Sump biomedia

[Shilpan]

Ok so I have some space in the sump. Considering I put 0.5 pounds of Rock Per gallon I reckon I need something in the sump. I have two big pieces of rock, but there's a lot of space around them.

So the options are:
1)Live rock rubble: heard not as porous and detritus trap?

2) Biomedia: Seachem matrix, Eheim substrat pro, JBL micromec. These take a couple months to start working. Maybe need to keep in a filter bag to reduce detritus trapping.

3) I cannot get marine pure here. But could order marine pure or Xport NO3 brick from overseas though it will be hefty international shipping. Would prefer the other options if they are equivalent. Marine depot just released a new video on Xport NO3 by Brightwell aquatics on Youtube. Seems too good to be true?

Thoughts team?

 

[Shilpan]

I should add, my main goals are providing increased biological filtration and attempting to have some form of nitrate export.

 

[florida joe]

where is your protein skimmer. can you post a picture of your setup

 

[Shilpan]

It is before the chamber containing the rock where I want to add biomedia.

I shall post a picture in the next 10mins

 

[Shilpan]

I am pointing to the chamber after the skimmer which contains a piece of rock. This has a lot of space around the rock and I want to add biomedia or live rock rubble here.

You guys would be proud of me, I've kept all my wiring nice and tidy with drip loops and labels

 

[deejeff0442]

I have a 30 long sump left side heaters... reactor.. skimmer...
Right side return pump and packed with what started as dry rock.
For almost 20 yrs done it this way.
Years ago I seen a guy have a 500 gallon tank . He had a 55 gallon plastic barrel full to the top with rock pumping water from the top out the bottom to the sump. That was alot of rock

 

[Shilpan]

I see so, you haven't really noticed any ill effects with detritus traps? From all the live rock rubble in your sump?

I'm assuming the skimmer and filter sponges (yes I clean them bi-weekly) would stop a lot of this

 

[deejeff0442]

I am old school alot of rock and alot of flow.
Why would the rock in the sump be a problem?
There is water flow through it constantly same as in the display tank?

 

[Shilpan]

Yeah that's what I thought! If water if constantly moving through it, and I have a skimmer before I didn't think they would become nitrate traps.

But so many people on various forums say don't put live rock in sumps it's a nitrate trap. So I was a bit confused.

And yeah my flow through the sump is 3600L per hour (951 gallons per hour) as I have a 400L tank.

 

[2quills]

Just about anything you put in a sump will become a detritus trap. If it has pours that it can settle into then it will trap it.

But then again live rock can contain and be a safe place to reproduce beneficial detritus consuming micro fauna so...

My .02

 

[Shilpan]

THANk you everyone!
My display is lacking lr anyway, so I put the rubble in and I'll give it a tumble whenever I do a water change to keep it clean