random question about filters

Does any one know how someone would go about filtering a 7000 gallon salt water aquarium. Or even a 4000 gallon.
I saw two this weekend and the were huge.

 

I don't know about saltwater, but if I had a freshwater tank that large, I'd probably look into pond filters.

-Chelle

 

An extremely large protein skimmer maybe two, wet/dry filter, and a very large refugium is all I can think of.

 

An above ground swimming pool filter. As a point of reference a 4 foot deep, 18 foot diameter pool holds 8000 gallons.

 

yea, theres these really cool pool filters that use sand. They can handle a lot of gallonage. I believe they are called fluidized bed sand filters. Thats what they use at Aquarium of the Pacific.

 

Don't those clog easily? Or am I thinking of something else?

-Chelle

 

There are at least 3 types of filters that I am aware of possibly more. Cannister or cartridge type, DE (Diatomaceous Earth), and Sand (pea gravel). With the DE type filter you would be continually cleaning the filter and having to recycle. You would have the same recycle situation with the cannister or cartridge type every time you cleaned it. Of the three the sand type filter would work best. It would not need to be cleaned as often and if you are careful about back-flushing it you could avoid recycling. I would think what would be Ideal would be a combination cartridge and sand filter. The cartridge would collect most of the debris allowing only the smallest of particles to collect in the sand filter, establishing your bacterial filtration. You could then take and clean or replace the cartridge without disturbing the bacterial filtration in the sand.

 

I think that's what I was thinking about.

-Chelle