I just set up my first sump today. I bought a 20 gallon long from petsmart for 26 dollars which I think was a steal. I bought a wet/dry filter box and an overflow from aquacrylics a websight i found for 115 dollars shipped. The system holds 6 gallons of bio media. My return is a rio 2500 which is hooked up into 1 inch clear plastic tubing which then hooks up to a ball valve and goes into the display. The pump cost 52.99. I have nothing in the trickle, wet/dry box yet. I was planning on getting some bio balls, some filter floss, and some filter sponges tomorrow. When installing the sump I removed my HOB power filter. Was that a good decision? Also My DIY skimmer is still hanging on the tank but I just cant get the ting to work anymore so I will probably be buying an in sump skimmer sometime soon. I wanted your opinions as to what to but in the wet/dry box, and any general opinions of the system. All in all I think I had "Great Success"
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Sump
- Thread starter ocmsolidsnake
- Start date
If your putting together a reef tank, I would vote against using bio balls, they are nitrate factories. Wet/dry w/ bio balls are ok for fish only tanks though. All is not lost though. The wet/dry tank works great for a sump. Most people use sand and live rock in their sumps some just use live rock.
I'd definitely go with the live rock rubble. If you can't get it locally, I got some here last year and it worked out great.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...duct_Code=L-ROCKRUBBLE&Category_Code=Liverock
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...duct_Code=L-ROCKRUBBLE&Category_Code=Liverock
Ok I will be buying some dry rock and some live rock to go in the wet/dry area. After that I have a whisper power filter, my heater and the return running in the rest of the tank. Should I add sand to the bottom. Also If I was to baffle off a fuge what would you suggest to go in there? I can post pics if you would like.
Take a look at this website for some great ideas. This helped me out a lot:
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html
Need to clear up here: Is this going to be a sump or a partitioned out sump/refugium?
If it is a sump, forget about the sand, makes cleaning out the sump easy and the sump is primarily for the rock as others state and equipment.
If you are making it a sump/fuge then is there sand in your tank. If there is sand in the tank then skip the sand, but if it is BB then put a remote DSB in that thing.
You can buy base rock and smash it up with a hammer to get rubble and if the tank is running no need to seed the rock with live, but if you have not been running the tank for some time, put live in with the dry base.
If it is a sump, forget about the sand, makes cleaning out the sump easy and the sump is primarily for the rock as others state and equipment.
If you are making it a sump/fuge then is there sand in your tank. If there is sand in the tank then skip the sand, but if it is BB then put a remote DSB in that thing.
You can buy base rock and smash it up with a hammer to get rubble and if the tank is running no need to seed the rock with live, but if you have not been running the tank for some time, put live in with the dry base.
OK if you are going to partition a fuge, i would set it up like this:
Nothing in the bio-ball area, just use it as a spillway. I prefer my rock to stay submerged. If it is open to air like bio-balls are, you might as well use bio-balls.
In the center, all your live rock and your return pump.
On the far side, the refuge, with sandbed and the plant(s) you decided on. Also seconds as a good place to stick a problematic fish while you try to give him away to someone else. ;D
To feed water to the refuge, put a T ball valve on the return line so you can redirect some of your return feed into the refuge. It does not need to be a strong flow, just needs to be enough to get a nice slow flow over the baffle.
Now if you do not want to use a fuge I would still partition a third area and set up like this:
Again, empty bio chamber.
Center: Sand and liverock.
In between these two areas should be a top flowing baffle to block sand from getting to your pump.
Far side: Return pump
Nothing in the bio-ball area, just use it as a spillway. I prefer my rock to stay submerged. If it is open to air like bio-balls are, you might as well use bio-balls.
In the center, all your live rock and your return pump.
On the far side, the refuge, with sandbed and the plant(s) you decided on. Also seconds as a good place to stick a problematic fish while you try to give him away to someone else. ;D
To feed water to the refuge, put a T ball valve on the return line so you can redirect some of your return feed into the refuge. It does not need to be a strong flow, just needs to be enough to get a nice slow flow over the baffle.
Now if you do not want to use a fuge I would still partition a third area and set up like this:
Again, empty bio chamber.
Center: Sand and liverock.
In between these two areas should be a top flowing baffle to block sand from getting to your pump.
Far side: Return pump