Fuge lighting/ UV Sterilizer/ Calcium Reactor

bwilson

bwilson

Member
Fuge lighting/ UV Sterilizer/ Calcium Reactor
1. Going to add a 20gal fuge to my setup should I use a good PC or one MH?
2. UV Sterilizer – Are they really needed? If so which one for a 150 with 30 sump and 20 fuge.
3. Calcium Reactor – Will this be necessary or is it just something to tinker with. If so which one for a 150 with 30 sump and 20 fuge.
BASIC INFORMATION:
My first Saltwater Tank. (Set up 8/26/05)
150gal Glass Tank
30gal Sump
20Gal Fuge (Not yet installed)
Two T4’s for the return. 1225GPH - 3FT
Aqua C EV-200 (---- Used) with mag 12 pump
Arctica 1/3hp chiller with mag 7 pump.
800W Titanium Heater.
227lbs Live Cured Rock
160lbs Live Sand (about 3 inches)
Lights Hamilton Two VHOs and Three MH 14,000K
Tanks Goals: SPS with safe Fish.
Thanks,
BW
 
bwilson

bwilson

Member
My wife will be incharge of the corals. I am incharge of the fish and equp. We are going to do SPS. Soft stuff like giant clams, brains and so on.
BW
 
mudplayerx

mudplayerx

Active Member
My opinions:
[list type=decimal][*]MH is way overkill for a fuge.
[*]UV filters are worthless.
Get a calcium reactor if you can. It beats dosing kalkwasser every week.
[/list type=decimal]
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
So are you planning on pushing over 2000gph through a 30 gallon sump or is one of those pumps going to be hooked up to a closed loop. I see major problems if you are not using a closed loop.
 
bwilson

bwilson

Member
You are correct!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been tweeking it over and over and I think that I finally have a soultion. Is my sump a reason? I can post some picks to show you how I have solved it however my only issue now is that to avoid micro bubles my tank has to be at an exact water level.
BW
 
vac man

vac man

Member
I have almost the same set up. I have an oceanic 150 and a 30gal sump. I switched to an external pump and put it as low as i could on th esump. I only use a 1280gph pump and it is even sensative to water level. I am putting in an auto fill to ensure this level is maintained. My tank is full right to the edge. If you sneeze near it it will probably splash out. If the power goes out it fills to the very very top of the sump. Any way i made up for some water flow with a couple of rio pumpls. I can tell you one thing i have learned. And i am new to the hobby but every day your water does not circulate well your nitrate will climb. i went from 0 to eighty in about thirty days with an empty tank. All IMO from not haveing good water flow. Look through the board some of these guys like mud know alot. Some just pull ideas out of the air so make sure the advice is from someone who seems to have good answers that make sense. IF a post comes from a lady named oph you better listen. Every time i do something a little diffrent from her advice some one dies.....
 
birdy

birdy

Active Member
I just don't understand why people recommend pushing tons of flow through the sump, it just doesn't work. Micro bubble city. You are much much better off with low flow through the sump (like 700gph in a 30gal sump) and using a closed loop or powerheads in the tank.
I am setting up a 150 gallon tank soon and I am going to have a 1150 pump for my return my sump is a 75gallong tank and I plan to have to cut the flow back in it. My closed loop will have a sequence dart on it (3600gph).
my advice use one of the pumps for your return and use the other for a closed loop.
 
vac man

vac man

Member
Hey Birdy.
What Kind of flow should i run through my sump.
I was wondering if i could just T off the existing outlets and run one in i guess it would be a semi closed loop. I could put a chek valve and run the inlets into a y and enter back through my existing inlets with both pumps on one line. The sump would pump and a closed loop pump. The pumps would just pump eventually into one line. This way i dont have to drill another hole or go over the back. I also could use one return, say the right one for the sump and the left for a closed loop. I just worried one side would have more volume or pressure thatn the other.
 
hermitkrab

hermitkrab

Member
1. Get PCs for the fuge.
2. UV=dead good bacteria (only use one if you have some type of BAD infection)
3. Calcium reactors are a waste of money. If you use salt that already has a far amount of calcium such as Oceanic you'll be fine. You don't need to dose calcium until you have like 50 stonies or for some reason your calcium levels are low.
Good luck!
 
sw65galma

sw65galma

Active Member
2 things.
You bubble problem would be remedied by a larger sump.
Don't turn down your main pump with a ball valve, you'll kill your pump in no time, instead Y it off somewhere with a valve and a return line back to the sump.
You should have a larger fuge usually 20% of your main tank...So get a 55gal or larger sump and use your 30 gal as a fuge??
Remeber the more water volume you can hold the better your water will be.
 
bwilson

bwilson

Member
As for my sump I am taxed out on space under the tank. As for the bubbles I seem to have them under countrol. I didnt get the raised stand and thus have to stay where I am with size. My wife and I have discussed adding another tank for fish only and if we do that I will make some mods. I got the PC's for the Fuge.
Thanks,
BW
 
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