Setting up first sump and looking for opinions

[robham777]

You could use both media types. Place a couple of bags of ceramic rings, matrix, or lava rack in the 3" chamber below the bio balls for submerged media.

 

[duanes]

I would not do chamber(s).
A 10 gal is very small.
I would just put media be it lava rock, rings whatever (not really important) in mesh bags.
And as previously stated, because the sump is so small, submerged media would probably work best.
Trying to maintain a proper low water level as a wet dry, in such a small sump can be difficult.
And the benefits of wet dry compared to submerged are negligible.

 

[1000ninja]

Just thought I'd let anybody that cares know I finished it. Has only been up a couple days but working great so far. Did wet dry with submerged media and will probably add some more.

I have a couple other tanks I want to eventually put sumps on and now I think I have a basic understanding of it all and won't be apprehensive about taking it on. Drilling the tank was kinda scary tho lol

 

[Fish Tank Travis]

Just thought I'd let anybody that cares know I finished it. Has only been up a couple days but working great so far. Did wet dry with submerged media and will probably add some more.

I have a couple other tanks I want to eventually put sumps on and now I think I have a basic understanding of it all and won't be apprehensive about taking it on. Drilling the tank was kinda scary tho lol

Nice setup. Only thing I would change is the pump. Using two smaller pumps is better than one large one for redundancy purposes. Only a small thing and other than that this looks like a great setup.

 

[David R]

WIf it were me, I'd drop the water into a 4" sock and wedge a piece of reticulated foam into the 10g as the bio-media... basically a matten filter acting as the divider in the sump.

Agreed. I've had many sumps set up the way the OP suggested and using foam/floss/wool as mechanical filtration like that is nowhere near as effective as a filter sock. The wet/dry media thing over-complicates it too IMO, ceramic rings/matrix/pumice in laundry bags will work just as well, as will using something like Poret foam as an HMF.

KISS is always a good idea when it comes to sumps.

 

[1000ninja]

Agreed. I've had many sumps set up the way the OP suggested and using foam/floss/wool as mechanical filtration like that is nowhere near as effective as a filter sock. The wet/dry media thing over-complicates it too IMO, ceramic rings/matrix/pumice in laundry bags will work just as well, as will using something like Poret foam as an HMF.

KISS is always a good idea when it comes to sumps.

I have 2 layers of floss plus the sponge. It hasn't been set up that long but nothing has made it past the first layer of floss. I also have 2 bags of ceramic rings.