Renewed salt water newbie

SugarFoot Sue

Reefing newb
Hi all,

I just wanted to introduce myself and say hello, and to say how excited I am to FINALLY get back to the salt water world.

I had a 75 gallon salt water tank over 15 years ago that I maintained for about 2 short years. Yup, I'm way overdue - but I am ready to dive back in!

Hope to visit with you soon, and I hope my ignorance is not too annoying, because I've got a TON of questions!
Though on a budget, I'm determined - and resourceful.. :-)

My first project: Building a sump tank for a 75g saltwater tank that I have yet to buy. :sfish:

Any input is MOST welcome!

Susan
 
Thanks everyone! :-)

I've done a ton of reading and watching videos today/yesterday - mostly about sumps/refugiums

I thought I'd put a description of what my "old" tank was since it's the only personal point of reference I have. It had some beautiful and happy critters before having to sell the entire setup. Yes, I just said "critters" :-)

My 75g had a very simple 10 gal sump tank underneath. Utilizing a corner cut overflow inside the tank w/ a drain hole, the water drained down into a pvc "helicopter" style water aerator angled for continuous rotation, over bio balls. The water was then pumped back into the tank. I'm sure I've left out some important details, but that's what I remember - and it worked like a charm.

So I guess my first question would be - has anyone heard of a system like that AND are there any drawbacks with this type of system that I should be aware of?

My next question would be, what is the next best thing? I want to keep it simple. I would like the tank to contain a nice variety of living creatures, as I find ALL saltwater species absolutely fascinating.

I'm not sure I need the refugium. I don't plan on harvesting anything from it, and considering the sump tank will be only 10-20 gal for my 75 gal tank, I'm not sure I see the real benefit of adding the refugium part of it for my application?

Wouldn't I need a much larger refugium tank to really make an eco difference in my show tank?

I suppose this might be a topic for debate. I do know that I want to keep it as simple and as low maintenance as possible.

Ideas, anyone?
 
Ive seen a few systems kind of like that. But what is now recommended would be replacing the bio balls with rock rubble. I would also do away with the "helicopter" and have a simple drain into the sump. As long as you have at least 1 powerhead pointing at the surface the gas exchange will be enough.

Then the sump, the larger the better for water stability. Most typically what I have been seeing is the fuge is just a added section to the sump tank that adds extra bio-filtration and a place to grow cheato. Just a small amount will make a difference in any tank. No need to go incredibly fancy with pod harvesting or anything like that but it will help keep your water params in better condition.
 
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