fluval question

[nycwaters]

hi guys ,
i was just wondering would it be a good or bad idea to put a fluval filter inside my 30 gallon sump ?
not in the tank but the sump
i figuer with the carbon and foam pads it would help keep my water clear and better filtration
thank you
JR

 

[thomas712]

I say no. The canisters can trap waste, too much waste and then your water could potentially pickup more nitrate from the canister, unless you maintained it frequently.
It also presents you with another thing to plug in, another possable stray voltage, another potential leak.
All you really need to do is drop your bag of carbon or phos in the sump, less maintanance that way.
I remember broomer5 putting some words together like this ---
Too many people think about what they can add to the tank next, why not think about what they can remove from the tank, like nitrates, phosphates, additives that they don't need, to much equipment that isn't necessary..etc. Wel he said something like that anyway. Sorry Broomer if I'm putting words in your mouth and not quoting you right, just some post I remember reading.
Thomas

 

[nycwaters]

i feel like those little bags of carbon gets lost in my sump lol
any other way to make sure the carbon is going though the right way?

 

[reefnut]

I'm currently running a fluval canister filter in my sump. I agree fully with the excess nitrates being produced from the canister filter. When I was running bio-material the tank's nitrates never fell below 15ppm. Now that the bio-material is gone and I gave it a good cleaning I'm running around 5ppm. I clean it now every 2-weeks. I use mine because I have no other place to trap floating particles. The intake to the sump has no place for a filter and nether does the outlet or anywhere in between.