Drip System
For those of you that are not familiar with a drip system, it is a system used to make water changes much easily. Basically you drip fresh water into the system slowly and waste water is removed at the same or similar rate. The waste water can be removed through a direct line to a drain or sump. If you use a closed recycling system, a drip, and an overflow can be added to the recycling sump, to achieve the same purpose. The big advantage to a direct in and direct out drip and drain system, however, is that a problem in one tank will stay confined to one tank. On the other hand recycling systems will spread the problem to all tanks. The two disadvantages to the direct in and out system are: 1) the PH can vary somewhat from tank to tank. However if you use the same amount of the same type cichlid or coral reef stones, or an equal mixture of these two type stones, the PH will be be similar in each tank. 2) Unless you can figure a way to add a UV Sterilizer to the incoming water line, and be able to turn it off when the water is not flowing through it, you will have to depend on the quality of your incoming water. In most cases, especially if you have town or city water, this is not a problem.
If you water source has issues, I recommend using Ultimate Water Conditioner
I use a Drip system along with sponge filters for my fish room aquariums. This system was taught to me by Tony, of the former Tony's Tropical Fish in York, and improved upon by Lonny from the Lancaster Aquarium Club. Tony used it for over 30 years, in his stores. Tony used under gravel filters rather than sponge filters. However, I have found that under gravel filters cause problems over time. Sponge filters or the old style box filter are a much better way to filter the water in this type system.
The way the drip system, that I use, works, is the incoming water runs through a whole house filter with carbon to remove the chlorine from the city water. A pressure reducer is used to lower the water pressure to a level that the PVC pipe, and values can handle. Water is mixed from the hot and cold water pipes, and runs through an in-line thermometer, so I can make the necessary adjustments to keep the water temperature at a safe level. When turned on the system pushes fresh water through the in-coming lines to values on each tank. Each value is set to a drip rate for the size of the tank.
With this system, I use a sponge filters in each tank powered by a large air pump. Since my incoming water is about 7.4 PH, the stones in my tanks are used to raise the PH to 7.8. Because the water drip is very slow, the PH remains in a safe range for most African Cichlids. The drip is run for 3 hours two times a week, and the need for stone cleaning is reduced to twice a month, using this system. Sponge Filters need rinsed twice a month as well. However, rinsing the sponge filters at the same time as a stone cleaning is not a good idea. It is best to wait a few days after a stone cleaning before rinsing the sponge filters.
The best way to work a drip system is to have pre-drilled tanks or drill the tanks yourself. Drilling tanks is not as bad as it sounds. You can get the drill bit and the information from JEHMCO, and if you follow their instructions, you should have no problems. Keep in mind you need to keep you in drip water as far away from your out water overflow (Drilled exit Line). If not, you may have to do manual water changes to remove 25 to 50% of the old water and then only use the drip to refill the water in your tanks. You may also have to resort to manual water removal if you incoming water has chloramines or nitrite, then adding Ultimate Water Conditioner to your tanks to react with the less than pure incoming water. Due to Chloramines in the York Water System. I have resorted to removal manually of 25% of the water in each of my tanks twice a week. I then add Ultimate water conditioner before adding fresh water with the drip system. I only allow my incoming water to run long enough to refill my tanks now.
Beware, some water companies use chloramines in addition to or instead of Chlorine. Only a specially formulated water conditioner can remove them. Carbon alone, and most water conditioners can not remove Chloramines. Over time, chloramines will cause an ammonia, and or nitrite problem.
One drawback to this system is high PH Cichlids, that require 8.2 and higher PH, can not tolerate my drip system's PH Range. For fish of this type, I need to set up temporary tanks that are not part of the Drip System, requiring buffing, and manual water changes. For this reason, I only offer high PH Cichlids on an special order basis.
You can set up a similar system if you plan to keep multiple tanks. The cost to set up a drip system my be too much, however, for either a single tank or for use on only a few tanks. If you do not have chloramine or other water problems from your fresh water source, and you have your drain lines as far away from your in coming fresh water lines as possible, you should be able to run your water system and not have to do manual water changes unless a problem developes in a specific tank. This will save you a lot of extra work.
For those of you that are not familiar with a drip system, it is a system used to make water changes much easily. Basically you drip fresh water into the system slowly and waste water is removed at the same or similar rate. The waste water can be removed through a direct line to a drain or sump. If you use a closed recycling system, a drip, and an overflow can be added to the recycling sump, to achieve the same purpose. The big advantage to a direct in and direct out drip and drain system, however, is that a problem in one tank will stay confined to one tank. On the other hand recycling systems will spread the problem to all tanks. The two disadvantages to the direct in and out system are: 1) the PH can vary somewhat from tank to tank. However if you use the same amount of the same type cichlid or coral reef stones, or an equal mixture of these two type stones, the PH will be be similar in each tank. 2) Unless you can figure a way to add a UV Sterilizer to the incoming water line, and be able to turn it off when the water is not flowing through it, you will have to depend on the quality of your incoming water. In most cases, especially if you have town or city water, this is not a problem.
If you water source has issues, I recommend using Ultimate Water Conditioner
I use a Drip system along with sponge filters for my fish room aquariums. This system was taught to me by Tony, of the former Tony's Tropical Fish in York, and improved upon by Lonny from the Lancaster Aquarium Club. Tony used it for over 30 years, in his stores. Tony used under gravel filters rather than sponge filters. However, I have found that under gravel filters cause problems over time. Sponge filters or the old style box filter are a much better way to filter the water in this type system.
The way the drip system, that I use, works, is the incoming water runs through a whole house filter with carbon to remove the chlorine from the city water. A pressure reducer is used to lower the water pressure to a level that the PVC pipe, and values can handle. Water is mixed from the hot and cold water pipes, and runs through an in-line thermometer, so I can make the necessary adjustments to keep the water temperature at a safe level. When turned on the system pushes fresh water through the in-coming lines to values on each tank. Each value is set to a drip rate for the size of the tank.
With this system, I use a sponge filters in each tank powered by a large air pump. Since my incoming water is about 7.4 PH, the stones in my tanks are used to raise the PH to 7.8. Because the water drip is very slow, the PH remains in a safe range for most African Cichlids. The drip is run for 3 hours two times a week, and the need for stone cleaning is reduced to twice a month, using this system. Sponge Filters need rinsed twice a month as well. However, rinsing the sponge filters at the same time as a stone cleaning is not a good idea. It is best to wait a few days after a stone cleaning before rinsing the sponge filters.
The best way to work a drip system is to have pre-drilled tanks or drill the tanks yourself. Drilling tanks is not as bad as it sounds. You can get the drill bit and the information from JEHMCO, and if you follow their instructions, you should have no problems. Keep in mind you need to keep you in drip water as far away from your out water overflow (Drilled exit Line). If not, you may have to do manual water changes to remove 25 to 50% of the old water and then only use the drip to refill the water in your tanks. You may also have to resort to manual water removal if you incoming water has chloramines or nitrite, then adding Ultimate Water Conditioner to your tanks to react with the less than pure incoming water. Due to Chloramines in the York Water System. I have resorted to removal manually of 25% of the water in each of my tanks twice a week. I then add Ultimate water conditioner before adding fresh water with the drip system. I only allow my incoming water to run long enough to refill my tanks now.
Beware, some water companies use chloramines in addition to or instead of Chlorine. Only a specially formulated water conditioner can remove them. Carbon alone, and most water conditioners can not remove Chloramines. Over time, chloramines will cause an ammonia, and or nitrite problem.
One drawback to this system is high PH Cichlids, that require 8.2 and higher PH, can not tolerate my drip system's PH Range. For fish of this type, I need to set up temporary tanks that are not part of the Drip System, requiring buffing, and manual water changes. For this reason, I only offer high PH Cichlids on an special order basis.
You can set up a similar system if you plan to keep multiple tanks. The cost to set up a drip system my be too much, however, for either a single tank or for use on only a few tanks. If you do not have chloramine or other water problems from your fresh water source, and you have your drain lines as far away from your in coming fresh water lines as possible, you should be able to run your water system and not have to do manual water changes unless a problem developes in a specific tank. This will save you a lot of extra work.
African Cichlid Advice Links:
African Cichlid Advanced Compatibility Chart Information on other Cichlids
African Cichlid Advanced Compatibility Chart Information on other Cichlids