No it wouldn't work in your setup unless you really modify that thing. The nice thing about ceramic media is the massive amounts of surface area. For example, 1 liter of Seachem Matrix gives you the same surface area as 170 liters of bio balls!!!! You see what I'm getting at? It's all about maximum efficiency. You could be running 1/10 of that bio media if you used ceramic and you'd still have enough to support more bio load.
And a note on the filter socks. Yes, you will be changing them more often the first couple days. When I first added 100 micron socks to my 400g I was swapping them out every day for the first week or so until they pulled all the crap out of the water. Eventually the time between changing socks went to 3-5 days. After that I switched to 50 micron socks. It gives you stupid clarity and it keeps it that way. When the socks get dirty, just toss them in the washing machine and they're good as new. Regular foam pads on top of your bio balls let a ton of big particles go through.
You really have no idea how clear you water can be until you've used filter socks. Those folks that have used them can attest to what I'm saying. Another thing, before using filter socks, my sumps would accumulate a bunch of waste at the bottom. Now they stay crystal clear. No buildup at all, since all the particles are being filtered out by the socks.
And a note on the filter socks. Yes, you will be changing them more often the first couple days. When I first added 100 micron socks to my 400g I was swapping them out every day for the first week or so until they pulled all the crap out of the water. Eventually the time between changing socks went to 3-5 days. After that I switched to 50 micron socks. It gives you stupid clarity and it keeps it that way. When the socks get dirty, just toss them in the washing machine and they're good as new. Regular foam pads on top of your bio balls let a ton of big particles go through.
You really have no idea how clear you water can be until you've used filter socks. Those folks that have used them can attest to what I'm saying. Another thing, before using filter socks, my sumps would accumulate a bunch of waste at the bottom. Now they stay crystal clear. No buildup at all, since all the particles are being filtered out by the socks.
