Submerged pump?

[Confused]

Hello,

A weird question - what if I submerge a hang on back filter with a pump that is not supposed to be submerged? Will that result in a electric shock whenever the water is touched? I am looking at Fluval C4.

 

[!poogs!]

I have a c4. If you submerged it you may find it’s similar to taking a bath with a hair dryer in a tub water. Other people will tell the story for you. Your fish are subject to the same effects of electrical current as you, so they are sure to be casualties.

It all about ions. If the water was distilled or deionized it wouldn’t have the same effect. But because tap water and most aquarium water has minerals in it it becomes a conductor for the electricity.

If things are working properly in your house, the breaker should flip before that even becomes a problem.

If you try this against suggested advice, please make sure you get someone to tell us how it worked out for you.

 

[Confused]

I have a c4. If you submerged it you may find it’s similar to taking a bath with a hair dryer in a tub water. Other people will tell the story for you. Your fish are subject to the same effects of electrical current as you, so they are sure to be casualties.

It all about ions. If the water was distilled or deionized it wouldn’t have the same effect. But because tap water and most aquarium water has minerals in it it becomes a conductor for the electricity.

If things are working properly in your house, the breaker should flip before that even becomes a problem.

If you try this against suggested advice, please make sure you get someone to tell us how it worked out for you.

Thanks. I am not going to try it out

Do you think C4 will be good enough for a 55 gallon tank? It has 2 small Uaru cichlids, 2 juvenile frontosas and a kirin parrot.

 

[!poogs!]

Yes and No.

Its rated to be good for that size of tank. I had mine on a 45 gallon bow front. It was a fluval kit I bought used from someone that killed every fish they tried to keep and got out the hobby after a snail infestation.

I was also running a Seachem tidal 75 and a sponge Filter With the C4 Definitely over doing, but I can’t help myself when it comes to biological filtration. Other than the sponge my C4 was packed with Seachem Matrix. I had a Fluval 107 on a 10 gallon and 207 on a 20 gallon. I moved the 207 and the 107 to the 45 last week and put the C4 on a 10 gallon aquarium.

If I was going to do a 55 gallon tank right with just one filter, it would be a Fluval 307 Minimum and I would give Serious consideration to a 407.

if you already have the C4 it would be a good start, and you can see if it matches your stocking levels. Personally I usually invest in the largest filter off the hop, this way your filter grows with you and you never have to upgrade. That’s my advice to you.

 

[Fisch]

Yes and No.

Its rated to be good for that size of tank. I had mine on a 45 gallon bow front. It was a fluval kit I bought used from someone that killed every fish they tried to keep and got out the hobby after a snail infestation.

I was also running a Seachem tidal 75 and a sponge Filter With the C4 Definitely over doing, but I can’t help myself when it comes to biological filtration. Other than the sponge my C4 was packed with Seachem Matrix. I had a Fluval 107 on a 10 gallon and 207 on a 20 gallon. I moved the 207 and the 107 to the 45 last week and put the C4 on a 10 gallon aquarium.

If I was going to do a 55 gallon tank right with just one filter, it would be a Fluval 307 Minimum and I would give Serious consideration to a 407.

if you already have the C4 it would be a good start, and you can see if it matches your stocking levels. Personally I usually invest in the largest filter off the hop, this way your filter grows with you and you never have to upgrade. That’s my advice to you.

Agreed, have a 306 on the 55gl, and should have gone with the 406....

 

[Dechi]

I have a 407 on my 46 gallons and it’s just perfect.

 

[Confused]

Unfortunately there is no space available for cannister filters. So I have to make do with HOBs

 

[!poogs!]

Unfortunately there is no space available for cannister filters. So I have to make do with HOBs

Seachem Tidal 75 is a good HOB. Has some nice features other don’t have. Can carry a lot of biological filtration and even fit a 100 gram pouch of purigen. It skims the water surface and the pump motor is submergible. You can buy polishing pads to fit , and I suggest it because the mechanical filtration is very porous.

Personally think aqua clear is overrated, if you are considering it and the larger ones have some subtle flaws.

Don’t throw out the C4, use it in combination with a 75

 

[86 ssinit]

For me I prefer hobs on anything under 100g. Just easier to maintain. Canisters are known to leak! The tidal filter does have its pump submerged. It’s a great filter but I’d go with the 110 over the 75. I have that and a marineland 350 hob running my 90g. What is the reason you want to put the motor into the tank. Space?

 

[Confused]

Yes, space constraints. As weird as it sounds, I have the fish tank on a bookshelf. It's a large 10 feet by 10 feet bookshelf and the fish tank it placed at the bottom of the shelf. It's a 3 feet wide tank. Due to the way the bookshelf is designed, a canister won't fit, and any HOB filter must have a submerged pump. I really like Fluval C4 but cannot have the pump outside the tank.

 

[86 ssinit]

How much space behind the tank.

 

[Confused]

none at all. The tank has been pushed right up to the back wall of the shelf.
Here is a pic

 

[Dechi]

Have you looked at sponge filter or internal filters ?

 

[Confused]

I have two internal filters as the picture shows but honestly want to get rid of them as they are not aesthetically pleasing,

 

[86 ssinit]

Ok something I use on some tanks. The odyssey 250 or 350. This filter moves that number of gallons an hour. It’s just 2 sponge filters but for that tank you could do other setups. Like 1 sponge 1 media... It is an internal filter with a power head. I made the spray bar for that one and it’s got floss in the bottom cartridge.