Detritus floating in my DT

Patrick Cox · 04/03/2011, 03:26 PM

I am having problems with detritus floating in my display tank and I can't seem to get rid of it. I have a 57G pre-drilled tank with overflow and with a small sump below in the cabinet. In my sump the water passes through some filter material and then (don't shoot me!) some bio balls and then into the sump. I then have an SWC 120 skimmer and then the external pump back to the DT. (The external pump is a Coralife 190 circulation pump.) The tank and sump were setup back in January. (The LFS owner swore to me that I needed additional biological filtration - ie - bio balls.)

Over the past few weeks I have started to notice a buildup of detritus in the floor of the sump and my pump seems to be pulling this back into the DT but the filter mechanism doesn't seem to be catching it. Anyway, I need to figure out how to clear up my water. One thought was to attach some sort of prefilter to the bulkhead where the pump pulls the water out of the sump and up to the DT. This would at least keep the debris from being pulled up into my DT. Does something like this exist? The other thought I had was to remove the bio balls and add a filter sock in that column instead of what I currently have. Or, I could try some better filter material. What makes me nervous about trying to add a filter sock is I do like the lid that covers the area where the water drains into the sump because it cuts down on the noise significantly. So, I would really like to keep this.

Anyway, I would welcome thoughts and suggestions. Thanks!

Here are a few pictures of my sump...

Sump Front Left

Sump Front Right

Sump Side Right

duncantse · 04/03/2011, 03:32 PM

Try some filter floss. They helped me clear up most of the dust floating in my tank.

Patrick Cox · 04/05/2011, 04:50 PM

Would a filter sock do a better job of filtering my water than the material I have in the top of my sump? (See first picture.)

It is something along the lines of this...

http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...31&pcatid=4231

I am just thinking that this material is not working and when the water falls into this material that particles are being forced right through it. (See detritus in bottom of sump in first picture.)

Thanks!

duncantse · 04/05/2011, 05:24 PM

Filter sock could work too. Try filter floss+ filter sock and see if that cleared up the problem or not.

SuperNemo · 04/05/2011, 05:38 PM

The blue filter pads are not great at trapping fine particles. A filter sock would do a much better job. You can do 200, 100, or 50 micron. It depends on the amount of work you want to put in to make you tank clean.

I run my tank without a filter sock and dont have detritus floating around. If you have too high a flow rate through you sump, the detritus will not have a chance to settle and get sucked out during water changes. Just a though for you to think about.

04/03/2011, 03:26 PM	#1
Patrick Cox Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 1,697	Detritus floating in my DT I am having problems with detritus floating in my display tank and I can't seem to get rid of it. I have a 57G pre-drilled tank with overflow and with a small sump below in the cabinet. In my sump the water passes through some filter material and then (don't shoot me!) some bio balls and then into the sump. I then have an SWC 120 skimmer and then the external pump back to the DT. (The external pump is a Coralife 190 circulation pump.) The tank and sump were setup back in January. (The LFS owner swore to me that I needed additional biological filtration - ie - bio balls.) Over the past few weeks I have started to notice a buildup of detritus in the floor of the sump and my pump seems to be pulling this back into the DT but the filter mechanism doesn't seem to be catching it. Anyway, I need to figure out how to clear up my water. One thought was to attach some sort of prefilter to the bulkhead where the pump pulls the water out of the sump and up to the DT. This would at least keep the debris from being pulled up into my DT. Does something like this exist? The other thought I had was to remove the bio balls and add a filter sock in that column instead of what I currently have. Or, I could try some better filter material. What makes me nervous about trying to add a filter sock is I do like the lid that covers the area where the water drains into the sump because it cuts down on the noise significantly. So, I would really like to keep this. Anyway, I would welcome thoughts and suggestions. Thanks! Here are a few pictures of my sump... Sump Front Left Sump Front Right Sump Side Right

04/05/2011, 04:50 PM	#3
Patrick Cox Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 1,697	Would a filter sock do a better job of filtering my water than the material I have in the top of my sump? (See first picture.) It is something along the lines of this... http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...31&pcatid=4231 I am just thinking that this material is not working and when the water falls into this material that particles are being forced right through it. (See detritus in bottom of sump in first picture.) Thanks! Last edited by Patrick Cox; 04/05/2011 at 05:04 PM.

04/05/2011, 05:38 PM	#5
SuperNemo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 524	The blue filter pads are not great at trapping fine particles. A filter sock would do a much better job. You can do 200, 100, or 50 micron. It depends on the amount of work you want to put in to make you tank clean. I run my tank without a filter sock and dont have detritus floating around. If you have too high a flow rate through you sump, the detritus will not have a chance to settle and get sucked out during water changes. Just a though for you to think about. __________________ Saltwater Fish Bowl....

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04/03/2011, 03:32 PM	#2
duncantse Fish Advisor Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,604	Try some filter floss. They helped me clear up most of the dust floating in my tank.

04/05/2011, 05:24 PM	#4
duncantse Fish Advisor Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Vancouver, BC Posts: 1,604	Filter sock could work too. Try filter floss+ filter sock and see if that cleared up the problem or not.