sump/fuge for freshwater

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
W

wsstacks07

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 14, 2012
22
0
0
massachusetts
i am starting up a new 90 gallon tank. not sure how it will be stocked but probably central/south american cichlids. so lots of mess. instead of buying a new canister filter ive decided to make my own sump/filter. water will come in on the right through bio balls, sponge, filter floss, and carbon. then up and over a baffle into a heavily planted refugium. an over the last baffle into the return section. i was thinking the heavy plants will help with nitrates and it will have more filter media than i could put in most canister filters. any advice or suggestions are welcome. heeres a general design. using an old 29 gallon tank i have around the housefw sump.png

fw sump.png
 
take out the carbon, it will absorb the nitrates and trace elements your plants will need to grow :)
 
other than that will this work out well? should i put something instead of the carbon so i dont have just emptiness there? and what should i use as substrate for the plants
 
you can add matrix? or anything that will hold bacteria, since it will be submerged, bio rings is a good idea.
you can use any kinda of substrate, plant aquarium specific substate like eco-complete, mircle grow organic, pool filter sand with some root tabs ect..

also i suggest for the last baffle to the pump, you put another one on the right of that baffle , about half the height of the current one to still hold your plant substrate in but you have to life the last one so water will come thru the bottom. also you increase the risk of that area running out of water and running your pump dry

in your current config water will crash down onto the pump and then the pump will pump bubbles back into your tank.

66925645443940054739.jpg
 
You would highly regret placing your mechanical media under your bio. Getting to it to clean it is guaranteed to be a pain if you have bioballs on top of it.
 
I agree, I would not put the mechanical media under the bio balls.

How bout this for a design idea:
1) First compartment filter socks
2) Second compartment refugium - Overflowing to...
3) Third compartment bio balls and pump

The way you have the sump configured now half of the bio balls are going to be submerged which eliminates their effectiveness. By putting the bio balls last they can be in the air and you can run your refugium at a higher level. Just have the refugium spill over onto the bio balls and add a drip plat on top of the bioballs to break up the water streams. You could divide you pump out into a 4th compartment but you will rarely need to access your pump or move the bio balls.

Just a thought.

Untitled.png

If you want you can replace the sock with a sponge and filter floss.

Untitled.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom