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ceramic rings and sump opinions..?


Gakarl100

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Curious everyone's take on using a bag of ceramic rings in sump?  I put some in my sump when I setup my tank 2 weeks ago.  However I have 20lbs of LS and 8lbs life rock.  Just in the wait pattern for the nitrites to zero out.  Ammonia spike passed a few days ago.  I remember in a old tank I had I ended up taking these rings out, there was alot of speculation these rings are just a nitrate factory and LS / LR and good filtration, along with a good chetto fuge is better. 

 

I am thinking also about pulling out the filter socks and putting in these in tank media baskets in and running filter floss on the first shelf and chemi pure blue on the second shelf.  I would put 2 of these media shelf's in the place my filter socks sit (red area).  Then put a chetto fuge in the next area with a light on the back on the tank facing the fuge (green area).  Haven't decided if I am going to put in the skimmer and move the pump over one chamber, but the two outer chambers baskets and the chetto fuge I think are solid ideas.  Thoughts...?

 

 

 

intank.jpg

sump.jpg

fuge.jpg

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Socks need weekly washing so you need to have extra to switch them out.

 

Most of us use media baskets with floss and carbon.

 

For the chaeto fuge, I'd wait to set that up until the tank has a good amount of nutrients. With little to no nutrients not only will the chaeto not grow but it can easily use up any available nutrients your tank will need.

 

I don't use rings, some people use other bio media but it really isn't necessary when you have liverock

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16 minutes ago, Clown79 said:

Socks need weekly washing so you need to have extra to switch them out.

 

Most of us use media baskets with floss and carbon.

 

For the chaeto fuge, I'd wait to set that up until the tank has a good amount of nutrients. With little to no nutrients not only will the chaeto not grow but it can easily use up any available nutrients your tank will need.

 

I don't use rings, some people use other bio media but it really isn't necessary when you have liverock

Thanks @Clown79 I will remove the 2 filter socks and put in the media baskets with the filter floss and chemi blue instead.  Or should I leave in the rings for now and wait on the chemi blue?  and just start using floss in place of the filter socks?

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Chemipure and the rings do 2 different things. Chemipure is carbon with an added media, the rings are for biological filtration.

 

So you gotta figure out, why do you want to use the rings and are they any benefit?

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 2/26/2020 at 9:25 AM, Gakarl100 said:

I remember in a old tank I had I ended up taking these rings out, there was alot of speculation these rings are just a nitrate factory and LS / LR and good filtration, along with a good chetto fuge is better. 

"Nitrate factory" is a slanted term kinda used as a weapon....forget that term IMO.   

 

In reality it's called a bio-filter, and that term is pretty accurate. 

 

The point of a bio-filter is and has always been to convert ammonia into nitrates.

 

So if you want it NOT to be a nitrate factory, then you have to get your tank to produce less ammonia.  That happens by feeding less.  Feeding less happens by stocking less.  Simple!

 

If you can't do those things, then SOMETHING is going to host the bacteria that will convert the ammonia to nitrates....even if it's not an "ammonia factory" per se.  😉

 

So I'd end up taking them out again....if they were active when they went into the tank, they would have been helpful in seeding the tank....but that use has surely passed in this much time.

 

On 2/26/2020 at 9:25 AM, Gakarl100 said:

I am thinking also about pulling out the filter socks and putting in these in tank media baskets in and running filter floss on the first shelf and chemi pure blue on the second shelf.

What is wrong with the socks?   Seems like at this early stage you might not even need them....let alone would you need even more filtration.

 

Socks are nicer than floss anyway since they aren't disposable.  (Thowing plastic filter floss in the trash every week or whatever kind of turns your maintenance routine into a mino ecological disaster of micro-plastics.  Avoid!)  Plus you can run media in those socks if you wanted to.

 

BTW, if cleaning the socks is a hassle, switch to nylon mesh socks....should more or less rinse clean AND last longer.

 

I'd go with running nothing at all until you need it though.   

 

Excess filtration should only be needed if you have excess fish and excess food in the system....which are not really recommended.

 

Under good conditions, live rock (+ sand) and a protein skimmer will do the trick.

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7 hours ago, mcarroll said:

"Nitrate factory" is a slanted term kinda used as a weapon....forget that term IMO.   

 

In reality it's called a bio-filter, and that term is pretty accurate. 

 

The point of a bio-filter is and has always been to convert ammonia into nitrates.

 

So if you want it NOT to be a nitrate factory, then you have to get your tank to produce less ammonia.  That happens by feeding less.  Feeding less happens by stocking less.  Simple!

 

If you can't do those things, then SOMETHING is going to host the bacteria that will convert the ammonia to nitrates....even if it's not an "ammonia factory" per se.  😉

 

So I'd end up taking them out again....if they were active when they went into the tank, they would have been helpful in seeding the tank....but that use has surely passed in this much time.

 

What is wrong with the socks?   Seems like at this early stage you might not even need them....let alone would you need even more filtration.

 

Socks are nicer than floss anyway since they aren't disposable.  (Thowing plastic filter floss in the trash every week or whatever kind of turns your maintenance routine into a mino ecological disaster of micro-plastics.  Avoid!)  Plus you can run media in those socks if you wanted to.

 

BTW, if cleaning the socks is a hassle, switch to nylon mesh socks....should more or less rinse clean AND last longer.

 

I'd go with running nothing at all until you need it though.   

 

Excess filtration should only be needed if you have excess fish and excess food in the system....which are not really recommended.

 

Under good conditions, live rock (+ sand) and a protein skimmer will do the trick.

Good stuff thanks @mcarroll

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mitten_reef
8 hours ago, mcarroll said:

"Nitrate factory" is a slanted term kinda used as a weapon....forget that term IMO.   

 

In reality it's called a bio-filter, and that term is pretty accurate. 

 

The point of a bio-filter is and has always been to convert ammonia into nitrates.

 

So if you want it NOT to be a nitrate factory, then you have to get your tank to produce less ammonia.  That happens by feeding less.  Feeding less happens by stocking less.  Simple!

 

If you can't do those things, then SOMETHING is going to host the bacteria that will convert the ammonia to nitrates....even if it's not an "ammonia factory" per se.  😉

 

So I'd end up taking them out again....if they were active when they went into the tank, they would have been helpful in seeding the tank....but that use has surely passed in this much time.

 

What is wrong with the socks?   Seems like at this early stage you might not even need them....let alone would you need even more filtration.

 

Socks are nicer than floss anyway since they aren't disposable.  (Thowing plastic filter floss in the trash every week or whatever kind of turns your maintenance routine into a mino ecological disaster of micro-plastics.  Avoid!)  Plus you can run media in those socks if you wanted to.

 

BTW, if cleaning the socks is a hassle, switch to nylon mesh socks....should more or less rinse clean AND last longer.

 

I'd go with running nothing at all until you need it though.   

 

Excess filtration should only be needed if you have excess fish and excess food in the system....which are not really recommended.

 

Under good conditions, live rock (+ sand) and a protein skimmer will do the trick.

Well said. 
Just a bit of differing perspective here.  Running without floss or socks WILL create detritus build up in the back of an AIO, been there, done that. It worked out ok, no ill effect really, but my system is over 5 years old and can readily use up the extra nutrients. 
the potential to run without any particulate filtration (floss/socks) is a dream, but I’d reserve it to a mature and stable system, not a young system. IMO, it’d be harder to get those early-stage algae under control. 

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1 hour ago, mitten_reef said:

Well said. 
Just a bit of differing perspective here.  Running without floss or socks WILL create detritus build up in the back of an AIO, been there, done that. It worked out ok, no ill effect really, but my system is over 5 years old and can readily use up the extra nutrients. 
the potential to run without any particulate filtration (floss/socks) is a dream, but I’d reserve it to a mature and stable system, not a young system. IMO, it’d be harder to get those early-stage algae under control. 

Agreed gonna leave as is for now, switched to floss couple weeks ago, just easier to swap out than cleaning the socks.  Also leaving the rings in for now since the system is new and can use the additional ring surface for growing the good stuff needed at this stage.

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Yup,, floss is nearly essential in an aio or else detritus and other particles not only sit and build in the back but can also clogged a pump easily 

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