Sump Setup

[krishf22]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to saltwater hobby. I have 150 Gallon tank with live sea sand of about 50 kg and live rocks of about 50 Kg.. Here in India no shopkeepers or any aquarium hobbyist have idea about the actual marine setup.. One of the LFS has suggested me the below options to setup my sump and I have setup the same.

Reef Octopus Skimmer - NW110
1 UV Sterilizer
Bio-Balls - 3 Kg
Ceramic Rings - 10 Kg
Aqua Clay - 10 Kg
Dead Corals - 10 Kg
Zeolite Clay - 5 Kg

Sump Setup:
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1. Water flows from the main tank and drops into the filter sock and passes through the ceramic rings.
2. Then the water passes through Aqua Clay and passes through the dead corals and the Zeolite clay..
3. Finally water passes through the section where my skimmer and return pump is placed.
4.Return pump is directed to the UV sterilizer and then to the main tank.

My question is is this the right way to setup a sump?

Also I have never heard of using Zeolite or Aqua clay in saltwater tank. Are they necessary?

I was told that dead corals are used for absorbing nitrates whereas aqua clay will absorb phosphate in the water.

It has been nearly 15 days my tank is being setup and the water is being processed to through the sump.. I was told to wait for 30 days before adding the fish so that the system would be matured.

Experts - Kindly let me know if this is the right setup?
Also let me know best way to remove Nitrate?

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

You really dont need anything other than the skimmer. If you arent cleaning that other stuff regularly, it will just cause more issues. Just make sure your tank has 1-2 lbs per gallon of rock so you have plenty of natural filtration.

Also the best ways to deal with nitrates are having a macro algae in your sump and doing regular water changes.

Also do you have the test kits to test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? That is how you will know if you tank is safe for fish. You need to drop in a piece of uncooked table shrimp and it let rot. That will provided ammonia to start the cycle. When your ammonia, and nitrite are zero, then you can do a water change and add your first fish.

 

[krishf22]

Thank you for the valuable feedback.

Do you want me to remove all the extra stuff kept in the sump?

And yes I do have the test kits and Ammonia, Nitrate and Phosphate shows as zero.

How long do I need to wait to add the fish and what kind of fish do I need to add in the beginning?

 

[marcah]

I would take out the clays and throw some rock rubble in the area..
when all your readings are 0 it is ready for fish..
Like little_fish said a little macro algae goes a long way in removing nitrates and phosphates..
as far as fish go research some fish you like and check their requirements...