ok now I Have an Emergency...I think

[mm2meyer]

Do you NEED a refuge for your tank or can you go with just a sump. and if you don't need one what needs to be in your sump for proper filtration besides a protein skimmer???

Ok so I'm all happy and excited and got my return pump and all the puzzle pieces for the plumbing and start workin on it so I can do a leak test tomorrow YAY!! Until I had to spend 3 hours at 3 different stores tryin to make my bulkheads fit with the rest of the pvc pipes word of advice NEVER USE ALL GLASS BULKHEADS!!!! They suck monkey balls and nothing fits without a hose to attach everything. Ok nevermind it's been a horrible day. After about 1/4 of the way through I realize I didn;t make adjustments for the lift on the sump. Well after I made the adjustments there is no way to fit the sump under the stand and plumb it all together.

 

[wontonflip]

The fuge is not necessary. It's helpful for growing pods and keeping nitrates down, but not necessary. My 45g has a fuge with massive pods and does keep my nitrates at 0, but my 10 doesn't have a fuge...just live rock and live sand, a hob skimmer and a powerhead. It's doing fine. I have pods in there, but not as much as if I had a fuge.

Sounds like you're really getting into the setup :) Right now, my 2 tanks run themselves, and my 125g that I'm working on is a long slow process. It's at a standstill. I can't wait to start doing plumbing!!

 

[mm2meyer]

thanks for heads up wonton, so really all I need is a protein skimmer and all the bio filtration will take place from the rock and sand in the tank correct??? Anything else I'm missing for filtration on a system just running on a sump??

 

[dcantucson]

wontonflip- I have wondered this before, too. Biff said she has nothing in her sump at all. In my sump I have some bags of rubble (and my skimmer), some sponges, a bag of charcoal, and some other mixed medias. I've heard that bio balls are bad and can cause nitrate problems, but I don't know why. So I guess it's all still a bit confusing. What to have and what not to have and why? I have a ton of LR (about 300lbs), no fuge and have tons and tons of pods. Thanks for your comments.

 

[mm2meyer]

hey can a drain pipe travel upwaeds slightly? without causing an overflow??

 

[dcantucson]

As long as whatever it's draining is higher, yes.

 

[mm2meyer]

WOO HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Drain plumbing done!!!!!!!!!

 

[mm2meyer]

now it's time for the return plumbing!!!!

 

[dcantucson]

Yea!! Way to go!

 

[daugherty]

good work looks like everybody has you covered

 

[wontonflip]

I think minimum, one should have a good amount of lr (1-2lbs / gallon), live sand, and a good skimmer. That's all I have running in my 10g. I just make sure to do my water changes, since it's such a small tank.

Bio balls, if not rinsed regularly, do become traps for nitrates. So even if you do water changes, you're not getting rid of the nitrates in the bioballs. The catch is that if you rinse out the bioballs too much, you run the risk of a mini cycle, i think, because you're essentially not just washing out the trapped nitrates but the essential bacteria that break down ammonia and nitrites. So, really, it just might not be worth it. But I've seen quite a few reefers here still use them with no problems. So it's really up to you. I got rid of mine because there was no room in my sump (which has a skimmer area, return area, and a fuge area).

 

[butchwvw]

hello
my store had me use pond matrix in place of bio balls. put them in 2 filter bags because these rocks do float. she said they don't hold the big stuff that the bio balls will. its only been 3 weeks so far so good.

 

[dcantucson]

What are/is pond matrix? Have a link?

 

[butchwvw]

Seachem. Pond Matrix
i have it in filter bags under my overflow just below the water line.

 

[dcantucson]

Seachem. Pond Matrix
i have it in filter bags under my overflow just below the water line.

Thanks. It sounds like it would become like LR. Has any one else heard of this stuff.

 

[yote]

We use it on the Koi pond at the LFS.Never thought of using on my reef though.

 

[dcantucson]

I think it might be like this stuff.
Filter Media > Saltwater Aquarium Supplies

 

[dcantucson]

Sorry, Double posted!

 

[butchwvw]

hey guys
this stuff i have is like rock, very lite and porous.most of it is the size of a dime or a little bigger.

 

[mm2meyer]

WOO HOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY GOT WATER INTO THE TANK!!!!!!
I just filled up the tank and leak tested everything and with the exception that I didn't tighten down the bulkheads quite enough I had no other leaks and everything id working marvelously. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP EVERYONE! Without you guys to give me much needed input I would have probably sold off everything and just given up. But now I can't wait til I can get the rest of what I need and start mixing up saltwater!!!!