Biofilter for 600 gallon with big fish!

Alex600

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 28, 2014
6
0
0
North Carolina
Guys, I'm setting up a 600 gallon for some big catfish so I know I'll need an efficient bio filter. I am using a 150 gallon rubbermaid stock tank as the sump. If I use eheim pro media or anything similar could I get a good effect by just throwing a bunch in my sump and let the water flow over and around it, or would it be a lot better if I pack some canisters with the stuff and push water through the media that way. If it's the same if rather just cover the bottom of my sump with the stuff.


any suggestions?
 

sabmakj21

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jan 2, 2014
614
3
33
Hawaii
You should have some sort of pre-filter to catch any solid waste so that it doesn't get caught in your bio media.

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aldiaz33

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jun 19, 2007
2,312
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Bay Area
Have your drains flow through 100 Micron filter socks (the more you have and the larger they are the less frequently you will have to clean them). You can buy them at dudadiesel.com or mcmastercarr.com.

I would recommend using Seachem Pond Matrix for your bio-media. Buying enough of that Eheim media is going to cost you a grip. You can get 20 liters (>5G bucket full) of Seachem Pond Matrix for around $100, and that should be plenty. Also, I would buy some mesh laundry bags to contain the media; this will make it easier to clean/pull out of your sump. Below are some pix of my filter; it's not pretty, but it's effective.

Good luck.

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brich999

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 3, 2010
4,312
11
38
New Hampshire
Those mesh bags can be picked up at any dollar store as laundry bags. The seachem matrix 20l buckets are tough to find locally but most lfs can order them and save you shipping. I also had 20l pomd matrix as my bio on my old 500g and it worked great. Didnt force water through it just bags of the stuff in my sump
 

aldiaz33

Blue Tier VIP
MFK Member
Jun 19, 2007
2,312
214
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Bay Area
I can't find those mesh bags, do you know where they came from?

thnks
I think you should be able to find them at Walmart, but I ordered mine off of Amazon.com. They are also called Mesh Hosiery Wash Bags.

Here are the one's that I ordered: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FKHM1A/ref=od_img_link_refresh_T1

Mine are three years old and they are holding up pretty well. I've found that the seams are coming apart on the bags that I've stuffed with more Matrix...the bags that I didn't fill as much are holding up better.

Hope that helps.
 
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