# Sump media?



## bnose123 (Mar 11, 2012)

hey every1 new here and i have a freshwater tropical 4ft tank and setting up a 2 foot sump with 5 section i was think of using a 

1 filter sock Or fitler wool for the first 
2 bio balls??? are these good 
3 Noodles?
4 gravel and matrix?
5 pump and heater

thanks guys im just wondering are all of these medias the recommed one's to use.


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

Welcome to the forum!

Is this a DIY build or a ready made sump?


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## bnose123 (Mar 11, 2012)

already made


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

would it be possible to post a picture?

To Post a picture, in the message box, click "go advanced", on the top bar there is a white smiley face, next to the smiley face is a paperclip. click on the paperclip, a box will pop up. Browse to where the photo is stored and once found click "upload", it will attach the picture but it will not be visible until you preview the post or actually post the message.


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## AbbeysDad (Mar 28, 2011)

Welcome!
I think bio balls and noodles are somewhat expensive, over-rated commercialized 'stuff'. If I had a sump, (don't laugh) I'd go to the dollar store and get a bunch of nylon pot scrubbers for wet/dry. I don't think I'd bother with gravel, but Matrix, De*Nitrate and or a deep sand bed might be good.


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## bnose123 (Mar 11, 2012)

sounds good i have a canister filter with media in it now so im going to use media in that



1st filter wool then sponges
2nd pot scrubers
3rd noodles and bio balls
4th matrix and gravel
5th heater and pump 

does this sound like a good setup for my sump?

no im not going to all that work for a pic you no what a 2ft long glass fish tank is by 1ft by 1ft and other poeple seem to be answering my questions fine sorry


thanks guys


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

The reason I asked was because the baffles usually used in most ready made sumps that people employ on freshwater tanks, restrict the flow enough to sometimes make certain media totally ineffective and a trap for waste.

Bioballs and pot scrubbers will not be as effective being totally submerged in water, they work most efficiently when used in a wet/dry setup.

Heater should be in one of the middle compartments, it may not have time to heat the water sufficiently before it is pumped back to the tank being in with the pump.


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## bnose123 (Mar 11, 2012)

Fair enough mate, yer all the media will be fully submersed what media do u recommend?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Adamson (Feb 5, 2012)

bnose123 said:


> Fair enough mate, yer all the media will be fully submersed what media do u recommend?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Hel-x or K1


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

Fluidized bed filters can be hard to setup and maintain in a sump.

It would really help seeing a picture of the sump or a link to iy, to offer the best solutions to make it as effective as possible.


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## bnose123 (Mar 11, 2012)

Ok guys this is pissing me off i am going do to the shops 2morrow and i need to know if im buying the right thing so will all this media be fine:

1st chamber i was thinking filter wool and sponge
2nd ceramic noodles
3rd ceramic noodles
4th matrix or bio balls or my left over 2-3mm thick fish tank grvel which 1 would u choose???
5th heater and sump pump

all the media will be fully Submerged!!

im just wondering if any1 out there has used a specfic type of media and has gone bad for them, eg like lava rock getting easily clogged and bio balls not working in fully subermed sumps?? 

thanks guys
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Tazman (Jan 15, 2012)

First of all can you please kindly refrain from using language like that. You can come here asking for help and we have offered it you with very little information on your part.

We are trying to help you add media to a sump we know nothing about other than you want to buy media for it.

There is certain media which will work better than others depending on what type of sump setup you have. You have offered no description of how the sump is setup, does it have a media tower, 5 separate compartments etc. It is like trying to design the space shuttle blindfolded!

Bioballs, ceramic noodles, work best in wet/dry filtered sump, submerging them gives too much flow over the bioballs and ends up bypassing a large percentage of them. 

The heater as mentioned needs to be in the middle compartments so it has time to heat the water before it is pumped back to the tank.

Chamber 1 (where water flows into the sump) Filter floss / sponge filter to trap waste as it enters from the overflow.
Chamber 2 Ceramic Media to act as part your biological filter
Chamber 3 (Heater), gives plenty of time for the water to be heated before being pumped back to the tank
Chamber 4 Matirx (look for larger pond matrix if you are going to fully submerge it)
Chamber 5 - PUMP.

If you have a media tower type setup then all this information is rendered nearly useless as you would be needing media for a wet/dry setup which is bioballs and plastic pot scrubbers.


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## bnose123 (Mar 11, 2012)

Its not that i dont want a post a pic but i dont have any spare time on my hands, trying to figure out what the best media is, work and mataining my aquairum

Thank u sorry for my language as it was not needed

Special thanks for tazman and others for replied.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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