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Marinepure vs Seachem Matrix vs Rock Rubble?

So, I've got a small Nuvo 14 penninsula that has 3 chambers (identical in size to the Nuvo 10).

I have floss/carbon/purigen taking up half of the media rack in the 1st chamber. I was thinking of adding something to the 2nd half of the chamber. It's not a ton of volume, but though something is better than nothing....

Is there a big difference between Marinepure balls vs matrix vs just using (dead/dry) rock rubble?

  • Rock rubble is the cheapest (I have some on hand to toss in)
  • Seachem Matrix comes in a 1 liter and looks like the pieces are pretty small
  • Marinepure "Gems" looks like the other option (the 1.5" balls are probably too big for my application)

I know I'll need to shake and clean detritus on any of them regularly, but figured I'd do that when I change out media.

I don't mind spending the $10-$20 on the media, but only if it's actually worth it.

Anyone use or have tried the marinepure or matrix? and is it really that much more porous than rock rubble?

Thanks in advance!
 
I had the pearls. They are pretty brittle and will start crumbling a bit depending on how aggressive you are when cleaning them out. I think they are so brittle because of how porous they are so it’s a trade off between surface area and strength. The rubble will be the hardest, but likely has the least surface area.

With a small volume like that I would do some rubble, but I personally don’t like creating potential detritus traps in the back chambers so I only run floss and carbon in the back of my all in one tank
 
I had the pearls. They are pretty brittle and will start crumbling a bit depending on how aggressive you are when cleaning them out. I think they are so brittle because of how porous they are so it’s a trade off between surface area and strength. The rubble will be the hardest, but likely has the least surface area.

With a small volume like that I would do some rubble, but I personally don’t like creating potential detritus traps in the back chambers so I only run floss and carbon in the back of my all in one tank
Thanks for the feedback. Good to know that the pearls crumble after a while.
 
I was all in on marine pure spheres but got sick and tired of the fines & switched to matrix.

I primarily stash them away in my sump and use them to help seed QT/new tanks. I’ve found they both worked but there’s way more debris from the marine pure.
 
What’s you’re goal? What are you trying to accomplish with it?
Wanted to take a little of my live rock out of the display to make some room, and thought putting some rubble or media in the back chamber would provide some additional surface area for biological filtration.
 
I was all in on marine pure spheres but got sick and tired of the fines & switched to matrix.

I primarily stash them away in my sump and use them to help seed QT/new tanks. I’ve found they both worked but there’s way more debris from the marine pure.

Out of curiosity, have you noticed whether seeding new tanks with marine pure takes longer than seeding with 'standard' live rock?
 
I run a bag of siporax. Maybe 8 months or so. Thats not long enough for me to feel comfortable saying weather it is good/bad/indifferent.
 
Out of curiosity, have you noticed whether seeding new tanks with marine pure takes longer than seeding with 'standard' live rock?

Personally, I haven't noticed a difference. I only use it to seed a small tank - and even then I pour a generous amount of bottled bacteria on it.
 
Haven’t looked at siporax. Looks like it’s supposed to hold up better and better surface area and permeability? Never know what marketing to believe.
 
In terms of surface area to volume ratio, MarinePure is much better than Matrix, which is better than live rock. More porous live rock is obviously better in this respect, and real live rock from dead coral is better than manufactured live rock as far as I know.

I used a large MarinePure block initially on my current tank. Worked well with rock-solid nitrate cycle from the start, but is annoyingly crumbly. Took it out a year or so ago and never looked back. Currently my tank is just live rock and completely stable.

I currently use Matrix in my multiple Aiptasia and Berghia tanks. Works great, much prefer to MarinePure or live rock from the standpoint of simple no-drama increase in surface area. They are basically just pumice rocks. No crumbling, lots of surface area.
 
I prefer maxspect nano-bricks or 25mm siporax rings. Neither crumble and seem to provide plenty of surface area.

Maxspect nano-brick (each brick is 4x4x1")
77983427-231C-4AB6-B56F-2ECBA7B3DFDB.jpeg


25mm siporax rings
AF4185B4-30C2-4F4D-ADF4-72FC3B4F5C10.jpeg
 
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