Sump Biological Filtration Suggestion 200 Gallon

Miller

New Member
Sep 18, 2018
6
1
3
55
Houston, TX
Hello forum members. I don't know if this is the right subforum but It seemed the best fit. I converted my 200-gallon reef to freshwater planted. My question is for those with a large tank and sump. Which biological media are you using?

Thanks ahead for your input/suggestions.
 

Phishless

Lifetime Member
Lifetime Member
Jul 13, 2017
1,103
972
113
Arnold, MD
Stephan @ Swiss Tropicals is the only US seller I know of.

Should be the only media you would need in a sump.
Uae a few large piecs so one can be cleaned when needed.

It ain't super cheap but it does not degrade over time.
10 years plus for sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miller

Miller

New Member
Sep 18, 2018
6
1
3
55
Houston, TX
Thanks, I found the Swiss Tropicals site while looking for the media. Placing an order this weekend. So I don't need to use this in conjunction with anything else? I was looking at Sera Siporax as well.

Stephan @ Swiss Tropicals is the only US seller I know of.

Should be the only media you would need in a sump.
Uae a few large piecs so one can be cleaned when needed.

It ain't super cheap but it does not degrade over time.
10 years plus for sure.
 

Phishless

Lifetime Member
Lifetime Member
Jul 13, 2017
1,103
972
113
Arnold, MD
I use this foam(30PPI) to make corner filters in my planted tanks.
Keeping an extra piece for a swap out when changed.
I sterilize every piece of foam removed and then use for the swap out.
Having a very small phish load and an extreme amount of plants with low pH a "cycled" tank is never a concern for me.

If I had a sump I'd use 3 pieces for water to pass through.
Eliminating socks and ceramic type media.
One piece of foam could be removed every few months and cleaned without affecting BB
 

Swissal

Lifetime Members
Lifetime Member
Nov 8, 2015
22
28
13
I used bio-balls in the past, now using bio-bale. Both work fine, but the issue is cleaning. The bio-bale is like a spring-loaded dirt distributer. If you can get your sump out easily for cleaning, it is propably best to do this outside. But my sump is a converted aquarium, so it's too heavy for this. Makes a terrible mess of the cabinet and rest of the house whenever I try to clean this stuff. You don't have this with the bio-balls, it just takes forever to fish them out. So I'm probably going to try the suggestion from Phishless, with the poret foam. It would be interesting to hear if others are using that in their sumps. My only concern would be clogging up if the cleaning is not done religiously. You never get that problem with bio-balls or bio-bale of course!
 

shoggoth43

Lifetime Charter Member
Lifetime Member
Jan 15, 2009
1,092
11
38
Depends on the PPI of the foam. If you go with larger sizes, say 10 PPI, it’s far less likely to clog up. If you go with a descending size, 10/20/30/45 PPI, it might clog but may break down the crud before it can as well. A lot will depend on bio load and whether you catch plant matter in some floss or porous foam before it gets to the poret foam mats/plates.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miller