[Troylee]

The height of the return doesn’t really make any difference in an all in one tank as it’s not gonna back siphon and cause a flood in a sump etc.