Only had the oscar 4 weeks and already i'm planning where i can put a bigger tank.
If you go with a sump filter on a 100gallon tank whats more important the flow rate or how much media it can hold.

BOESFX wrote:


Both are important. You need enough media to cope with the bioload, but you also need the turnover rate to be enough. If the water is not circulated quick enough, you could have toxins present.

truth be told on a small tank like a 100 gallons your best option for filtration is a canister filter. both eheim and fluval make top quality canisters and would be fine for your tank.
sumps really only come into their own on larger tanks 200 gallons and over but if you want to have one on yours i would recommend something in the 30 gallon range with a flow rate of around 500 gallons per hour at whatever your headheight is.

jsut my 2 cents

the reason i was thinking of a sump was so i could have a section of it with live plants in to help control the nitrates.

if you want to try and reduce nitrates from your tank then you will need a fairly large area for them to grow. in this case you will want as large of a sump as you can fit under your tank and use lights that will promote plant growth. you might also look into plant fertilizer as well to help in the growth.

this will not eliminate all the nitrates in your tank but could reduce them somewhat.

hope some of this helps

BOESFX wrote:


Nitrate is the least of our worries and the easiest to control by simply following a few basic rules, don't keep too many fish, don't overfeed and carry out regular water changes. Trying to keep plants alive in a sump filter will be very difficult and expensive because you will have to have a constant light source. You could in theory introduce pond plants, some of these grow like weeds and can survive in virtually any condition. However, they need to be kept under control because it doesn't take very long for them to absolutely take over.

You would also need a lot of plants to make a worthwhile difference to the nitrate levels which obviously means a large sump filter.

OFL wrote:


X2 i would put that extra cash you were going to put into the sump into a larger tank or a pair of canisters. 100g just isn't worth a sump . like ofl said nitrates can be controlled with stocking correctly ect if you overstock/feed without doing the extra maintenance then you will have nitrate problems. stick to the correct ratio and life will be more fun.

thanks for all the advice i am going to get a 100 gal tank i don't think i have the room for anything bigger .but i thought i'd ask the questions now it may save me a few quid in future not buying stuff i don't need.

here's a good example of a refugium, but i'd rather stick to my waterchanges.
I need to vacuum the gravel anyways..
www.oscarfishlover.com/oscar-fish-advice...reshwater-sump#52419