Is this everything I need for my filtration

[dangerfish]

I am getting a 90g tank and I was wondering is this all I need for my filtration (I will be getting a drilled tank)

Protein skimmer
Bio-wheel power filters
Submersible heater
Refugium
Refugium light
Ro/di unit
Thermometer

 

[bang guy]

Waterflow is THE most important aspect of bio-filtration.

 

[dangerfish]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention power heads

 

[bang guy]

 

[dangerfish]

Anything else

 

[snakeblitz33]

Turkey baster
Fish net
Hydrometer or refractometer
Light
Jugs for water changes
Hose for water changes

Air line tubing for acclimation

I think after that, you can wing it.

 

[pegasus]

Return pump, overflow and return bulkheads, PVC pipe or flexible tubing and fittings for the overflows and return plumbing, line-lock or something similar for water return into the tank, rocks, sand, macro algae. If you're going to have a skimmer, I wouldn't bother with the bio-wheel power filters.

 

[dangerfish]

Ok

 

[dangerfish]

what is a good return pump

 

[dangerfish]

to go with my 90g tank

 

[lmforbis]

All my return pumps are Rios bought on Amazon. Probably not the best but the price is right and they don't make too much noise and they fit into the return chambers in my sump.
I have a 32HF on my 125, a 1400 in my 40B, and I have a 1100 that I use in my salt water storage tank to mix then pump the new fresh water into the tank when I do water changes.

 

[lmforbis]

You need to make sure your pump is able to pump to the height of the tank (this is called the head height) and still move enough water. Often they give the GPH but that doesn't take into account the vertical distance the water has to travel, it is fighting the force of gravity when it goes up. If you are pumping from under the tank to the top of the tank you are looking at a 4-5 foot head height but if you are pumping from a basement sump it may be 12 feet. That has to be taken into account when choosing your pump.

 

[dangerfish]

ok and with this you put it in your sump and connect it to your tank so it flows into the tank, right

 

[lmforbis]

yep

 

[dangerfish]

k so would 220 gph be able to up like 3 feet for a 90g tank

 

[lmforbis]

Not even close. In my 125 the pump is around 1900 GPH. I think you would need at least 1000 GPH. Yu can put a ball valve on the return line to adjust the flow down if it is too much.
If you go to the pump manufacturers site they should give that info on it.

 

[deejeff0442]

Like imforbis said you can find the info easy for head pressure. Most will tell you the different flow at the head loss at different lengths of pipe or hose.i always liked to run the water through the sump slow.i do most of my water flow with powerheads. In the tank.i always put alot of rock rubble in the sump and get thousands of pods .also noticed if i keep the rubble dark and no light pods multiply better

 

[dangerfish]

I found one that says it will go up 4 feet and it has a gph of 80 so I think it will do good

 

[lmforbis]

Is this a 90 gallon. You will want more like 800 GPH minimum at tank level.

 

[pegasus]

For a regular sump, 10x the tank size is good. This is the amount of flow coming into the tank, not the pump size. 10 x 90 = 900. The pump will have to be larger than 900 GPH to compensate for head height. Measure how high the water will need to be pumped to flow back into the tank, and check the flow on pumps to see how much flow there is at that height.

For a sump with refugium, you want the flow to be slower, about 4x - 6x the tank size. 4 x 90 = 360, 6 x 90 = 540. Something between 360 - 540 GPH is what you want for a refugium, and again, this is the amount of flow to the top of the tank. It is important to know the head height flow of the pump, because the flow in the sump or refugium will only be as strong as the flow going into the tank. For instance: if it is 5' from the floor to the top of the tank, and a pump is rated at 550 GPH at 5', it is perfect for a refugium. If a pump is rated at 900 GPH at 5', it would be perfect for a sump. I know all this can be confusing, but it is very important when it comes to choosing the proper pump. It's okay to put in a larger pump and (as Imforbis mentioned) install a ball or gate valve on the return side of the pump. This will allow you to fine-tune the flow.