Biology of the Aquarium Sump

First thorough and comprehensive explanation of why sumps are so effective in eliminating ammonia/nitrites, reducing stress and disease, and enabling higher stocking levels in large aquariums. Simple concepts understandable by the non scientist...
Check out advantages of sumps vs canister filters on my channel:
• Big Advantages to Sump...

[@tjyjmusic]

Probably the most informative and descriptive video I’ve seen on sumps. Lots of take-home points. Will definitely be using this video when setting up my 55 gallon sump.

[@kevinrogers6804]

From a new hobbiest to an older one... Thanks for the great info. It really helps those if us who are new to the hobby to be more successful in staying around because the info increases the likelihood that we won't just kill our stock and quit. So thanks again.

[@meghancass3187]

I like your video. Very informative. I'm a relatively new fishkeeper. (About two years now). I have a 37 gallon dirted planted tank with a hang on back filter I really only use for polishing. I'm assuming I have enough beneficial bacteria in my tank substrate and wood to control my Ammonia nitrites and nitrates and my fish all seem to be thriving. But I've been interested in the idea of a sump to make everything more stable anyway.

[@medge420]

Such a great set up, I am trying to build something similiar for my African Cichland tank right now.

[@Aliholic]

Thank you so much for the info! There isn't a lot of quality information that I've been able to find on freshwater sumps. Nothing quite like your video.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Thank you I continue to "tweak" my sump designs and get better results. I am essentially converting all media to Poret foam and adding refugiums for plants, shrimp and baby fish that get sucked in from the overflows. I have 8 ea.- 3" beautiful rostratus raised In my sump from this method. When the shrimp over populate the sump they get swept back to the main tank where they are eagerly devoured

[@wyzemann]

Although a sump is not probable in my fish house at this time, I’m certainly respecting all the qualified info your channel teaches us. Thank You for opening my teeny tiny mind to future possibilities.

[@josemontalvo4532]

Great vid! I subscribed and put notifications on, because this video is great. Thank you for sharing!

[@chrisbassmansamis]

I have a similar setup. But I want to add plants to a refugium style tank. To help with water peramiters. Any suggestions as to which plants to use? My fish will destroy them if I have a planted tank.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Floating plants like water sprite and water lettuce work well

[@camerongarcia3128]

In your case; if you had to work with a wet/dry tower filter system, what would you do to make it better?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Use poret foam as the media for both mechanical and biological filtration

[@abhirana4742]

Where did you get the 10 gallon clear bucket?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I bought it from an on-line retailer for restaurant supplies. Use for food storage.

[@abhirana4742]

@@HalfManHalfCichlid did you use the 19x13 poret sponges from swiss tropicals? 3 or 4 inches?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

@@abhirana4742 i had Swiss Tropicals cut the round shape for me from the appropriately sized stock. I think I used 4 inch thick since my eheim permitted it. 3 or 4 inch would work. The more media you can fit in your cannister the better without having to compress it.

[@abhirana4742]

@@HalfManHalfCichlid i am building a sump with a 75 gallon tank. Was going to use your design with the bucket and k-1. Just curious what size poret sponges you used after the K1

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

@@abhirana4742 I would use 3inch. I used some 4 inch but my sump is 110 gallon and longer than a 75 gallon

[@MuhammadAbduIIah]

whats that fish doing in sump? 5:57

[@rajadey4919]

Why the poret foam is used in before the last baffle chamber of the return pump? Poret foam are course in nature and is used in the mechanical filtration to hold bigger sized debris and detritus.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I have 10, 20, 30 and 45 ppi Poret foam. The 45 ppi just before the return does a great job of polishing the water and growing bacteria

[@rajadey4919]

@@HalfManHalfCichlid Thx for the advice. Greatly appreciated.

[@baretlyon2601]

Thanks for explaining the stages so clearly

[@BenOchart]

Hey John, just curious why the pot scrubbies are not dipped in tank water to clean them and preserve the BB? There's probably so much BB in your system that it doesn't matter but I'm just curious why you choose to clean them under running tap water? Thanks and this is a great walk through of a great sump.

[@sol5916]

It’s a nice setup for a pod of dolphins or an orca. More media doesn’t equate to more bacteria. Bacteria will grow only to the extent that ammonia is added to the water column. To have enough fish to justify 50+ fx 6’s would be...I genuinely can’t even fathom it. It’s certainly not in any aquarium you could fit into the average home.

[@DodO-hr9mf]

Thanks for this informative video. Not only technical as always seen here. You explain WHY. My next tank will be bigger as the actual one (450 liters) running with 2 canisters. I was almost sure that I'll had to switch to a sump. Now i'm 100 % sure.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Thanks for your input. A sump will transform and take you to the next level of aquarium keeping.

[@coolermaster]

Subscribed and liked after hearing you have educational and work background in biology. Nice video

[@paulsammut6176]

Excellent video - well explained and easy to understand.

[@Dresden29]

Appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Really like your idea of putting the k1 in a bucket. Where did you get your clear bucket with handles? I’d like to use something similar when I setup my sump.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I bought the bucket on-line from a food and restaurant supply company. I drilled the holes myself using a template- took a lot of time. I have now replaced all the k1 with Poret foam. I like it better since it has similar capacity for beneficial bacteria AND serve as mechanical filtration holding a lot of detritus and providing crystal clear water

[@shoehornO]

Great video and sump What about anaerobic bacteria for the nitrate?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

A myth for a high volume filtrationion system

[@BreauxSegreto]

Appreciate your info ... I’ve never considered sooo many different forms being used simultaneously. This should help increase my discus population in my 90gal with a 30gal sump. Cheers

[@dnadhiir9082]

Along with this How often do you still do w.c ?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

80% twice a month

[@michaelscott1714]

With a name like yours, I just had to subscribe.

[@FishAddict1]

This is great!

[@DiscusRussell]

How are Nitrates dealt with. What part of the system combats this. I cant see anywhere that anaerobic bacteria can thrive. Thank you for posting this video 👍

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

My years of experience and my scientific colleagues/aquarists support the finding that anaerobic denitrification barely occurs if at all in most well populated aquariums. All our experiments have shown zero impact on nitrates. My nitrates are dealt with using a large aquaponic grow bed that supports a massive number of terrestrial plants growing off ammonia and nitrates plus an 80% twice monthly water change in heavily populated cichlid aquariums

[@theresamcneil3861]

Great video. I love your sump and have learned a lot from watching your videos. I have questions about your K-1 fluidized bed. 1- where do you place the holes, 2 inches from bottom, only 4 inches in rage center? 2- What is on the top center of the lid? What type of air stone do you use and how large is the pump for the fluidized bed? 3- Hiw long doesn’t tank to colonize. I have a 150g. Thanks!

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

No holes in the bottom. Just along the sides. I used a piece of "gutter guard" as a template to drill the holes all the way around the outside of the plastic container. The size plastic drill bit I used is just a little small than the K1 so that media does not slip out of the container.

[@theresamcneil3861]

What type of diffuser did you use and pump to get it to circulate? I also noticed your container is above the water line and is that a good thing. Last question how high up your container do you drill holes 50%.? Thanks again I really appreciate your knowledge!

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

@@theresamcneil3861 I have an Alpine pump with a controller that is rated at about 5300 gallons per hour. The air entering the sump is not from a diffuser, it is just air that mixes with the water while draining from my 2 overflow boxes.

[@telinoz1975]

Great video. Can you answer these 3 questions please. Do you see a benefit of adding a refugium to your sump design? If yes, what stage in your sump would you put it if you could redesign your sump to add it in? What would you put in the refugium?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Check out my video on my aquaponic grow bed. In my case, my aquaponic grow bed is my refugium. It is separate from the sump because I need a lot of roots to consume the ammonia by-products from the large african cichlids. If I were to add a refugium to a sump in the future it would include Miracle Mud. Take a look at this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6LHo6eMjqeEers&list=FLSnt58lLn1Z-8sE6sExFptQ I would copy this design and a colleague of mine has one started. It is all about how much plant mass you produce in terms of handling ammonia by-products. Water wisteria, with miracle mud, lights on 24/7 will do the trick.

[@telinoz1975]

HalfMan HalfCichlid awesome, thanks. Great channel by the way, keep up the good work.

[@DuzzyDobbin]

Hi there, couple of questions. What is the multi coloured stuff to the right of the K1? Also did you make your background and if so did you record ? Regards Darren

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

The multi colored stuff is spun plastic sponges that I bought at the Dollar store. Hold a lot of detritus and bacterial- one of the best. I have a couple of videos on how to make my aluminum foil bacgground on my 200 gallon. The background on my 500 is from Aquadecor.

[@TankMatesAquaponics]

Very informative, thank you!

[@theresamcneil3861]

Good to know thank you! No diffuser. The top of your container is that where the airline comes in? I really appreciate you talking the time out to answer my questions.

[@marvaecrawford]

What size tank is this sump on?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

500 gallon

[@jitty_timmy2069]

Nice video mate I learnt a few new things. What is your turnover rate? Or what would you recommend for this style sump? I've never thought about too much turnover affecting my biological filtration.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

TIMMY_2_GUNS it turns over 8 times per hour. Bacteria can tolerate high flow rates. K1 however will discharge the bacteria colonies under high shear forces (flow).

[@gmac9641]

I've always balked at using a filter sock simply because I wanted any fish that made it into the sump to be able to survive. Yet here you are with a fish who somehow got past the filter sock. How did that happen?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I shut off the sump every two weeks when I do water changes. The sump fills nearly to the top (by design) and the juvies were able to swim over to the center refugium and bypass the filter socks

[@claytonduerbeck5697]

Can you send the dimensions of the baffles and layout of chambers ? Thank youv

[@christiankomodo]

Get those bottle caps and cigarette butts out of there! Great video, I didn't know oxygen played such a part in the conversion from Ammonia to Nitrates.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Yes. Conversion of nitrites NO2 to Nitrate NO3, requires oxygen. You have one oxygen being added to form nitrates which renders the nitrate pretty much harmless to aquatic life. The bioball towers of filters years ago used this principle to expose the bio media to a lot of oxygen.

[@Nebulousevolve]

Like the setup. Do those baffles by the sponges have holes in them or does the water have to travel over-under. Second, what is fluidizing your bed, the waterflow or do you have something to agitate it in the bucket. Love the tank man, planning on building a 10 footer for a Malawi Dolphin colony with a sprinkle star sapphires and a pair Spilo "mara rocks" soon

[@Nebulousevolve]

im thinking of copying your sump desgin and adding a miracle mud chamber. Also gonna do the acua-ponic off to the side and try a shrimp hatchery that spills into the main tank over the top. Do mind mind sharing some details of how you plumbed your aquaponic system

[@BenOchart]

Monster filtration, very cool and educational walk-through. I'm not entirely sure if canister users, like myself, are losing 50% of BB if we're using tank water to clean our filters. Thoughts?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I have the largest Ehiein aavialble (17 liters), and when i clean that monster, at least 95- 98% of the particulate/ solids are cleaned out. The BB grows on this waste which is washed away with cleaning. Rinsing with tank water is a good policy, but it only saves the BB that adhere directly to the media, whether it is sponges, biohome, pot scrubbies, etc.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Ben Ochart x

[@bushcraft10708]

@@HalfManHalfCichlid Lets say i have a canister filter that has three compartments (water flowing from 1st to 2nd to 3rd compartment) the first compartment having a sponge, the second compartment having another sponge, and the third compartment having ceramic media. Now I clean out the first sponge every week with tank water so that sponge looses some BB. The second sponge i only need to clean out every 4 weeks because it remains very clean. The ceramic media remains pretty clean because the water flows through 2 sponges first, so I only have to clean the ceramic media every 6 months. Based on this cleaning schedule i would believe that at all times at least 2/3 of the BB remains alive. And by aerating the water in the tank itself I would think that the water that makes it into the canister filter is aerated. I am asking these questions because not everyone can have sumps. I just need a biologists opinion. thanks, i liked your video and i subscribed.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

bushcraft10708 I would agree you are retaining 2/3 of the BB in your canister. In fact even in my sump I rotate the rinsing of my sponges for the same reason. This way the biofilm that forms on the sponge material is only partially disturbed with the partial cleaning. Aeration near the intake to a canister filter will go a long way to accelerate the nitrogen cycle within the canister too

[@DavidNguyen-ke2zv]

thanks for sharing these info!!

[@_jurist]

I know that I use 2 canister due to space limitations. I have one sun sun 304 b and a homemade one that is 12x12x16 made out of 3/4" acrylic that has a 2000 GPH Jebco pump in it. 3.5 in of sponge filters and 1.5 in of poly fill along with carbon. It is more of a water polisher with some bio. Not sure how much because the water is really moving through this thing. Tank is clear and clean and the sun sun is just filled with bio material in all the racks for maximum effect.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Jurist how large is the aquarium? Your diy filter sounds large and sponges are hard to beat

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Jurist your diy is 10 gallons. The media capacity is equivalent to seven FX6s, pretty decent...

[@_jurist]

It is 102gal tank, that is the actual water in it. Not sure about the bio capability of it since the pump is always running at its max of 8000L per hr. Which means lessened time in contact with the media. It seems to work pretty well at keeping the water column free of any floaters. I like that I can see right into it and I let it run until the polyfil is saturated then change it which takes just a few minutes, which I do at a water change. I do about 70+ % once a week. I am on a well so water comes right out the hose at correct temp and is a simple 20 min process. The tile bottom has made the biggest difference it keeps the waste out of the tank and in the filters.

[@_jurist]

How did you figure that? is it based on cubic in of media? I could add another layer of sponge, there is room, I just wanted to keep the flow up, find a happy medium.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

i was referring the 12 x 12 x 16 homemade. If this is inches, it is 10 gallon container based on the calculation LXWXH/231. You may have less media in the homemade than it's full 10 gallon capacity. The more media the better, it will return less ammonia to the tank after feeding the bio capacity you have in this container. Fewer spikes, less stress for your fish. some of the signs of periodic ammonia "burn" are foggy eyes, rapid breathing, body scratching against rocks, Ich if the fish is weakened sufficiently.

[@MikeV607]

Nothing for anoxic or anaerobic bacteria to convert nitrate into N2 gas???

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I work with a number of advanced aquarists with scientific background who have experimented with anaerobic nitrate conversion. All experiments have shown zero conversion of nitrate. We are all convinced it is a myth created by companies to sell useless products. What we do find a lot of success with is having aquaponic beds and also having a refugium set up to grow a rapidly growing plant like water sprite or water lettuce. I have some videos that cover this on my channel. Dont get suckered into Pondguru and other stories about nitrates.

[@justinsavage6176]

Do I see floats and alarms?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

The float is for auto top off. The alarm is actually a low water level pump shut-off

[@trevormcmanis]

Very impressive 👍🏻🐟👍🏻

[@potte987]

And the viedio was super cool. Very informative. Caous im going to build one of my own in present month. Thanx a lot. And good luck

[@davidklassen3526]

Did I hear you say harmless nitrates ?

[@ajlhomeimprovement445]

great setup!!

[@tabswintermute8023]

Yeah, I have a question, can you build one for me? 😂 Seriously though, I am new to sumps and trying to put together a design. I really admire your set up! That being said, do you a gallon ratio for sump size to tank size?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I have a 110 gallon sump on my 500. A 65 gallon sump on my 340 gallon. My whole sump approach is changing to multi porosity Poret Foam walls. Great thing about it is you can take say a 75 gallon tank, add the poret foam "walls" and work out your water feed and return. No baffles, none of that stuff that takes time, costs money and does not work nearly as well as Poret foam. My foam is 3 or 4 inches thick, and I use 10 pores per inch (PPI) followed by 20, then 30 and an final polishing foam of 45 ppi.

[@calvinneoh9726]

I want try sump too..but I see a lot KZbin video...some sump look very dirty.....I like keep all thing clean , monthly clean on sump very hard ,, canister filter maybe still ok

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

As a biologist I can tell you that the "gunk" in the sump is very healthy. Beneficial bacteria, etc. Have the gunk in the sump- not the aquarium for a healthy aquarium

[@calvinneoh9726]

@@HalfManHalfCichlid gunk good for fish not good for my eye..... beneficial bacteria good for tank not good in my room ... fish poop and smelly odor uneaten food under my aquarium, tell me must clean asap....I very scare virus form anime poop

[@medge420]

What do you think of Biohome filter media, specifically the Biohome "Ultra" for use in a sump? Thanks!

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

As a biologist my opinion on ceramic type media, including lava rock, biohome, glass sintered media, has been influenced by studies I have read over the last 5 years or so. Bottom line, these biomedia have a tremendous surface area and internal pore structure. The problem is they develop a biofilm (which in itself is good), but over time it effectively blocks water flow through the internal pore structure of the media, reducing it's usefulness. The reports I read went on to show how, even if anaerobic bacteria develop in the center of the media (due to lack of water flow and oxygen), the water flow is so minuscule, and without a carbon source there is not reduction of nitrates. The other issue is that there is no way to "force" the water flow through these types of media, and it easy for the water flow to by-pass the media as it clogs. Cleaning with bleach is a long and difficult process. Many folks are apparently impressed with these media types because initially, when the pore structure is open they have impressive results. That is why I switched to foam and K1 which do not clog, and the water is forced through the pore structures where the biofilm exists. Good luck and thanks for asking

[@medge420]

HalfMan HalfCichlid do you order poret foam from Swiss Tropicals?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Yes, just go to their website to order.

[@j.michaelwilhelm7349]

Not being a biologist, the K1 media part of the sump is best for the aerobic bacteria to colonize and with the aeration at the beginning of the sump increases their development by raving up their metabolism. However I'm not seeing much in the way of a separate anaerobic chamber with less dissolve oxygenated water flow and a media type to encourage their colonization. You did mention using an aquaponic grow bed to neutralize nitrates. A good option for those aquarists that have a large laboratory type area for separate divisions of multiple filtration units and multiple pumps to move the water in a systematic flow pattern. For the home aquarists that needs to confine the filtration neatly under the main aquarium, it becomes a matter of which types of media to use and design a sump flow thru pattern to best accomplish the task. You mention water flow clogging when using an anaerobic media such as biohome or lava rock over time, and because of not having sufficient water flow velocity to keep the media clean. Isn't this counter productive to the requirements of anaerobic bacteria requiring a slower flow rate with less dissolved oxygen for colonization and removal of nitrates? What are your thoughts of using ultraviolet sterilization to help control free flotation pathogenic organisms and algae spores? In my design of a sump, I split the water flow into 2 sections, one for aerobic bacteria requirements with added air diffusers and one for anaerobic bacteria with no added air and a slower flow rate. Your observations above of anaerobic media clogging are interesting and perhaps I may need to configure a program by which cleaning of that media is possible without sacrificing a high percentage of bacteria. Any media cleaning has it's downfalls, it's a matter of how to best accomplish it wisely. BTW, multiple chambers of different density sponges are a must in a good sump design.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I have a aquaponic grow bed that consumes my nitrates. No need for an anaerobic chamber. The plants metabolize other nutrients that the fish add to the water too, for example other carbon compounds, that are by products of aerobic bacterial metabolism- in addition to consuming the nitrates. I have yet to see conclusive evidence of an anaerobic set-up that is effective in reducing nitrates. I have read everything literally that is out there. One of the big "mis information" campaigns is that ceramic, porous media like biohome reduce nitrates. I agree that the center of the media can grow anaerobic bacteria, but the problem is that the biofilm that develops on the exterior surface of these media essentially blocks the access of the anaerobic bacteria within the media from converting any nitrates at all. Hope this clarifies.

[@danielmerrell8926]

ideally if you wanted the very best biological media you would use a fluidized sand bed as it has 400 times the surface area of k1 so far more efficient.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Daniel Merrell I have looked at K1 under a microscope and nearly the entire internal structure is covered with biofilm. Sand does have more surface area than k1, but in a moving bed filter there is little biofilm development since the sand granules are continuously colliding with each other minimizing the chance for accumulating biofilm on the surface of the sand. It is the biofilm that consumes ammonia and drives the nitrogen cycle. In fact the reason sponges are so effective is because of their ability to develop thick bio films.

[@-8_8-]

That's the kind of answers I'm looking for!

[@ranjansanyal]

Very nice video....how frequent you go water change?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I am using an aquaponic grow bed (40 galon) to consume ammonia and nitrates. Last time I checked my nitrates would hit about 20 ppm after 3 weeks with no water change, and drop to around 5 -10 ppm after a 60% water change. If we stabilize with this nitrate range, I will change once every three weeks. I am planning on it improving as the grow bed matures and moving to 60% once a month.

[@theresamcneil3861]

Btw. I love your video on Malawi bloat. I have discus. So thank you!!!

[@brandonwilliams6976]

at 5:58 theres a poor fish stuck in the sump

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

He has grown up in there since he was a fry. I try to catch him when I go in there but he gets away. The sump has a healthy population of cherry shrimp so he is well fed. Someday I will get him out and over to my grow out tank.

[@Z4Zander]

When In was breeding Bristle nose the fry got everywhere.The ones that got in the sump grew bigger and faster than the ones in the main tank,

[@Anytyme06]

50 fx6's is a stretch but good video

[@mikkostenberg1740]

Nice sump! It is good to have those sponges after the fluidized chamber as otherwise the dead and peeled off microbes will go to the tank. Also only fish type like sharks and rays urinate, other excrete ammonia through their qills.

[@ajpoopyshitz9842]

Why is a fish in the sump?

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Fry get sucked in through the overflows when the female Africans release them. They are first to feast on any food that goes to the sump.

[@potte987]

Dude you have a fish in your mechanical filteration part of the sump.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I know, I recently had to move him to my main tank because he was getting big. My sump now has hundreds of cherry shrimp and baby plecos feeding on the detritus. Make the whole sump think a lot more interesting. They got in there by themselves from the main tanks.

[@ngocly8943]

Love your channel name lol

[@alexkorn6036]

I would love to have sump but I have no room for one

[@dahoughsta]

Extra media does not mean extra bacteria? Just more possible area it can grow. The actual amount of bacteria is dictated by the amount of ammonia produced by the tank. A spike is a spike. Still takes time for the system to increase the amount of bacteria present to combat the rise in ammonia. Then once the ammonia is gone (say it was a big feed or dead fish), the extra bacteria will die off back to what it was. Doesn't matter if a sponge filter, canister or sump, having more media doesn't mean more bacteria. Sumps, being larger, can definitely handle a larger load, but a couple of canisters on a large tank (to an extent) will still have more than enough surface area to support even heavy stocking of fish. Remember also, the substrate will hold a large amount of bacteria as well. When a canister is cleaned, if done correctly, should not halve the amount of bacteria. Even if you kill, somehow, every bacteria in the filter, the other filter and substrate will still do the job until the cleaned filter is seeded, but, the chances of killing off all the bacteria is slim to say the least. Biggest advantages of a sump, they are customisable, they add water volume and they can be easier to service. But when talking about bacteria, I don't see how they can be superior that way.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

A thin biofilm on a much larger surface area can respond much faster to an ammonia spike- whatever the source. Exponential growth of some species of bacteria can spoil food for example in a few hours. With an ammonia spike a large surface area with an active biofilm can "rebound" quickly to the new source of nutrients.

[@dahoughsta]

@@HalfManHalfCichlid please don't quote me, but I'm told that the particular bacteria that is used in the filter takes about 16hrs to double in number - they are slow to multiply compared to other types of bacteria. That is why a tank takes weeks to cycle

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

@@dahoughsta good discussion. Cell division occurs about every 7 hours. Existing cells (before division) are extremely efficient in the nitrogen cycle and as the ammonia load increases their capacity to metabolize ammonia goes up exponentially too- even before cell division. www.pondtrademag.com/water-tech-care-and-feeding-of-nitrifying-bacteria/

[@edwin_cho]

All due respect sir, looking at the stale water.. u are lucky if u are running 100 gph.. and u said 4000 gph? Doesn't look quite like it sir..

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I have measured it and it is running at 4000 gph with a pump rated at 5300 gph. A large sump will always look somewhat static with respect to flow unless you look very closely

[@ronf-ingmyers8449]

I do agree with your Assessment regarding the Canister filters vs Sump philosophy.............BUT there are those like IFG, Jay Wilson, Adam C and many others who will tell you that THEIR FX6's do just fine on their big tanks. I really dont care if their tanks spike or not (Which they do) it isnt my tank or my fish (Even though If thought about, it does suck for the fish) . You and I have 2 different philosophies obviously, however we both agree that Biological filtration MUST be done in a sump to maintain a stable system on ANY tank above a certain Size or stocking level .Good work..............To bad that is wont effect the masses who somehow in their mind think..............Easier must be better! I just wonder if its Laziness, Lack of knowledge or $ that drives people to use these junk Canister filters? I always wondered this...............I have yet to figure this out! Too each is own I suppose, but short cuts in life at any level is nothing more than a desire to be mediocre!

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

As you know, sumps require a higher level of customization and DIY than a "plug and play" canister filter. Not everyone is willing, able, or sufficiently interested in taking their aquarium keeping to the next level (sumps). Meanwhile, although not optimal, they can continue to work around not having a sump as I describe in my video. There are negative impacts on their fish that they just have to live with.

[@erick6102]

You forgot the most important point, sumps are just plain FUN! Ha.

[@dsanford12]

If somebody loses 50% of their bio from their 2 fx 6s that Sounds like they rinsed their biomedia in tap water , Which is Is wrong to begin with

[@tommyhunter3052]

Thanks for the vid Trump!

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Tommy Hunter MAGA. LOL

[@Deon0026yickadee]

Great video

[@alwayswondering4051]

The sump would truly be the Morher of all of your filtration- biology - health. If you take the time to learn the biology of how the sump operates on a system, you will understand the whole of your entire system pretty well. 'Ideally', a sump would be greater than your viewing piece by as many times as possible - ideally. Learn all about what occurs, turns over, happens, everything in thier environment that makes the world-go-round so to speak. You'll be a lot happier, and it's really not all that difficult. You don't need to be an egg-head (I hope that's not politically incorrect too). A single golfish isn't any different. It lives via the same means. Learn how the sump works; and Why it works. Believe me, you will thank yourself. It's not difficult, and it's not a pain in the ass.

[@FMuscleZ28]

I had to stop at 3 minutes, sounds too much like bs. While the general idea is true, too many details are off, or illogical. One example is killing half your beneficial bacteria when cleaning one canister in a dual setup. Not true. The bacteria does not live exclusively in the filter, only a fraction does, and cleaning the filter doesn't kill all the bacteria in it. You don't need a degree to understand this, just basic knowledge and common sense. Bigger filter doesn't mean better filtration.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

FMuscleZ28. ha ha. You sound like a cannister guy

[@FMuscleZ28]

Oh damn. I have sumps. I've had HOB. I want sponge. No interest in canister.

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

Sponges are a secret weapon for effective filtration. Try Poret from Swiss Tropicals

[@frickbot]

Yeah that's where I stopped. I prefer sumps but bs is a no go.

[@chrisscruggs4293]

Sounds like a butt head. Half man seems very knowledgable to me

[@MrWallace27]

I totally disagree.....I have 3 freshwater tanks and I have way better test results out of my cannister tank versus my sump plus you can use plants to combat the harmful effects of ammonia.

[@Deon0026yickadee]

So this is why people fish be growing slow in these videos on KZbin

[@HalfManHalfCichlid]

I know for a fact that several folks with large tanks (and cannister filters) on KZbin have to limit how much food they feed their fish for the reasons described in my video. This, plus the periodic ammonia spikes are not ideal for growth rates, stress, avoiding diseases (e.g. Malawi bloat). Thanks for checking in on this topic.

[@Deon0026yickadee]

HalfMan HalfCichlid absolutely there isn’t a grey area between SUMP and Canister; Sumps bigger

[@Ghost-uj8oc]

666th like

[@MrGsxr10001]

I don't see any thing special going on? Its all typical stuff that people been doing for a long time. As for the canisters when done properly you do mess with the bio bed media you just rinse the sponges to regain flow rate. Millions of successful tanks are running on them. No need to make videos bashing other peoples set ups? Enjoy your stuff and let it go at that. Their are people all over the world with tanks the will knock your socks off that don't have any biology degrees? Calm down man, its just a fish tank. I'm a truck driver and my tanks have all ways done well to. Oh and your tank does look really nice.

[@JB-jn9kb]

You sound upset. I guess he can't have an opinion in your world without you losing your shit. Have a nice day and calm down, your going to have heart issues at an early age going around getting mad all the time. Learn to respect other opinions instead of being a bitch. Have a nice day!