Although I've had a Saltwater tank of one sort or another for years I've never had a wet/dry and/or sump of any kind. I've always run my hang-on Bio-Wheel (Emperor 400) combined with a separate protein skimmer. The Bio-wheel actually does a pretty decent job but I really have to keep on top of the filter pad changes which gets expensive.
I want to upgrade to a sump but have three very basic questions:
1) My tank (55g) is not drilled so I would use an overflow/siphon box. Will the Siphon "break" during every power outage causing a flood when the power returns and water starts pumping back into the tank?
2) How do I size the return pump? Do I try to target a certain number of "turns" of my tank volume each hour?
3) What are some decent return pump styles/brands to look at for my 55 g with about a 10 - 15 gallon sump? I'm trying to figure out how much money I need to budget above the price of the sump/overflow.
Thanks!
I want to upgrade to a sump but have three very basic questions:
1) My tank (55g) is not drilled so I would use an overflow/siphon box. Will the Siphon "break" during every power outage causing a flood when the power returns and water starts pumping back into the tank?
2) How do I size the return pump? Do I try to target a certain number of "turns" of my tank volume each hour?
3) What are some decent return pump styles/brands to look at for my 55 g with about a 10 - 15 gallon sump? I'm trying to figure out how much money I need to budget above the price of the sump/overflow.
Thanks!