Dry Wet Sump vs Refugium Sump

[Philly Bourne]

Stumped on the Sump!! I need some advice where as i'm still kinda NEW to this,and hoped i can find someone with experience with this. I had my 56 gallon tank setup for alittlie over a yr now,and i gotten to the point where i put a few corals in. I wanna get a better filtration system before i go any further so I looked into the dry wet system with the bio balls. lfs says it would counter act everything i would be doing with a reef tank. I was told the refugium sump would be the way to go,and that i could also build one myself.. I'm not to sure of myself building it myself, So any advice would be very useful!! Thanks for your time.....

 

[Bifferwine]

Your LFS is correct. Skip the wet/dry with bioballs. That can actually lead to poor water quality in a reef tank. Your LFS is also right about a sump/refugium combo being the best option for you. Check the DIY section of this forum -- there are many threads showing people building their own. Basically, you can use any empty tank that fits in your stand. Most people use a 20 gallon long or a 29 gallon. Or if your stand is small, a 10 gallon will be fine.

 

[Philly Bourne]

Would you know any DIY sites that show step by step details on how to put it together... lfs cost would be $450.00 for complete setup, and like i said I dont know what Im doing here as far as putting one together...Need sump setup for dummies i guess!! lol

 

[Smitty]

+1 Biff..check out the diy section on this site...or you can check out youtube.