Min scape with marinepure in sump

[Duncanr9t]

Can stuff like Marinepure block or the new Brightwell Bricks be used as a replacement for live rock?

Plan is a Reefer 350 which is about 90G

The normal I believe is still 1lb pukani to 1G.

I was thinking of using say 40LBs Pukani or Macrorocks in DT,
1-2 Marinepure Blocks or Brightwell bricks in high flow area of sump as a substitute for lack of live rock
1 block/brick in very low flow area for nitrate eating bacteria.

Would it work?

[nmotz]

The short answer is yes it can work, but not in every application. For example if you have a very heavy bioload it might not work. But I don't see why that would be a problem if you stocked your tank conservatively. I have a medium bioload with only about 1/2 the recommended amount of LR in my tank but I have a HOB refugium box full of marinepure. I also skim heavily and that set-up works for me. It probably wouldn't work if I added a bunch of fish.

[Ou8me2]

I like the Brightwell Bricks personally. I use 50lbs of Rock and one Bio-Brick and it works very well for me in my 75-gallon tank. Xport-Bio is great for tanks that have minimal aquascape, or heavily stocked.

http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/xport_bio_brick.php

Overview
Highest porosity and largest useable surface area, per unit weight or volume, of all filtration media available anywhere
Provides huge amounts of aerobic and anaerobic surface area for efficient bacterial colonization.
Provides over 71,000 square feet (6,596 square meters) of surface area per liter of medium. One brick has about 100,000 square feet of useable surface area for bacterial colonization.
When properly colonized, and used as directed, it will reduce toxic ammonia and nitrites to near zero in ponds and all aquariums, marine or fresh.
Also reduces phosphate significantly and dissolved organics.
Works excellently as the only filtration medium for the aquarium or pond or may be employed in addition to other filtration media.
Doped with Aragonite to buffer pH at the bacteria level, preventing acid buildup which eventually would kill the bacteria and reduce capacity. (Which is what happens in competing products)

[bertoni]

In theory, if you add enough of the blocks, the tank should be fine. I don't know how to quantify the amount you'll need, though. You could stock up gradually and add blocks as needed.

[Duncanr9t]

Okay, thanks.

I like the Brightwell Bricks personally. I use 50lbs of Rock and one Bio-Brick and it works very well for me in my 75-gallon tank. Xport-Bio is great for tanks that have minimal aquascape, or heavily stocked.

http://brightwellaquatics.com/products/xport_bio_brick.php

Well you are pretty close to your 'normal 1lb per gallon'.....70%

The bricks are apparently even more porous than pukani so as long as they don't get clogged up, in theory, it should be work....

[Duncanr9t]

The one thing bad about Marinepure block is its so brittle. I had to reduce the size to 3in wide and even after rinsing, theres lots of tiny bits on the bottom of my sump.

Brightwell the same?

[homer1475]

I have 2 of the blocks in my sump, and about half the rock I should have. Heavily stocked and water parameters are all perfect. Ammonia, Nitrites, and nitrates are 0, and PO4 is .02.

I should also mention I am heavily stocked and skim quite wet. But I have no issues with biological filtration and a light amount of rock.

[jason2459]

The one thing bad about Marinepure block is its so brittle. I had to reduce the size to 3in wide and even after rinsing, theres lots of tiny bits on the bottom of my sump.

Brightwell the same?

Yes, both are ceramic media. Once chipped, broken or cracked it's very brittle and easily scrapes off into a sand.

[Reefes pieces]

Brightwell and Marinepure are cured/baked differently. Brightwell states that their blocks are a lot more sturdier and less brittle.

The one thing bad about Marinepure block is its so brittle. I had to reduce the size to 3in wide and even after rinsing, theres lots of tiny bits on the bottom of my sump.

Brightwell the same?

[jason2459]

Brightwell and Marinepure are cured/baked differently. Brightwell states that their blocks are a lot more sturdier and less brittle.
I have both and both react the same to broken areas IME.

Brightwell has a history of misleading or flat out wrong marketing.

[Ou8me2]

To be fair each product has tons and tons of little holes and nothing is going to be strong with that many holes in it. I like the Brightwell brick better and they claim 1 brick with cover at least 1000 gallons. However, they have different types of bricks. I'm guessing any product like this once wet is going to be fairly fragile after being in water and mine hasn't broken up yet and I don't remove mine or have never cut it.

[jason2459]

To be fair I like that there are multiple sizes to choose from. I'd suggest if anyone is looking to add either brand to just pick the largest one they can get to fit the space it will go in with out having to cut one.

I wouldn't rely on one brick for even my 180.

[Ou8me2]

To be fair I like that there are multiple sizes to choose from. I'd suggest if anyone is looking to add either brand to just pick the largest one they can get to fit the space it will go in with out having to cut one.

I wouldn't rely on one brick for even my 180.

I agree. :thumbsup: One has worked well so far on my tank but I'm not a heavy fish person. I enjoy corals more than I do fish. :lol:

[McPuff]

I've got a marine pure block and it has been a great addition. I do not have a small amount of live rock but the addition of the block made a noticeable difference in algae growth. I estimate 300+ pounds of liverock in my 300 and a single block in the sump. Algae growth is incredibly slow. I do run GFO and I have a fuge with chaeto so that helps too. My fish bioload is low right now but I will slowly increase it over the next few months. At that time, I'll likely add another block. This is certainly a product I would endorse. You may be fine with a single block but see what happens... maybe you have to add another at some point. It's still cheaper and requires a LOT less space than the equivalent live rock.

And I agree that it is quite brittle. The simple solution is NOT TO MESS WITH IT.