Sump media, what to use?

[fwiffo]

well, the title kinda speaks for itself. i am building a sump for my fish tank and am looking for media to use.

so what do you use in your sump? and where do you get it?

 

[rojowe]

scrubbies, 6 pack from the dollar store for $1
So far thats all the media ive got, going to pick up filter floss though

 

[turtlesrock]

i use scouring pads (dollar store), 720 cut up straws, (dollar store, its for bio media), sponge (dollar store), fluval foam blocks (LFS)!!

i love the dollar store!!!

 

[Pharaoh]

I use pink filter media found on Ebay for mechanical and plastic pot scrubbies for bio.

 

[fwiffo]

the [pot scrubbie is almighty it seems.

lol did i read that right?! you use straws for media? rofl!

let's here more! i bet there's others using old bottle caps and beer cans somehwere too!

 

[JakeH]

Plastic bottle caps, yep. I've heard of people using them along with the cut-up straws. Surface area is the goal, but cash is king, so why not use something cheap & easy to get? The more different types of surfaces in there the better.

My sump is still in the testing stages, but I've had good results using that plastic knitting mesh as a strainer in the first chamber, before the sponge & other mech. It doesn't restrict flow much at all & grabs all the big stuff. I'm thinking of cutting another sheet on the diagonal so I can have a few layers with offset holes. For bio, use anything plastic or foam thats cheap.

 

[Egon]

99% of mine is filled with bio-balls, but it came with the tanks. I only buy used and the salt water guys seem to have the best stuff so I only seem to buy used saltwater tanks and equipment LOL. Bio balls and small pieces of PVC pipe. You know when you need to cut 1/2 inch off some pipe because you measured wrong? Well I measure wrong a lot!

 

[turtlesrock]

the [pot scrubbie is almighty it seems.

lol did i read that right?! you use straws for media? rofl!

let's here more! i bet there's others using old bottle caps and beer cans somehwere too!

yeah the straw idea actually works very well! there just like ceramic rings. just cheaper.
LOLZ!!! i started cracking up when you said " i bet there's others using old bottle caps" because ive seen people using bottle caps for bio media. LOLZ

 

[JakeH]

I saw a while back somebody was using a bunch of army men from the dollar store as bio! I thought that was great. Like 1000 men for a dollar or something like that.

 

[turtlesrock]

haha rotflol