Seamless Sump Tutorial
Watch this video to properly install and use our bio media in a Seamless Sump.
About Seamless Sump Bio Media
We use medium-sized, round, white, smooth ceramic bio balls for our bio media. After weighing all of the pros and cons of the different types of media, it was clear to us that this is the best choice:
Bio Media Attributes
- High surface area
- Cost effective
- Will not break down
- Doesn’t trap detritus or other organic matter
- Allows plenty of flow rate for an efficient reaction
- Doesn’t alter your water chemistry
- Easy to clean and recharge
Bio Media Shape
If you get a bio media material with a complicated or gimmicky shape, it often traps detritus and other organic matter, which can fester and poison your water.
The bio stack is only intended for an efficient “good” bacteria culture to react with and purify your water, not to trap particles.
Bio Media Texture
We use smooth bio media for the same matter-trapping reason. Coarse bio media tends to trap more debris, and a clean bio stack should be the top priority.
Bio Media Material
Some manufacturers use clay for their bio media material. This is partly because it’s less expensive and because it deteriorates, so you have to buy more quickly. Ceramic will not break down, so you can recharge the biomedia multiple times before getting a new supply.
Bio Media Chemistry
Our ceramic bio media are essentially the same as glass and are completely inert, so they won’t alter the chemistry of your water. Materials like clay and quartzite, however, will change the mineral content and pH level of your water, potentially harming your fish.
Bio Media Size
As a rule, the smaller the bio ball, the more surface area you get. Through many forms of testing, we found just the right size to maximize surface area while letting water flow through the stack.
If you go too small, the bio balls will be so dense that water won’t flow through. Water should flow efficiently through the stack to accommodate your desired flow rate without slowing the water down too much.
Bio Media Color
One advantage of our white bio media is that you can gauge how much life is left when you service your aquarium. When you put new bio media in, it will be white, and as it processes more and more water, you will see it slowly turn yellow.
Therefore, you can easily determine which stack of bio media is the oldest when you go to replace or recharge part of the media stack.
Bio Media Cost and Reusability
You can recharge bio media by boiling it, but in our service business, we replace each 5 L basket every six weeks. Boiling and re-stacking takes time, and since the media is cost-effective, swapping in a new stack ensures you always have a fresh, healthy bacteria culture.
Each recharge leaves behind dead cells that cling to the bio balls, reducing available surface area—industry estimates suggest about a 10% efficiency loss per recharge.
At roughly 1–1.5 baskets per year for an average tank, regular replacement costs very little compared to your overall aquarium investment—and it guarantees optimal filtration. If you need to stretch your budget, you can recharge a few times before discarding.
We avoid distributor and retailer markups by buying in bulk and selling directly in 5 L quantities (the ideal amount for a typical Seamless Sump System). This allows us to offer superior-quality bio media for less than most competitors. Higher price doesn’t always mean better—our bio media delivers premium performance at a lower cost.
Proof is in the Results
We have vast experience servicing hundreds of accounts all over the country. This system of small ceramic bio balls in conjunction with our Seamless Sump has proven to have the best results of any system we’ve tried.
To further validate this, when you look at the various water treatment centers around the world, by far, the most common material used in treating municipal water for human consumption is ceramic bio media, much like what we use.
