Can you use too much?

[nitro]

Hello,
I have had my 50 gal aquarium up for almost a year and it is taking a good long time to break in or get seasoned or mature I guess that is what you would call it. I started with some dry rock and a ceramic structure instead of live rock and I think that is my issue. I want to know can you use too much Siporax, or bio media in your sump or filter, or can you just put as much as it will comfortably hold?
Thanks Nitro

 

[jsker]

Nitro
I had my two year anniversary with my current system last week, and I am still having my ups and downs, do mainly to me
Yes you can run media in your sump, make sure the media is in a high flow area. I have run marine pure, zoevit, and now life bio fil. The seeded media will have how much to use and when to rotate.

 

[Sabellafella]

I want to know can you use too much Siporax, or bio media in your sump or filter, or can you just put as much as it will comfortably hold?
Thanks Nitro

I dont think so. Bacteria will establish their colonys due to your bioload, fish feedings ect. So i dont think the amount of media will make a difference other then providing more surface area for the colonys to grow on

 

[PatW]

As to too much, that depends on your bioload. You can have relatively Little Rock and media if you have a light bioload and feed appropriately. If you cram a bunch of large fish in your tank and feed them lavishly, you could well over tax your bio filter no matter how much you have.

People often post detailed description of their tanks. They usually include the amount of rock, filtration like skimmers, water movement and exact list of fish.

A lb of decent rock per gallon with skimming and good water movement seems to be good for any feasible amount of fish. Fish tend to murder each other over territorial disputes before they get too densely packed. But check out tank descriptions for yourself.

Personally, I have a light fish load with filtration for a heavy load so it is not an issue for me.

 

[ahiggins]

the only thing I would be wary of, with filter media, is building nitrates. Its a great idea to put as much as it will hold at the beginning but as a tank matures, and builds the nitrifying bacteria in the display rocks/surfaces, you will start to see a rise in nitrates even without adding any new stock. (unless you have an efficient way to remove them like a super skimmer).
Ive seen too many people load up on pads/sponges/etc and then have massive problems with high nitrates when they go to add corals.
SO yes its great to have at first but just keep an eye out

 

[nitro]

My issue is that the tank is slow to mature in my estimation, I have a light bio load now and I have an 8" and 4" bio media block with 2 liters of bio home media and the ceramic structure in my tank along with Bio fil and Zeolites from Aquaforest.

 

[salty150]

the only thing I would be wary of, with filter media, is building nitrates. Its a great idea to put as much as it will hold at the beginning but as a tank matures, and builds the nitrifying bacteria in the display rocks/surfaces, you will start to see a rise in nitrates even without adding any new stock. (unless you have an efficient way to remove them like a super skimmer).
Ive seen too many people load up on pads/sponges/etc and then have massive problems with high nitrates when they go to add corals.
SO yes its great to have at first but just keep an eye out

The problem there is cleaning...

You actually need to clean out the filters on a schedule.

 

[ahiggins]

My issue is that the tank is slow to mature in my estimation, I have a light bio load now and I have an 8" and 4" bio media block with 2 liters of bio home media and the ceramic structure in my tank along with Bio fil and Zeolites from Aquaforest.

is ceramic porous? Maybe the bacteria are only growing on the surface?

 

[nitro]

The ceramic is poros not as poros as the other materials but it is poros. Should I look into adding clean live rock to my tank or sump to give it a better base?
Nitro

 

[ahiggins]

my theory is that its not very porus (maybe more than cement but live rock is basically hollow) and theres not many surfaces for the bacteria to adhere to. Do you have a pic of your tank?

 

[nitro]

Here ya go, lights not on yet...

 

[ahiggins]

thats a really cool scape I like it!
What if....
Since the ceramic isnt as porus as live rock, the stuff youre talking about "using too much of" in the sump is acting as live rock and housing the majority of your bacteria. I can see that as being the case. So when you change it or take it out, youre sort of risking a spike. I cant imagine why it would take that long though for a system to mature. Your tank *looks* almost brand new-I would have expected to see a bunch of coralline by now...

Have you changed things (like salt or dosing, chemical things) a lot during that almost year period? I would have expected, even without a bunch of bacteria, that the parameters would have become stable already allowing coralline to grow.
Have you thought about getting a triton test kit and sending it in? That would give you a MUCH better idea (rather than an LFS or yourself testing the parameters) of whats going on in your tank. Maybe theres some element thats out of whack?