External Sump Filter

[mharris5]

Hi,

I have just bought a tank that came with a large external sump filter, and having no experience of open sump filters, I would like some advice as to what filter media to use for a tropical setup. So far I have 4L of foam cubes as a forst stage. I assume I will need some type of ceramic media, such as rings, and maybe filter floss for the final stage. The sump has about 6 seperate stages. also where is best to buy the amount of media that I will need.

Any help much appreciated.

 

[mini_matt]

go on ebay and get some bioballs, managed to get aprox 450 for under £20 on saterday! although I think I got a great deal you might get lucky too
if your on a tight budget i have heard those plastic dish scrubber things are good bio media

 

[bitteraspects]

dont waste money on bio-balls. get yourself some cheap scrubbies instead.
plastic pot scrubbers hold a lot more surface area than bio-balls, and at a mere fraction of the cost.

in your sump, you will not need 3 layers of media. just your bio media (the scrubbies) and a layer of mechanical media over it. you can buy rolls of filter padding from most LFS, but you can just as easily use quilt batting/ poly-fill.

 

[mini_matt]

plastic pot scrubbers hold a lot more surface area than bio-balls, and at a mere fraction of the cost.

really? I heard they make good bio media which is why I went and bought a load but cost me £1 for 6 of the buggers and saw bio balls for peanutts but I didn't think they would actually do a better job! lol

you can just as easily use quilt batting/ poly-fill.

have read that most of this stuff now has chemicalls on/in it to make it fire retardant so not sutable but cheap enough from a pet store

 

[mr130gallon]

i can get bioballs for 5 cents a piece at one of my LFS's

to the OP, i reccommend you get some bioballs and some other stuff but i dont know what you need, like stuff for mechanical filtration

 

[bitteraspects]

plastic pot scrubbers hold a lot more surface area than bio-balls, and at a mere fraction of the cost.

really? I heard they make good bio media which is why I went and bought a load but cost me £1 for 6 of the buggers and saw bio balls for peanutts but I didn't think they would actually do a better job! lol

you can just as easily use quilt batting/ poly-fill.

have read that most of this stuff now has chemicalls on/in it to make it fire retardant so not sutable but cheap enough from a pet store

yes, pot scrubbers (the plain plastic kind) have a much larger surface for bacteria to grow on, thus make a more efficient bio-media. and some places you can find them as cheap as 6 for $1.

im not sure where yu read that info on poly-fill (probably the same place that misinformed you about overflows. lol) but i assure you that the cheap poly fil (like the stuff from walmart) contains no such harmful chemicals. maybe a higer end company might offer such a thing, but i have never seen it. also, it would be labled on the package.

 

[mini_matt]

lol little bit of a snide comment there lol I don't know about walmart but the stuff in pillows and kids stuffed toys defo is fire retardant lol

 

[bitteraspects]

that is the stuff in pillows. and quilts. hence "quilt batting".
and i can guarantee that is it both save and flammable. lol

 

[mharris5]

Cheers for all the advice guys, think I'll try some plastic pot scrubbers along with the sponge squares, and maybe a final stage of filter floss. I'll put some pics on when it's set up.

 

[mini_matt]

i can get bioballs for 5 cents a piece at one of my LFS's

to the OP, i reccommend you get some bioballs and some other stuff but i dont know what you need, like stuff for mechanical filtration

thats not bad, times that by 450 gives you $22.50 I payed £14 plus £4 postage so it works out roughly th same