Plastic scrubbers for media

backpack · May 1, 2015

I have one of the ceramic plates in my sump. I want the water to flow through it more based on the sump chamber I designed for it. I need to pack it in with something the water will flow threw. My first idea is the dish scrubber pass that a lot of the fresh water guys use. My question is will they degrade from bacteria like bio pellets? are they safe to use?

cu455 · May 1, 2015

I use pot scrubbers and never thought about them degrading. If they do degrade it isn't fast enough for me to notice. They way they are designed makes them a great place for worms and pods to live and breed. I use them in a fuge and in a wet dry.

DMan · May 1, 2015

Just make sure to get ones that aren't treated with a mold resistant chemical.

backpack · May 3, 2015

Anybody know about degradation?

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 3, 2015

Depends on what you buy. They won't degrade like a biopellet, which is a very particular polymer that bacteria can digest, but some types of sponges (like natural sponges) may slowly fall apart. I think most won't.

That said, what is it that you want this material to actually do?

cu455 · May 3, 2015

They are used for biofiltration. They are a cheaper alternative for bioballs or ceramic rings, they also have more surface area per ft^2.

Randy Holmes-Farley · May 3, 2015

If that is the goal, I'd skip it entirely unless the tank has very little live rock or sand.

backpack · May 4, 2015

I have about 150 lbs of live rock and a marinepure ceramic plate with about 120 gallons of water volume. I'm not worried about media for bacteria population but more for tailoring water flow with an ease of cleaning detritus out. I was planning on using something high flow that I could put in a netted bag to help aid in forcing the water down the sump chamber instead of just rolling over the top of the big plate. I currently have a maxi jet at the bottom of the chamber for a reactor, that helped color up a lot of the plate so idk if it's needed but...