Sump Questions.... help me understand (1 Viewer)

[alstang1]

I have a sump in my tank now. It is about a 20 gal tank or so. I have three staggered baffels just past the input line on one end and one over flow baffel on the return side. There is a larger center area that I have added some spagetti to. I have had the lights on for a week straight, and don't see a noticeable growth. I have about a 3/4 inch large crushed coral bottom. There is no sand in the center area. I have a small PC strip sitting directly over the tank. I also have a 8" square box fan over the top for the times when the water warms up.

Now, armed with that info, can someone tell me if I have everything set up right? Do I need to do something different? What Livestock (if any) should I add down bottom? Is coral on bottom sufficient, or do I need sand? How many inches should my substraight be?

Does anyone have a good closeup pic of a professionally made, or experienced DIY build? I need to see what others have so I can see if my setup is good. I really can't see any benefit from my setup.

Please share with me any advice needed for my DIY sump.

Thanks

Al

 

[cparka23]

You really should add a variety of grain sizes to your sandbed, but if you have only 1 size.. go smallest as possible. It increases surface area for bacteria to grow and you will have a more effective sandbed. when you compare fine sand to large 2mm+ sized pieces of crushed substrate, the amount of life in the fine sand will be at least a couple magnitudes higher. A variety of sizes is needed for diversity in the sandbed fauna (not all the sandbed inhabitants like small-grained sand).

3/4" is not enough. I'd go at least 4" deep if possible. This is not simply for critters to dig into. It needs to be deep so that the bottom depths will have no oxygen reaching them. There, your nitrates will be denitrified to gas by anaerobic bacteria. Also, it's good to be deep so that you do not stir up the toxic hydrogen sulfide that builds down there. H2S is toxic to your tank and to you.

You should also think about the rate of flow going through your sump/refugium. If it's got plants, the flow rate should be slower. Some say it's to allow the plants to have time to take up the nitrates (personally, I doubt that is an issue), but it IS necessary to allow the sandbed to get its fair share of your tank waste.

most people will set their lights to turn on when their tank lights go off (and vice-versa). When photosynthesis is going, it slightly increases pH. Normally, tanks have lower pH in the mornings and can swing up by .2 or .3 by the evening. The "reverse-lighting" schedule helps to reduce the swings in pH by always having some photosynthesis going (whether in the tank or in the refugium).

 

[AggieBrandon]

this is what my sump looks like:

 

[Guest]

hmmmm, what a kwinki dink.

 

[AggieBrandon]

and what's that Vic?

 

[Guest]

It's a kwinki dink because that's the exact setup I just built him last week. The pump is on the other end on his setup though.

 

[AggieBrandon]

oh yeah....I think 55 gallons was a little overkill for a sump but I custom built the stand to fit it so in it went. The extra gallons help out though. I know my sump will never flood if the power goes out I only used 3 baffles and I get 0 bubbles returned to main tank. The only thing you can't see is that I have a SCWD running on two returns in the the main tank.

Brandon

 

[Guest]

that thing is a 55? Looks smaller for some reason. I think his is more like 15-20 gal. The design is the same as his.

 

[AggieBrandon]

hehe yeah it is a 55 gallon the fuge section is 36" long and has about 3"-4" of sand in it

Brandon

 

[Guest]

You know what, I'm stealing the thread but I'll give it back soon. Besides everyone is sleeping at this time. What size tank is that sump for?

 

[AggieBrandon]

75 gallon Was originally going to light the sump with 2 48" VHO and use it to propagate some corals but have since decided to move my frag tank and 37 gallon reef into another 75 gallon I had sitting around collecting dust. Who knows I may end up running halides on that one too

Brandon

 

[Guest]

Actually I need to go to bed so I'll give the thread back, but cparka23 pretty much nailed it on the head. You just need to add finer sand to it and add a little deversity. Get small amounts of refugium sand from different people and that should kick start the whole enchilada.

 

[AggieBrandon]

I also run some polyfill between the last two baffles and it catches lots of detritus...works well...really helps clear the water up

Brandon

 

[alstang1]

Thanks for all of the info. I had no idea that H2S actually formend in my tank. That is bad news. I better understand things now.

I still have a few questions. I did not find out if it is a "bad" thing to keep the lights on 24-7. I did see what was written about reverse timing the lights, but would not 24-7 give the same effect? Would it be better to add a few VHO strips to the sump to suplement the PC's?

Get small amounts of refugium sand from different people and that should kick start the whole enchilada.

Well, I am going to be in Deerpark today. Will be setting up EStone's computer at his house tonight. I will see if he has a cup of living sump buddies to donate.

How much living sand is it suggested to start with when adding sand?

Al

 

[Cakepro]

I keep my 'fuge lights on 24/7. The only thing I've noticed lately is that the red cotton-ball-type of hair algae that was growing in my chaetomorphia has changed colors from red to green. It's still like cotton balls, but not like the green hair algae that grows like a plague when a system's water chemistry/lighting/nutrients/whatever get out of whack.

I've had the sump lights on 24/7 for what, two years now? No problemos.

~ Sherri

 

[AggieBrandon]

I also run my lights on my fuge 24/7

 

[Cakepro]

Brandon, yours is so nice I have fuge-envy.

~ Sherri

 

[AggieBrandon]

LOL Thanks sherri....I paid 25 bucks for the tank and after a little cleaning it looked good as new. It has worked well thus far but since the tank is so tall it sucks to have to put my arm in it....guess I should have built the stand a wee bit taller I need to catch the two resident fish out of it so the pods can repopulate...ugh

Brandon

 

[alstang1]

What about livestock. What shrimp, crabs, inverts should I add to the sump? What other livestock should I add? What should I NOT add to the sump? Other than the one little ball of spagetti, is there other plant life I need to add to the sump?

Thanks

Al

 

[Cakepro]

Personally, I purged all of the non-chaeto out of my sump as it tended to grow so fast it wanted to overtake the chaeto. The growth was great but I hate how any little piece that gets broken off and sent flying through the return lands in the main tank and starts growing.

In my sump, I have a boatload of live rock, a dozen baby black limpets, pods, mysis, a mandarin dragonette who was being outcompeted for food in the main tank, a few hermits and a few snails. I had a couple of Galveston pipefish in there too for a few months. I had dwarf seahorses but they got loose from their little mesh corral (aka breeder box) and went through the return pump...NOT a pretty thing to witness (ask Sarubjr about that...he was here when seahorse parts were shooting through the return). Ugh