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sump media


SophSixx

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Hi all, I've had this set-up for approx 8 months and it's time to change things up. Please bare with me as I still have no clue on what works best. (Pics are from b4 it was filled). Just wanting some advice on the sump media. First chamber currently has bio-balls, wanting to change this first. I have purchased some Japanese Matting as everyone keeps telling me that is great. What else apart from Jap Mat and wool go in the first chamber? I have also bought a bunch of Marine Pure as I've also been told that is also a great product. Not sure what I should be removing for that and to which chamber it goes so any help with that would be great. Any info would be appreciated. Also, I have never actually cleaned the sump itself, usually only change the wool as I am scared of losing any beneficial bacteria but after 8 months it has started to get quite dirty down there. (My fault as I have overstocked the display tank and may have been a little heavy handed on feeding which has since been cut back). I've noticed people using a vac for their sump so I'm guessing they take everything out to do so which is what I'm going to do this w/e. Again sorry for the rookie questions but am still quite new at having a tank with a sump. I do water changes 25% every 2 weeks and the fronts seem to be in good health, no deaths in 8 months and have had no sort of health issues to date but the beautiful pristine clear water is starting to get that tea colour tinge. I'm contributing this to the sump being dirty. There is no algae in the tank and the rocks get a good vac every water change. Any help with these questions would be great.

 

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what are you feeding them ?  NLS can leave red residue and colour the water

my preference

first chamber - coarse foam at bottom - 2 layers Jap mat over that - 3 or 4 layers Dacron mat over that - layer of jap mat over that

I would also look at a spreader plate with 6-8 mm holes in it on top to help distribute to water more evenly and Dacron mat over this

second chamber - medium foam block

third chamber - baci rods like you have sandwiched between jap mat

last chamber - section it with jap mat on end and marine spheres on the in flow side and have pump on other side

depending on if you have a heater or anything else in there with the pump

this would make the first 2 chambers where any waste should build up and leave the rest as pure bio that would be left alone

 

 

 

 

 

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Thank you for the info, I am feeding NLS and frozen foods. 

Last chamber I have the pump and heater so not sure if I can fit anything else into it but will have another look. Is the marine pure not useful anywhere? I have bought a fair amount of it as I was told it's good! 

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Spheres. Is the Dacron the same as the one from Spotlight or is there something different from a LFS? I've found the Dymax pads, are these the same?  Sorry for the rookie questions, don't want to kill the fronts in the process if I put something that isn't right.

Also, is it wise to do 1 of these chambers at a time so I don't crash the system? 

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Dacron mat is just polyester wadding used for upholstery - same as what is on the

bio balls in your first pic

https://www.theremnantwarehouse.com.au/200g-polyester-wadding.html

you can use the Dymax pads if your happy with them but it would be more expensive

do you have any current pics of how the sump looks ?

 

Buccal uses something similar but it is an geotextile mat from hardware store

https://www.bunnings.com.au/grunt-1-x-10m-non-woven-geotextile-membrane_p1090843

 

I agree work on one section at a time and just syphon the waste out don't scrub it clean

you can dump the bio balls in the pump chamber when you do the first section to retain

your bio mass

 

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It doesn't matter what media you use as long as your ammonia and nitrite doesn't spike. If your sump is over sized, the surface area of media becomes moot and cost becomes more important as you can just add more. For example, ordinary gravel makes fantastic mechanical & biological media. I use nylon mesh bags to make periodic maintenance  (staggered) simpler. I'm also a fan of discarded prawn trawler netting as it's inert, lightweight,  free and can be packed as loose or dense as you like. The weigh becomes a plus as you can pull it out easily to rinse. 

Or if water chemistry is import to you,  use a media that works towards what you require. Calciferous such as coral rubble for example. 

Sumps are getting less desirable as the amount of dead bio matter that accumulates can be difficult to clean without a major over haul. 

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Filter socks are brilliant in a sump, they keep the crap out of media, mulm will build up in any setup though.  To be honest I find a sump easier to clean then a canister filter,  but this may depend on the setup, i find a simple setup is the best approach.  With sumps and canister filters i would not say either is more or less desirable as it is always to each their own.

I do agree though with your point on media though, many, especially newbies overthink it, what ever media you choose will 99 times out of 100 be fine, each has positive and negative points.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you all for your input. I have cleaned the sump and put in the marine pure and 1 litre matrix. Left all the media as it was bar the bioballs, they were replaced with the marine pure. Tank water has been nice and clear and all tests are nice and stable. Will change the filter wool in tomorrow's water change. Didn't know how much sh*t was actually in the sump?. Have now put all the media in bags for easier access to cleaning down there.

 

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On 24/10/2016 at 9:28 AM, PlecoSam said:

Yes will definitely work, not my choice of setup but it will work no doubt.

PlecoSam is it purely because of the marine pure you say that or is there something else you see wrong?

 

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Yes I don't like the stuff, it's too fragile, any rubbing or movement and it turns to dust but I would have also placed it in bags.  Personally I would have gone with k1 media, but marine pure works, just like the plethora of other media out there.

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I went through and put everything else in bags yet just threw those in there?. So far the tank is looking great and is stable, hopefully all stays well. Thank you for your advice, always great to learn as I go along.

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