Best for the price biomedia: Tom bio rings ?

[sincebeen]

If you can add a quiet sump for $30 you're going to be a hero around here , Add another zero to that number to be realistic.

You might try just adding 1L of Matrix, and see how it goes. My plan was always to add more to my 4L, but only if the water params tell me to.

I too have some scrubbies where they fit just for the heck of it.

 

[fhawk362]

If you can add a quiet sump for $30 you're going to be a hero around here , Add another zero to that number to be realistic.

You might try just adding 1L of Matrix, and see how it goes. My plan was always to add more to my 4L, but only if the water params tell me to.

I too have some scrubbies where they fit just for the heck of it.

Nothong special just a tower drawer wet/dry sump. Here's a link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZJBm89MuzU&list=PLC9A3D200D43C7B17

 

[Miguel]

I buy my media in 30 litre buckets...

I use a lot of different stuff. Last i got for the sump were rings of extruded glass.

 

[tomomothy]

Nothong special just a tower drawer wet/dry sump. Here's a link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZJBm89MuzU&list=PLC9A3D200D43C7B17

The pump is the expensive part. If you already have one then yeah they arent too bad

 

[sincebeen]

I can't see the link, but I think I know what you're talking about. Don't waste your time, your ears, or your homeowners insurance.

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[fhawk362]

I can't see the link, but I think I know what you're talking about. Don't waste your time, your ears, or your homeowners insurance.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

It's going to be outside but explain yourself. Plenty of people use this setup.


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[sincebeen]

It's going to be outside but explain yourself. Plenty of people use this setup.


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The only tower drawer wet/dry sump I've seen was someone around here who built one without putting it in a tank. Flood followed. I thought that's what you were talking about.

 

[fhawk362]

True that'd be a flawed design. On a side note does anyone use crushed lava rock or crushed cinder blocks. They're both pretty porous. Or are spongies still better.


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[sincebeen]

For the crushed cinder blocks, I would personally be wary of not knowing the cement compound used to make them (link), as some could leach chemicals into the water. On the other hand, there are aquarium decorations available that are made from cement, but I can't imagine they'd be using recycled cinder blocks.

For the lava rock: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?329747-LAVA-rock-bio-media

I've not used lava rock (which I just realized is strange because the landscaping in my front yard has a ton of it lol). But lava rock would absolutely be better than scrubbies from a porosity perspective. Scrubbies do not have the ability to house ANaerobic bacteria (DEnitrifying) where lava rock does have this ability when given the right flow rate.

I wouldn't feel right about just grabbing some lava rock and throwing it into service without first testing it and cleaning it.

You could then test it by throwing some in a bucket of tank water for a week and then test to make sure the PH/GH is not wildly affected.

What I did to clean my river rock substrate, was I bleached it in hot water in a large plastic tote over night. I then let the hose run through for several hours dumping water out every half hour or so. Finally, I laid an old sheet in the yard and let the rocks bake in the sun for the day. I also let the tank cycle with the new substrate before adding any prize fish.



I wish I could have an outdoor tank on the patio, but not in Michigan lol.

 

[sincebeen]

^ But it's still much easier to just get the Matrix