Need Some Drain & Sump Wisdom
- Thread starter ReyDeFarts
- Start date
I haven't posted any updates. I installed a light, Kessil AP700. @a.little.hypertonic added a couple rocks with zoas to get the cycling process started. A bit of the uglies but no biggie.
Sorry for the dark pic. Didn't bother changing the settings. But you can trust me that it's ugly and full of a diatoms. I have been dosing with pods, phyto, and a couple different bottled bacteria products as well. Last week, when I was still showing ammonia, I emptied out some mature media (coarse sponge) into the sump. It has quite a few amphipods and they have survived without any issues that I observed.
She still needs to work on her rockscape but so far, the sump has been very quiet and performing well. I've got the return pump dialed down to roughly 45%. When I have the gate valve and return pump dialed, it's silent! When I tweak it, I either start sucking air or I'm pushing water out of the sump too fast. I'd prefer to have my valve wide open and dial it in with the pump. Will be playing with that.
I'm not clearing out the water column in the tank as effectively as I'd like though. I will be installing a small gyre tonight or tomorrow to see if that will help push more flow to the overflow.
I recently won one of these through an IG contest. I decided to cut a piece and put it in the sump. Has anyone used these? Thoughts?
Sorry for the dark pic. Didn't bother changing the settings. But you can trust me that it's ugly and full of a diatoms. I have been dosing with pods, phyto, and a couple different bottled bacteria products as well. Last week, when I was still showing ammonia, I emptied out some mature media (coarse sponge) into the sump. It has quite a few amphipods and they have survived without any issues that I observed.
She still needs to work on her rockscape but so far, the sump has been very quiet and performing well. I've got the return pump dialed down to roughly 45%. When I have the gate valve and return pump dialed, it's silent! When I tweak it, I either start sucking air or I'm pushing water out of the sump too fast. I'd prefer to have my valve wide open and dial it in with the pump. Will be playing with that.
I'm not clearing out the water column in the tank as effectively as I'd like though. I will be installing a small gyre tonight or tomorrow to see if that will help push more flow to the overflow.
I recently won one of these through an IG contest. I decided to cut a piece and put it in the sump. Has anyone used these? Thoughts?
RandyC
Supporting Member
More flow from return pump will get more flow into the sump.
Meh on the brittle blocks. They tend to crumble apart over time (some have better luck than others). You have sand so there’s really no reason to add more surface area unless you have a specific reason. Sand will give you all the surface area you need for nitrifying bacteria. I prefer the less brittle media blocks from Maxspect (nano-bricks) or poly-lab makes them too (but more expensive).
10-4 Yeah, still trying to dial it in better.More flow from return pump will get more flow into the sump.
Mainly to have a good habitat in the sump too for other beneficial creatures. Plus to have mature media I can use to seed other tanks or give away. Is having too much surface area for biological filtration a bad thing? I suppose it could be if it's too efficient at cleaning nutrients.
How quickly do these bricks fall apart? They do feel brittle or may have the tendency to crumble after some time. How much of a nightmare will it be trying to remove them from the sump?
At the moment I have it in the return pump area. Should I place it in the section before that? Intended for the refugium, but I may just have a bunch or live rock/cryptic zone there instead.
RandyC
Supporting Member
More surface area does not mean more bacteria will grow. System will grow relatively the same amount of bacteria assuming you have the minimum amount needed to support size of the system. Adding more surface area will just spread it out.. “Too efficient at cleaning” is something that is spread around forums that doesn’t hold water.
Mileage may vary on how long they last. Some don’t have problems, but some have had them turn to mush. Low flow with less turbulence would be better. Using to seed other tanks is good, but I prefer less brittle media to accomplish this.