trying to plan ahead

[jaws7777]

nice setup jaws. I ordered 9 lbs of ceramic media separated into 3 bags. I was thinking of making baffles so the water will flow directly through the media instead of just flowing around it. and then have a bigger open area and using sand and some moss balls or some small, hardy, low light plants to take care of some nitrate between water changes and to learn about plant care at the same time.

You can do that but it's really not needed. The whole system acts as a biofilter. Sand, decor, media ect ect. When I 1st got into sumps I was the same way. All about direct flow until other members chimed in. Don't get me wrong they do have their place say in a refugium but aren't as needed as we think. Just put the bags over the intakes of the pumps and your fine.

When I have time I can send you a bunch of build threads that are baffleless. Actually you should spend some time in the filtration section. Tons of useful threads and the regulars are really down to earth

 

[icarus2006]

Didn't realize there was filtration section. I searched for sumps but didn't get very far. I'll have to delve deeper into the forum later. For now, I have 4 tanks to clean. I worked a 24 hour endurance race this past weekend and it takes a while to recover.

 

[jaws7777]

nice setup jaws. I ordered 9 lbs of ceramic media separated into 3 bags. I was thinking of making baffles so the water will flow directly through the media instead of just flowing around it. and then have a bigger open area and using sand and some moss balls or some small, hardy, low light plants to take care of some nitrate between water changes and to learn about plant care at the same time.

You can do that but it's really not needed. The whole system acts as a biofilter. Sand, decor, media ect ect. When I 1st got into sumps I was the same way. All about direct flow until other members chimed in. Don't get me wrong they do have their place say in a refugium but aren't as needed as we think. Just put the bags over the intakes of the pumps and your fine.

When I have time I can send you a bunch of build threads that are baffleless. Actually you should spend some time in the filtration section. Tons of useful threads and the regulars are really down to earth

 

[icarus2006]

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give an update on the bichirs. I was watching them for a moment for the first time in a while. I noticed nugget is growing his front fins back!!! They are really small almost not even noticeable, but they are coming back. He hasn't grown as much as his tank mate, but I am guessing it's because he is using his growth energy to replace his fins.

 

[Alexkoj]

View attachment 1323039

Ignore all the plumbing lol inside the sump is just two pumps and tons of bio media sitting on top of them. Filter socks are a must. Just order like 10 socks and create a diy sock holder either out of egg crate (lighting difuser) or small PVC pipes. I just swap out dirty socks for clean ones and keep the dirties in a bucket. Bucket gets filled I throw them in the wash machine with a little bleach

Just out of curiosity, how often do you have to swap the socks out? J jaws7777

 

[Polyaddict86]

Just out of curiosity, how often do you have to swap the socks out? J jaws7777

I change mine once a week

 

[jaws7777]

Just out of curiosity, how often do you have to swap the socks out? J jaws7777

Depends on what I feed. If it's tilapia heavy then I can stretch it to every two weeks. If pellet heavy then every week.

I really like to change them 2 to 3 times a week though. Keeps the waste out of the system