Need some advice with my sump

[Malte81]

Hey guys,

i have bought a tank with +-1000 Liters volume.
It came with a sump build for this tank.
(I also have a fx6 at this tank)
I am not very happy with the layout of the chambers and was wondering if anybody has some nice ideas to get the best filtration out of it.
My main concern is that the prefiltration is not ideal. (And a waste of Space)
I have made a sketch and some pictures from the sump for better understanding how its build.
The sump is a closed system with a lid on it and i don‘t want to change this.
I thought for example about filtersocks but its hard to get them over the inlet valve.
There is not much space left.
I also don‘t like that they clog so fast.
The first big chamber after the inlet chamber could be used better i guess.

 

[Malte81]

Would this be a better option?
Would the pre filtration be fine enough to catch small pieces of dirt?
Maybe i am overthinking this but i don‘t want to miss something.

 

[Oughtsix]

The current configuration actually looks good to me. The only thing I would change is I wouldn't put the bio rings on top of the second filter sponge. I like to be able to pull my sponges, rinse them, then put them back in the sump in a couple of minutes. Having to fish out loose bio rings to get to the sponge just seems like a lot of unnecessary work. If rinsing the sponges is quick and easy I find I do it much more often which removes the waste from the water column before it has a chance to break down into Nitrates.

I like that the water enters each of the sponges from the top. This means that the sponges will trap the waste instead of the waste settling on the bottom of the sump compartment if the water entered from below and went up through the sponge. By having the water enter from the top of the sponge you should have to do a lot less cleaning out of the bottom of the sump compartments.

I like the filter floss on top of the sponge like you have it. This makes it very easy to remove the floss and replace it without having to rinse the sponge at the same time. Since filter floss is a finer media I would consider moving it to the top of the second sponge. If you want something on top of the first sponge I would use coarse filter matt.

My sump design theory is that the easier things are to maintain the more often they will be maintained! You have an abundance of biological filtration in the current configuration... make the mechanical filtration as easy to maintain as possible. Removing the waste BEFORE it breaks down to Nitrates is MUCH more beneficial than adding a ton of bio filtration to produce a ton of Nitrates.

P.S. I would also consider getting rid of your current prefilters and replace them with a big piece of disposable coarse filter mat to line the initial compartment. Push the prefilter mat into the bottom of the first compartment in an ___| shape. This would allow you to quickly pull the mat and rinse or replace it. This would also give you a lot more prefilter area which will go a lot longer before plugging. By lining the bottom of the first compartment with a coarse mat filter the waste should settle out into the mat instead of the bottom of the compartment. Removing a mat and cleaning it is a TON easier than vacuuming out the bare bottom of a sump compartment.

Start with the coarsest mechanical filtration in the left most compartment and use finer mechanical (mat, sponge and floss) filters in each successive compartment. This should give you the clearest water with the longest times before they start to plug up.

I like filter socks... but I wouldn't try to use them in your sump. The sponges should be great mechanical filtration and be pretty easy to remove and clean.