sumps... what is the perfect flow rate?

[Ancient_Fish_Master]

do you guys think its better to have a slower or faster flow rate through the sump? i know slow is better for biological and faster is better for turning over more water per hour. so what do you guys think?


right now i have a 30 gal sump on my 130 gal pumping around 800 gph or more with over 20lbs of ceramic media.

 

[aclockworkorange]

Depends on what kind of sump it is, if you have additional filters hooked up, etc. Your setup sounds great to me. Basically, if your water is clear to your liking and you don't have any ammonia or nitrite, you're good to go. Everything else is just extra IMO (coming from a guy that runs UVs and other stuff...).

 

[Ancient_Fish_Master]

my canister has a built in UV so im good with that area lol but yeah my sump is as basic as it can be, filter sock, ceramic media, heater and pump.

 

[LD50]

I generally like useing DSB's/plants for filtration as opposed to extra bio media, so I run slow sumps with powerheads in the tank.

 

[swk]

I like running a sump with slow to moderate flow for bio and running a high flow canister for finer mechanical tuning.