Dual Fx6 Suctions & Discharges?

Has anybody ever modded there FX6 or any other type of canister filter to have dual suctions and dual discharges?

I recently got a 75G that ill be setting up once we buy or build a new house so in the mean time I'm trying to get a game plan of how I'm going to set it up. Originally I was going to run two AC110s but have decided that a FX6 would be a better cleaner looking option. With that being said, I love that the FX6 moves a lot of water but would like to keep the current down as well as pull suction from both sides the tank. So here is my thoughts. Plumb PVC lines on each side of the tank going most of the way down, come up over the back wall and Y them together before going to the "IN" of the FX6. As for the discharge I was thinking of Y'ing the "OUT" to each side of a spray bar which would be UNDER the surface of the water, it being under the surface would still move plenty of water but do so quietly as well as without much current, pf course I would have to test to see how many and what size holes would be needed though. Thoughts?

Here is a quick drawing I did to explain my idea.

The Red piping would be inside the tank and the Pink would be on the outside. Bright Blue would be the spraybar under the water surface and the Light Blue would be on the outside.



Thanks Wayne

 

It’s an interesting idea. Let us know how it goes.

 

What type of stocking do you plan for the 75g?

 

What type of stocking do you plan for the 75g?

Not 100% sure yet to be honest, my son really wants a bluegill but I'm not sure if we are going to go that route or not. At first I'm going to set it up with the fish we have and then bring him to the LFS to see if he likes any of those fish better than a bluegill.

Wayne

 

Interesting concept. I'm not so sure it would work at the input side as it may have problems trying to start the siphon from both inputs as maybe only one side will start. It could suck air from one side and cause cavitation inside if both are not kept full of water. The FX6 is probably too much for a 75 gallon as you only need 600-750gph for that tank. You could put two (2) smaller canisters on that tank for half the price. Anywho, let us know.

 

Interesting concept. I'm not so sure it would work at the input side as it may have problems trying to start the siphon from both inputs as maybe only one side will start. It could suck air from one side and cause cavitation inside if both are not kept full of water. The FX6 is probably too much for a 75 gallon as you only need 600-750gph for that tank. You could put two (2) smaller canisters on that tank for half the price. Anywho, let us know.

The potential cavitation issue with the dual suctions isn’t a concern of mine. I will have both sides the same length so it draws equally on both sides. The suctions will be at the bottom of the tank so once primed it shouldn’t be a issue.

Yes the FX6 is a little over kill but I like overkill. I currently have a AC30 with a AC50 Impeller in a 10G.

But I do like the idea of having two separate filters though, what smaller canisters would you suggest? Dual 406s?

Wayne

 

The potential cavitation issue with the dual suctions isn’t a concern of mine. I will have both sides the same length so it draws equally on both sides. The suctions will be at the bottom of the tank so once primed it shouldn’t be a issue.

Yes the FX6 is a little over kill but I like overkill. I currently have a AC30 with a AC50 Impeller in a 10G.

But I do like the idea of having two separate filters though, what smaller canisters would you suggest? Dual 406s?

Wayne

I think with twice the inputs you have about half the volume of intake water flow in each, unless you reduce the size of the inputs. But not sure.
Fluval is a high profit company considering just about all canisters have less than $50 in parts in them. I have a 75 gallon running a Sunsun 303b at 370 gph and a Tidal 75 HOB at 350 gph.

Two Polar Aurora/Sunsun 370 gph at $68 each will work also. Others will chime in here on what they have I'm sure.

 

I think with twice the inputs you have about half the volume of intake water flow in each, unless you reduce the size of the inputs. But not sure.
Fluval is a high profit company considering just about all canisters have less than $50 in parts in them. I have a 75 gallon running a Sunsun 303b at 370 gph and a Tidal 75 HOB at 350 gph.

Two Polar Aurora/Sunsun 370 gph at $68 each will work also. Others will chime in here on what they have I'm sure.

The only reason I was considering the Fluval over the SunSun(actually looked at the HW-3000) is solely due to the quality. The very last thing I want to happen is the "cheap" Sunsun to spring a leak. This will be a all new setup in a brand new house so having 75gallons of water all over the place is the last thing I want. Not saying that Sunsun isn't a good brand, its just not Fluval you know.

Wayne

 

I think you're overthinking this with the two inputs and outputs. The dual outputs aren't going to do anything appreciable, particularly if they're hooked up to the same spray bar like in the drawing. The pump is going to move a certain amount of water at some pressure. If you've got balance between the holes in the spray bar and the amount of water being pumped out of the filter, it will pressurize the spray bar and you'll get a pretty equal amount of water coming out of each hole. It won't matter if you have one hose leading to it or a dozen. They're all coming from the same pump so the same amount of water and pressure is going to end up in the spray bar.

Like Cichlidude said, if you split the input you'll get half the draw from each intake. You'll get the same amount of water going into the filter but the flow of water, the suction, if you will, into each intake will be only half what it would be with one input. You'll be drawing water from two spots but each one will suck up much less muck than it would if it were working alone.

As for one versus two filters, there's not an obvious correct answer. Some people like using two because that provides redundancy. If one goes out the ammonia isn't going to go through the roof waiting for you to replace the dead one. On the flip side, using two, assuming they together provide the same filter volume as the one would, you expend more space on mechanical filtration, cutting down on the amount of biological media you can fit in the filter. You need the mechanical media in each because it protects the biological media from the sludge that would otherwise clog it up. So now instead of 3" of filter foam you've got 6" total. (It's probably not quite so straightforward, but you'll definitely be needing one-third to one-half less mechanical media with one canister, freeing up that space for biological media.)

I would probably go with the one large one just because it's less to fiddle with, but there are pluses and minuses on both sides.

 

The only reason I was considering the Fluval over the SunSun(actually looked at the HW-3000) is solely due to the quality. The very last thing I want to happen is the "cheap" Sunsun to spring a leak. This will be a all new setup in a brand new house so having 75gallons of water all over the place is the last thing I want. Not saying that Sunsun isn't a good brand, its just not Fluval you know.

Wayne

Probably the other way around. There was a thread here where the Fluvals broke and had more issues than the Sunsuns.

Sunsun filter review:

SunSun Canister Filter: Is It The Best Filter For 2019 [REVIEW]

I've had mine going on 9 years now with no issues. Never a problem like most folks. Anywho, good luck.

 

My thought process behind the two suctions is that it would pull water from both sides the tank vs just one side. I know the suctions strength wouldnt be as strong(basically split between the two) but it should still flow the same amount.

As for the two discharges tied into one bar at each end, I came up with that after watching a few videos of spray bars. It always seamed to have much more pressure out the jets towards the end of the bar. Having a line at each end should equalize the pressure in the bar and make all the jets have the same discharge pressure.

I will most certainly looking more into the SunSun Canisters vs the FX6.

Wayne

 

As for the two discharges tied into one bar at each end, I came up with that after watching a few videos of spray bars. It always seamed to have much more pressure out the jets towards the end of the bar. Having a line at each end should equalize the pressure in the bar and make all the jets have the same discharge pressure.

If the spray bar and the pump are properly matched it shouldn't be an issue. You should only see weaker output at one end when the pump isn't pushing enough to pressurize the bar.

 

If the spray bar and the pump are properly matched it shouldn't be an issue. You should only see weaker output at one end when the pump isn't pushing enough to pressurize the bar.

Correct, I understand that. So with that being said do you see a issue with plumbing it to have two suctions, one on each side of the tank?

Wayne

 

So with that being said do you see a issue with plumbing it to have two suctions, one on each side of the tank?

Part of me thinks if this was a good idea it would be a common thing. OTOH, I'm usually happy to see someone bucking convention. The only issue I can see is the reduced pull from each input, but with a large filter like the FX6 there's going to be enough water being pulled in that you might actually be better off with two inputs. Far less likely to suck unsuspecting livestock into the input tube. Let us know how it works out if you actually try it.