Ceramic rings

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kamikaziechameleon

kamikaziechameleon

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Sep 23, 2010
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Hey guys I was just looking for a good submerged bio media for my sump filter I'm gonna be building up here in a bit.(trying to price out total cost)

At any rate I've long read about the virtues of ceramic rings but I also know not all rings are created equal. I was wondering what brand you think I should buy and where to find them cheapest?

I also saw this seachem matrix. How is that stuff?

How about lava rock, I've used that as the poor mans alternative in the past?

I had read that beneficial bacteria does the best with air and was hoping to put an air rod or two under this media to increase the efficiency of it. What do you guys think?

If there is already a thread for this please redirect me. Thanks!
 
I always put air wands under my media in a sump whether the media is submerged bio rings or wet/dry bio balls. I think it is one of the biggest advantages a sump has over a canister filter.

As for which brand of submerged ceramic media is best... I honestly don't think anyone really knows for sure! Who's hype do you believe? Who has ever really scientifically compared different media?
 
Best price per volume is generally the pond matrix by seachem.
 
Oughtsix said:
As for which brand of submerged ceramic media is best... I honestly don't think anyone really knows for sure! Who's hype do you believe? Who has ever really scientifically compared different media?
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That is why I've always used lava rock for this kinda stuff up to this point. I would like to use lava rock and crushed coral to try and buffer my ph up a little since the sump will be servicing all my african cichlid breeding tanks. But I digress since I still want to get some "reviews/recomendations" I've never used a packaged product for this before and would like know what a good ph neutral bang for buck solution would be since I plan on setting up some neutral and acidic tank/sump combos in the future as well. Even if ceramic rings are the bomb, what brand and where should I buy them. I can't find rings in sufficient quantities for a large sump. Bioballs on the other hand are everywhere.
 
Lava rock has a relatively low surface area compared to other media. The quote is from the following thread;

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/f...77-Beginners-Guide-to-Filter-Media-(1-Viewing)


Lava rock
Surface area/cu.ft.:15-25

Upsides:very easily obtained and rather inexpensive.Good filler in a sump on a tank with a light bioload

Downsides:Very low surface area really.If pores get clogged than you might as well just drop a stone in your tank for biomedia.

Overall:Not the best choice for biomedia.Even If you were to keep the pores of the rock very clean your sump would still have to be about the same size as the tank your filtering.For those who still insist on using lava rock I might suggest breaking it up with a hammer and putting it in a media bag.
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I'm using large pieces of lava rock in my mbuna tank as decor-it stacks great and makes plenty of caves to curb aggression plus the added bio is nice, but in a sump I wouldn't use it. If you want a cheap alternative to use then pot scrubbies are a favorite.
 
I'm curious where all the sumps I see on here get their ceramic rings and what brand?

I want to compare that cost of the preferred ceramic ring brands to the seachem.

I have a huge box of pot scrubbers but I think I already have a plan for that. My sump will also have one if not two biotowers in parallel full of bioballs. I might also do half seachem and half ceramic rings to buffer things out a bit.

Now that I know lava rock is not the best option. I'm just trying to get a hang on what my other options are and where to buy them.
 
Charlie Fish Tank Factory (vendor here) sells them in bulk.
 
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