Hello everyone, I am looking for advise on a new marine setup. I have maintained a FW system for years and really want to start a marine system. I have done a lot of reading and already purchased some of the equipment to start, but I am curious. My FW setup is way over filtered, and I have always had success with this method. However, i purchased a sump setup for a 200G tank and I am starting a 75g marine tank. I wanted to have fish and live rock to start. A friend of mine has told me that I can not have a sump and live rock at the same time because they will counter act one and other. I wanted to see how much truth was in that since I am big on filtration, but I do not want to skip out on the live rock. Thank you in advance for you time.
New to the Hobby and looking for advice
- Thread starter MPaulley
- Start date
dustin_P74
Reef enthusiast
there is zero truth to that, all a sump does is hold you equipment so its out of site, and it also adds more water volume to your tank for added stability
yote
In Memoriam
Welcome to the site.
You wont find very many tanks over nano sized that dont have a sump.Just guessing,but I'd say that 90% of the members on this site are running sumps.
The sump gives you a great place for stuff like the skimmer and the heaters to get them out of the display.Then theres the added benefit of added water volume which helps to dilute our mistakes.
Run your sump,use 1 to 2 pounds of rock per gallon of tank size and invest in good skimmer,and you'll have more filtration than any freshwater tank ever thought about having.
You wont find very many tanks over nano sized that dont have a sump.Just guessing,but I'd say that 90% of the members on this site are running sumps.
The sump gives you a great place for stuff like the skimmer and the heaters to get them out of the display.Then theres the added benefit of added water volume which helps to dilute our mistakes.
Run your sump,use 1 to 2 pounds of rock per gallon of tank size and invest in good skimmer,and you'll have more filtration than any freshwater tank ever thought about having.
Smitty
Reef pro
+1 Dustin and Yote.
yote
In Memoriam
Ask away.
BigH55
I'm that guy
Ask as many questions as possible before you start. We are all geniuses here. I specialize in growing cyano bacteria, yote is an expert mantis keeper, and I believe Dustin specializes in hair algae. :). Welcome aboard and post pics of the build. Also, ive never seen to much filtration
daugherty
part time reefer
welcome ask any question you have. as for the sump i have about 150 pounds of rock in my sump for filtration a good skimmer and lots of live rock is the best filtration for a salt tank IMO.
So I have bio balls for the medi chamber, would it be wiser to replace them with rock? Also, on the topic of rock, I am starting from scratch with rock Since it runs about 6 bucks a pound here, I know it stinks when it cures, does it stink so bad that my house is in trouble or will it be limited to the tank? i'm trying to decide if i want to cure them in a 30 gal trash can in the garage? :) Also I am not sure but I am thinking about adding a 20 gal long under the tank for a little more of a buffer since this is my first Marine tank. Any suggestions on this? should I fill it with sand or something of that nature or just leave it bare for the added volume? My thoughts are the skimmer is in the sump so I may pump from the skimmer into the 20 gal then from the 20 to the tank, thanks in advance
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BigH55
I'm that guy
I would do it in the garage. I did mine in the luaundry room and the whole house stunk for 2 days.
daugherty
part time reefer
a nother way is buy This for rock or This you can use mostly dry base rock than buy 5 or 10 pounds of live rock to seed the dry rock it will takw longer for the rock to get good color and life but it is cheaper than live rock.
Cool thanks for the links this looks like a great option, i'm not in a hurry since I know already these things take time, and I have plenty of time :mrgreen:
Bifferwine
I am a girl
I agree with what others have said, there's no truth to what your friend said. The best set ups will usually run a combination of live rock, sump and protein skimmer.
ZOOT098
Reefing newb
just use the 20 long as your sump, put your skimmer in it, install a bubble trap and pump back to your display from there.
or if you already had a sump with the skimmer in it use the 20 long as a refugium with a deep sand bed and some rock and cheatomorpha (i think there are better things to put in your refugium than cheato, but most will recomend it) set the 20 gallon long up so its higher than your sump. Pump out of your sump and into the refugium, let your refugium gravity flow back into your sump tank.
I think adding a refugium to my setup was the best thing i ever did. You need to have the space though. I think sometimes when giving advice i tend to forget that not everyone has unlimited space for a tank and all the other things you can add
1 other thing if you are building your own stand, be sure to check the measurements of the skimmer you are going to potentially buy, or you can seriously limit yourself on skimmers
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daugherty
part time reefer
Read this it will help you out a bit http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-04/newbie/index.php
yote
In Memoriam
You'll get 50% of the hobbiest that'll say bio-balls are garbage and cause problems.The other 50% either dont use them,or havnt had problems with them.
Personally,I've got em in my sump right now to quieten the sound of the flow.0 nitrates since the tanks been set up.
BUT,when I do my waterchanges,I rinse the bio-balls out good.
Like anything else,they've got to be cleaned and maintained.
Personally,I've got em in my sump right now to quieten the sound of the flow.0 nitrates since the tanks been set up.
BUT,when I do my waterchanges,I rinse the bio-balls out good.
Like anything else,they've got to be cleaned and maintained.
Great i'll just have to keep with them, I did the same with the FW tank and quiet will be better since my wife isn't keen on noise. Thanks yote
daugherty
part time reefer
i used them for 10 years never cleaned them and never had problems with them at all but everbodys tank is different.
