if...

if I have LR in my tank, do I necessarily need it in my sump?

Secondly, if I have LR in my tank, then why would I need ceramics in my canister.

 

no you do not need live rock in your sump but ceramics have tons of surface area for beneficial bacteria

 

There's different views on it... some say its just more stuff to collect crap(litterally) and others will say more the merrier. How big is the tank and how much rock do you have? Also how much bioload?

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If you have sufficient live rock in the display you do not need rubble or lr in the sump, where it tends to hide and build up detritus.

 

my answers would be

you do not need it in your sump
and provided you have adequate rock in your tank
you dont need ceramics in your cannister either

I am of the school of thought that believes

bacteria can only exist in accordance with the amount of available nutrients

therefore
if 1 piece of rock could accomodate enough bacteria to process the resulting nutrients of 1 fish
having 2 rocks in that scenario, simply means that each rock is only 50% utilised/ colonised - simply because the same amount of bacteria is then accomodated between the 2 rocks as it would have been on 1 rock

there is no benefit to having additional rock or any other form of biological media , above what is required to process your nutrients

having bio media in any location that traps/ collects waste in relatively low flow areas such as a sump or cannister, can create future issues unless you clean them out regular - the so called nitrate factories

cannisters with bio media are excellent in freshwater tanks
that have nothing like the amount of real estate for bacteria that we have in our reef set ups

they are also very beneficial in FO salt water tanks where large fish may be housed and rock is used for decor and to give hiding places, and that swimming room is more of a consideration in the DT

Steve

 

I have a 40G DT (up & coming) I have ~5 lbs of rubble. Thats why I asked this, b/c I put it in my sump then thought how much more LR I'd need. It'd be ridiculous to fill them both.
I have a 20G with a canister(w/ceramics) in my classroom with 16 lbs of LR.

The ceramics in my canister is just a trap. This makes scents. I may just take out the ceramics.

 

The ceramic is a great place for biological filtration but is a great place to farm nitrates because you can't really flush the detrius out.

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