using a saltwater sump
- Thread starter Richemmers
- Start date
You should have no problem using it for Freshwater. Just rinse everything of salt or soak a little if you want.
Agree with Tom, salt water or freshwater sump, a sump is just a box to put filtration media and other stuff in, there is nothing technical that separates the salt from fresh other than just the salt. They both serve the same purpose.
Well my sump has 3 chambers, the first is where the skimmer is, then the middle was where the return pump is and then the third is where the fuge is. I have a pump sending water from the skimmer area to the fuge area and that water flows into the return pump area along with the water from the skimmer area. So with that being said, what can I put in the skimmer area that will help with filtration? I'm thinking lava rocks as they sink, but I don't have any thing for mechanical filtration. I was thinking of running my carbon reactor to help polish the water but again the mechanical is where im stuck at
I've used lava rock for over 30 years as biological media.
For mechanical filter socks, matts, even pot scrubbies work
When you say skimmer, do mean protein skimmer (fractionation)?
I use fractionation in fresh water tanks, but if the pump doesn't create enough agitation at the air water interface, it won't foam in less dense fresh water (compared to salt).
Here is a video of bio-fractionation on a freshwater koi pond, I had in Milwaukee. I used smaller versions for tanks (its pic)
koi pond fractionation
As for the refugiums, I also use those those in fresh water, but planting them, and stocking with cherry shrimp, gammarus, fish fry and other min-animals.
For mechanical filter socks, matts, even pot scrubbies work
When you say skimmer, do mean protein skimmer (fractionation)?
I use fractionation in fresh water tanks, but if the pump doesn't create enough agitation at the air water interface, it won't foam in less dense fresh water (compared to salt).
Here is a video of bio-fractionation on a freshwater koi pond, I had in Milwaukee. I used smaller versions for tanks (its pic)
koi pond fractionation
As for the refugiums, I also use those those in fresh water, but planting them, and stocking with cherry shrimp, gammarus, fish fry and other min-animals.
Thats a slick idea, I could put something in the first chamber ( where the skimmer used to be) and fill it will lava rockI've used lava rock for over 30 years as biological media.
For mechanical filter socks, matts, even pot scrubbies work
When you say skimmer, do mean protein skimmer (fractionation)?
I use fractionation in fresh water tanks, but if the pump doesn't create enough agitation at the air water interface, it won't foam in less dense fresh water (compared to salt).
Here is a video of bio-fractionation on a freshwater koi pond, I had in Milwaukee. I used smaller versions for tanks (its pic)
koi pond fractionation
As for the refugiums, I also use those those in fresh water, but planting them, and stocking with cherry shrimp, gammarus, fish fry and other min-animals.
A sump is just a vessel for water. The only difference IME is that they don't make good K1 style sumps unless baffles are added. Excellent for ceramic or other submerged media though.
Another great alternative is clay grow media for indoor gardening. 55lb bags for $19. Filling a sump with bio that is easy on the hands to move around and clean for $20 is pretty hard to beat.
I agree with what everybody else said, but it sounds like a strange sump set up. I'd like to see pics please as detailed as possible. Seems a waste to send part of the pump water to another part of the sump when you should be able to put the pump in the last section to draw the water through the rest of the sump. It seems very inefficient to do it anyother way, and that well may be the case. I bet we could modify it though to work better fairly easiley.
