Question about sump bio media

[Sailor Seth]

I'm new to the saltwater world but I've been keeping freshwater fish for a little while. I have recently aquired a 90 gallon tall tank with a stand and versa top and a 48" T-8 light fixture and thought I would try a FOWLR tank. I have a 20 gallon long that I am going to use for a sump. I want my overflow to enter a bio ball chamber, but bio balls are a little pricey. I've heard of people using dish scrubbers as media and I thought maybe shower loofahs might work, since those generic plastic dish scrubbers are kinda hard to come by. Does anyone know if this is a good or bad idea? Like I said, I'm new to saltwater so any suggestions or advice would be great. I thank you in advance. :what:

[RussM]

With adequate LR to act as "home" for nitrifying bacteria, there is no need to use bio-balls or equivalent... skip the whole idea ;) Bio-balls and the like are rarely used in SW systems these days.

[nahtanoj]

agree with Russ. they tend to be more of a problem later on than they are helpful. i think i have some laying around if you really want, and i know there are plenty of people on here that have them just laying around and would probably give them to you. but, as stated before, i would not use bio balls.

[Sailor Seth]

Thank you very much for your input guys.
Really? So I should do somewhere around 90 pounds of LR and skip the bio filter media all together? If thats the case, then my sump would basically be for heaters, a protein skimmer, and a return pump?

[seesquared]

Thank you very much for your input guys.
Really? So I should do somewhere around 90 pounds of LR and skip the bio filter media all together? If thats the case, then my sump would basically be for heaters, a protein skimmer, and a return pump?

+1 on skipping the bioballs and just use your sump for the skimmer, return and heaters, it also doesn't hurt to throw extra live rock down there for added filtration (I usually put the "uglier" or left over rocks down there). Look into refugiums in sumps, but that can be later down the road if you wish.

[nahtanoj]

yep, some extra bits of live rock, some macro algae(ie. chaeto) and a light over that algae. that's the best way, in my opinion to clean your water. the rock and sand will do the N2 cycle, and the chaeto algae will pull out nitrates from the water.

[Sailor Seth]

Assuming I decide to skip the refugium for now and maybe do it later, would water quality be a problem with just heaters, a protein skimmer, and a return pump? What kind of problems do bio balls and other like media create?

If I chose to do the refugium now, how expensive is chaeto algae and where in S-D can I get some quality pieces?

[kjsreef]

Bioballs are nitrate factories. They will produce alot of nitrate that will be ok for your fish but will lead to algae issues and general poor water quality. Your sump plan with heaters, protein skimmer should be great. You might add some chemical filtration (carbon or phosphate remover) after your tank has cycled and your bioload increases.

[Sailor Seth]

Ok, cool. That sounds simple enough. Thank you. It sounds almost too good to be true. Lol. I'm used to FW. SW has always seemed like it would be difficult.

Speaking of chemical filtration, what do you recommend? What have you heard about Chemi-Pure?

If I do a refugium with just LR, do I need a light on it? And if I add some chaeto algae, how much lighting do I need over that?

[jrod11]

Here is what I use. This is not the only way to do it- there are definitely more than one way to skin a cat in this hobby.

In my sump, the water first goes through a filter sock to pull any major stuff out. i change this whenever it clogs up. i have an overrated protein skimmer to make up for my over feeding that usually happens in the main chamber of the sump. In there I also have my heater, a bag of carbon and I also have a bag of chemipure. I suggest getting the high end carbon. I am also a big fan of chemipure and can also see a difference in water quality within hours of adding it.

I just recently set up a fuge that sits next to the sump (a small pump pumps the water up and has an overflow back to the sump) has a huge sand bed, live rubble and some dead coral skeletons. I also have chaeto growing well under a regular energy saving lightbulb. From what i have seen, it will grow under any light, even LED. People often give away chaeto for free here.

Hope this helps

[Sailor Seth]

Well thank you very much for your pointers. I think thats basically what I'm going to try, just a plain sump with equipment only. I like the filter sock idea so I might try that too instead of a sponge-type filter or maybe in addition to it. Since I have a 20 gallon long for a sump, I might make a chamber for a fuge and just not use it for now and add to it later on.
What do you suggest for a cycle time for a FOWLR tank? I've heard as much as 2 months. I have the patience for that if thats what it takes to be successful.

[Sailor Seth]

Oh by the way, if I decide to add carbon, which company and product do you suggest? I hear that Chemi-Pure is awesome and jrod11, you said you use it. I can just add that in a trickle chamber input from the overflow? Or maybe make small medium chamber in between sections of the sump?:what:

[specvjeff]

Chemi Pure Elite, or Pura Complete are the two medias I recommend, with Pura Complete being my number one pick (and currently in use in my system).