Aquarium Sump Bricks and Plates - Testing Part 1
Channel: Pondguru
Date: 27/11/2019

Sorry, this is a long one... 
Maxspect Nano Tech Plates (Amazon): https://geni.us/N0ABQHw
Continuum / Brightwell Brick (Amazon): https://geni.us/HZ7HF
Biohome Sump Brick (FilterPro): http://bit.ly/33rDF37
Biohome Sump Brick (Amazon): https://geni.us/Jicl
Damn.....getting the materials for this test video cost me almost £90 so I hope you appreciate the effort - share this video with anyone you think may find something useful in it. Thanks for watching.
I mention and show the results of the wear test in a specific video I did on sump set ups here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqt9zA6mqao
Basically there was no wear on the Biohome Brick or Maxpect plate and the Brightwell brick started to fall apart and release some suspicious looking chemical residue........that is shown around 16 minutes into that video.

TIME STAMPS:
00:00 Intro and Continuum / Brightwell Brick
05:47 Maxspect Nano Tech Plates
08:57 Biohome Sump Brick
13:54 Continuum / Brightwell Brick microscopic view
15:06 Maxspect Nano Tech Plates microscopic view
16:25 Biohome Sump Brick microscopic view
18:19 Receptiveness / porosity tests
27:07 Summary and introduction to next test
28:46 Explaining the accelerated wear test
31:04 Outro

MAXPECT NANO TECH PLATES are very well made, extremely strong and have a very open structure. However, the feel of the plate is very 'waxy' and the material (resin?) used to stick the small ceramic beads together doesn't look or feel like something which would be good for bacteria to colonize.
As you can see in the video the material used for the construction actively repels water but the structure will allow water to penetrate the plate when it is submerged in water so it should support bacteria to some degree.
I genuinely like what Maxspect have tried to do with this type of filter media but have serious reservations about how suitable it is for bacteria and unfortunately the 'for aquariums up to' figure quoted on the packaging is highly likely to be fantasy (that is a very common problem for filter media and filters).

CONTINUUM / BRIGHTWELL SUMP BRICKS are extremely light and have a very porous structure although as you can see from the video that does not seem to be very receptive to water.
The internal structure seems to have trapped bubbles inside it as it took ages to sink (I had to weigh it down under water) but that is common for filtration products made from a ceramic 'slurry' dust.
I have serious doubts about the structure of this material lasting a long time although it is described as being able to last for '50 years' and being suitable for aquariums 'up to 1000 US gallons'.
At the same time warnings are given against touching the brick once it has been in the sump for a while (as the brick goes soft) and breaks up if moved. Hmmmmm.
Online reports from users of this product seem to yield initial good results regarding a reduction in nitrate followed by reports of the brick falling apart after a few months - that could be due to the dosed sulphur and aragonite being used up and weakening the structure? If so then this is a short term (expensive) chemical treatment and not a viable biological media for long term bacteria support......time will tell as I have all the test subjects in an aquarium to test the natural wear on them myself.

BIOHOME SUMP BRICKS are made from the same material as Biohome Ultra which has been used for approx. 20 years in sumps, shower filters and large aquarium filters.
As you can see from the video it is extremely receptive to water and if it is receptive to water that directly indicates receptiveness to bacterial colonization.
The Biohome Sump Bricks are made from sand and powdered glass (which binds the particles of sand together). It is an extremely natural surface for bacterial colonization.
They aren't pretty since each one is hand made and they do not come in a fancy box but the amount of water they will filter (for a full cycle) is realistic, usable surface area is excellent (receptive and accessible) and they will last as long as you have your aquarium sump.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS ON AMAZON: https://goo.gl/jMaBWy
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FILMING EQUIPMENT:
Panasonic HC-VX870 HD camcorder http://geni.us/3UwE
+Rode stereo microphone: http://geni.us/4OL
+Rode 'deadcat' mic cover: http://geni.us/1pmn
JVC Everio quad proof HD camcorder: http://geni.us/e09e
+Rode 'deadcat' mic cover (opened up and held between tripod and camera base) http://geni.us/dee24
Zomei Z666 tripod: http://geni.us/1a1af3
Manfrotto MTPIXI-B PIXI mini tripod: http://geni.us/87f7

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See you next time.
Pondguru