Oxygenation without skimmer (1 Viewer)

[Globe182jp]

Thinking of how to add some air to my sump without adding a skimmer. Would a lime wood air stone help or is it not needed.

Sump is custom 15 gallon. It’s got one main Fuge chamber a bubble trap then return section. The Fuge area will eventually have a pump or spray bar to help spin the cheato. Back wall of sump is Marine pure blocks since I have a minimalist rock scape. Block laying down will be cut and moved soon. Weekly water changes on the tank.

Was thinking of adding a Co2 scrubber to the air stone to help keep pH from dropping more than it is already.
Prob going to run some Kalk to raise PH eventually. Condo is sealed well and GF hates me opening windows.

Anyone run a similar setup without a skimmer.
Jake

 

[Cody]

Why not just add a skimmer? As you're eluding to, skimmers do more than just mechanically filter the water. They introduce air exchange into the water in a way that a bubbler or refugium just can't. This in turn helps boost your ORP, which enhances your tanks ability to oxidize waste, or rather break down unwanted compounds. Not to mention the pH buffer it helps with as well. What you're asking advice for is like trying to circumnavigate a transmission on a car. Could you do it? Sure. Is it advised (in my opinion), no. Even an undersized skimmer is preferable to no skimmer at all, and this is coming from someone that has ran entire systems on algae turf scrubbers alone.

I see you have a small ball of cheato set up, and that will remove inorganic nutrients (nitrates and phosphates bracken down to the compound level) but it will never deal with organically bound nutrients, which your skimmer 100% targets. Point being, those organically bound nutrients, while imperceptive to the naked eye, are there, they cloud the water, and allow your water to accumulate more nutrients than you'd like that will decay with time and leave an undesirable amount of nutrients in your tank than you'd like. Just remove as many organically bound nutrients as possible from the beginning and be done with it.

 

[TX_Punisher]

Several used skimmers for sale here. Pop it on and leave the cup off to let it overflow. Way better than a bubbler.

 

[Globe182jp]

Cody, I understand your position but I am really trying to avoid using a skimmer all together. I ran an IM 30l for a year and was doing great before being forced to move. This is my first time using a sump and it’s got a bit of a film on the water so I was thinking the air stone would help break it up. I did look at skimmers but for this size tank it seems like a complete crapshoot to find a good small size one (20 gallon), along with them being so small they tend to overflow since they have such small cup.

Punisher, Ya I was thinking a empty cap skimmer may be an idea, but still would need to find a way to divide the sump area hopefully without emptying it and siliconing in a baffle.

Any easy way to add a baffle without draining a sump?

If I do have to add a baffle I guess it would give me an area to install a pump to mix the Kalk while allowing flow to help spin the cheato.

Wish I had thought about this before filling the sump, still learning lessons
Jake

 

[decimal]

Where do you have a film, In the sump or in the tank? Oxygenation is important and nothing works better than a skimmer imho. You can get away with out and I have seen successful tanks run that way. Idk if they have more frequent WC schedule or whatever but it can be done. I personally would not run with out. I think of the ocean with out waves and so I use a skimmer.

 

[Globe182jp]

The film is in the sump areas above the Fuge.

Trying to add a Powerhead connected to a spray bar to the first chamber but haven’t quite figured it out without having to drain the whole sump to make a hole for the spray bar to pass through.

Spray bar would add some flow in the sump to help with film but hopefully also help spin the cheato a bit.

Like I said before looking for an easy way to baffle the the sump but so far haven’t found an easy baffle.

 

[decimal]

Look at Fiji sump kits. Might be able to find something close to what you need.

 

[Globe182jp]

Actually about to put up a Fiji cube 12 sump up for sale. Could not have both a Fuge and skimmer at the same time. Went with a DIY to save some money compared to the 20 or 24” Fiji cube sumps.

 

[paradizecityz]

If you change your mind about skimmer, I have a Nyos 120 that I am selling

 

[decimal]

if you have a surface film on the water passing through your sump, have baffles or weir, the sump is running over max capacity or is not properly set up.

Actually about to put up a Fiji cube 12 sump up for sale. Could not have both a Fuge and skimmer at the same time. Went with a DIY to save some money compared to the 20 or 24” Fiji cube sumps.

i was talking about fiji diy sump kits

Fiji Cube Sump Baffle Kit - 40 Gallon Breeder

This DIY sump kit is designed to convert a 40 gallon breeder glass aquarium tank into a fully functional sump. Please see this sump baffle DIY build thread here. Features: Integrated filter sock holders that can hold three 4” filter bags Filter sock silencers to lower the noises caused by water...

www.fijicube.com

 

[Globe182jp]

That Nyos 120 is a sweet skimmer but I’m pushing 20 gallons. A bit too big for me.

I’m not sure how the sump is set up wrong. Drain and emergency drain into side chamber overflows into a filter mat/ filter sock area. Next is one chamber with cheato and marine pure blocks. Next is a adjustable baffles flowing into a bubble trap down into return section.
Film is just in the middle chamber, above the cheato. I do dose OceanMagik, along with new pods every 3 months.

Overflow is a Fiji cube 400 and return is a Syncra 1.5. They both fit in recommended flow for 15 gallon display.

Flow in the sump is slow but I was under the impression it should be.

Any tips or see anything wrong?
Jake

 

[decimal]

Idk. Everything sounds right. Flow should be 3-5 times tank volume turn over per hour. Only think I can think of is a baffle before the fuge/cheato chamber. Also, if it only in the cheato chamber, maybe not a big deal.