Mechanical Filtration before my bio?

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DayumDanny

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 12, 2012
288
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31
Connecticut
I am going to be using different types of bio media that I would like to protect for their longevity. I am using a 6ft sump with different types of bio media with multiple baffles. I am going to be use two filter socks rated at 200 microns, after that I want to add sponges that start filtering the larger particles to smaller particles exactly like canister filters just for a small baffle before my bio media.

I need it in larger quanitities that I can cut to size that I want. Is there a grading system to different types of sponges that filter certain sized particles?
 
Check out matala matting...they come in coarse,med,fine, and extra fine and they are color coded.
 
The matala sheets (even the fine grey sheet) are pretty porous- it will let pretty large particulates through- If I had to guess the micron size that it allows through I would say at least 1,000 micron- since you will be using 200 micron socks, it will be pretty pointless to use the matala as a mechanical filter after the socks. I use it in my sump more for biological filtration than mechanical, although I will say that detritus does seem to settle at the bottom of it.

I think this stuff is more in line with what you are looking for, but brace yourself, because it isn't cheap: http://www.swisstropicals.com/Poret Filter Foam.html
 
Thanks for all the websites, this is exactly what i was looking for, the different grades (course, medium, fine etc). I just wanted to go the extra step to protect my bio media. I am planning to go OD on my 125 gal sump.

Curtis Rouse said:
www.drsfosterandsmith.com also has bulk sheets of mechanical filtration that go from coarse to super fine and even have 100 micron sheets.

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This is great, the micron filter pads are just what i need, they even come in 50 microns
 
Aldiaz is right, if you're going to use mechanical filtration with multiple stages it needs to go from coarsest to finest in order to be effective. I'm running a settling chamber followed by one 10ppi, two 20ppi and one 30ppi 50x50cm sheets of Poret foam and I am happy with my water clarity. Ideally I'd run a set of 50 micron socks (or even finer perhaps) after the Poret but my sump was already getting fairly large and I was running out of room for bio media! The thing with the Poret (and any mechanical media in fact) is the more it clogs the more effective it will be at catching fine particles, so I'm hoping I won't have to clean out the 30ppi Poret all that often and it will be enough to keep my bio media (pond matrix and bioballs) clean enough. So far so good...
 
I just bought 2 50 micron socks for my sump, this is the smallest micron sized sock I can find so I'll just make sure that I keep an eye on it so it doesn't clog up and go through the rest of my media. Thanks everyone
 
I'm doing 200micron to 100 micron socks. With the 200 inside of the 100. Then into a settling area in the sump. It then overflows/pumped/sprayed onto 2 different micron pads one on top of the other then down the bio media. Of course I also use a good sponge filter on the pump as well before it returns.

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