Powerheads for sump

Chizzle

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Jan 30, 2011
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Looking to add some powerheads to my 125 gallon sump, the water near the top looks really nasty and stagnant. Any recommendations price vs flow wise? Looking to add at least 2-3 to my 125 sump and 2 for my 120 sump.
 

tehmole

Feeder Fish
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Sep 12, 2012
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i add a sponge filter into my sump to move the water .... extra bio/filtration wouldn't hurt...and it's way cheaper than a powerhead
 

Chizzle

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i add a sponge filter into my sump to move the water .... extra bio/filtration wouldn't hurt...and it's way cheaper than a powerhead
I had 2 sponge filters and 2 aerators running in my 125 sump. while it did take care of the stagnant water sitting at the top, I did not really improve the overall flow inside. This is my fault, because I did not opt to put baffles in the sump tank which would have better directed the flow. I want powerheads to add more flow to stagnant areas and help flush out the detritus piling up underneath and inside of the ceramic rings.

Another option I thought of is adding flexi acrylic sheets from home depot or lowes into the sump as baffles. the 125 sump is 60Lx24Wx20H and the 120 sump is 48Lx24Wx24H.
 

wvance

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Apr 17, 2013
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Do you have any pics?
 

David R

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Looking to add some powerheads to my 125 gallon sump, the water near the top looks really nasty and stagnant. Any recommendations price vs flow wise? Looking to add at least 2-3 to my 125 sump and 2 for my 120 sump.
Why would you want to mix that nasty protein film back into the water and send it back to the display tank? IMO one of the best features of a sump is that they skim the surface and prevent protein film building up in aquarium. All I do is skim the surface of the sump with an icecream container during a water change every so often to remove the film.
 

Drstrangelove

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Oct 21, 2012
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Pics would help. I'm with David R. You should trap and remove particles, whether with filter socks, floss, micron sheets, sponges or after material is trapped within the sump. Even with better flow, you want to still remove debris mechanically so you don't have build up and so the bio filter stays efficient.

You don't want it going back to the tank.
 

rodger

Polypterus
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Apr 29, 2008
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Why would you want to mix that nasty protein film back into the water and send it back to the display tank? IMO one of the best features of a sump is that they skim the surface and prevent protein film building up in aquarium. All I do is skim the surface of the sump with an icecream container during a water change every so often to remove the film.
+1 X100
This is one of the great things about a sump. It gives you a chance to get the scum out.
 

Chizzle

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Its just a big pain everytime I clean out the sump. Not too worried about that nasty film on top, but all the detritus trapped inside and under the ceramic rings. My filter socks are 100 micron, should I try 50 micron socks to eliminate this problem?

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isde02

Arapaima
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Jan 4, 2011
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Its just a big pain everytime I clean out the sump. Not too worried about that nasty film on top, but all the detritus trapped inside and under the ceramic rings. My filter socks are 100 micron, should I try 50 micron socks to eliminate this problem?

Sent from my SGH-T999 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App
You could but I think you will be changing them more frequently.....maybe try a small canister filter on the sump to catch all the detritus before it reaches the rings, I run one on my sump with purigen in it and it works pretty well.
 
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