PLEASE READ (What should I put in my sump?)

[skimmer]

I have recently removed (over the corse of a month) all of the bioballs out of my 110 gallon reef tank. Currently, I have nothing in that compartment in my sump except for some filter material (Will this create Nitrates?) so that I do not hear the water dropping into the bottom of the sump. My question is, what can I do with my sump now? Should I fill it will live rock? Any other ideas?
Here is some info on my tank.
Started 01/01/01
110 gl
4x96 watt power compacts
Top Phathom skimmer
175 lb of Fiji live rock
3 inches of Aragonite (mixed with live sand)
Ammonia 0
Nitrite0
Nitrate35 (doing water change in two days)
PH8.2
Alkalinity3.0
Calcium 490
1 Marine betta
2 Clowns
1 White Faced Tang
1 Naso Tang
1 Dottyback (that I wish I catch)
1 Copperbanded Butterfly (getting rid of aptiasa anemones)
2 Serpent Stars
2 Sea Cucumbers
1 Carpet anemone
1 Torch Coral
1 Hammer Coral
1 Open Brain Coral
Ton's of Pulsing Xenia Coral
1 Flaming Scallop
1 Urchin
Ton's of hermit crabs and snails

 

[maury]

Not sure what you should do with teh sump, but I have a question for you. Is teh butterfy nipping at any of the corals? I plan on trying a large tank set up soon, and might try to mix some traditionally non-reef safe fish with some corals. Have read that if raised from juvenile state and kept well fed, many types of angels and butterflys will leave corals alone.

 

[skimmer]

I've only had him in the tank for about 2 weeks. I plan on removing him once he is done eating the aptiasa anemones. I heard they love clams and that is what I will be adding in the next few months.
I also heard that once they are done with the Aptiasa they will go for corals but he has not touched any of them yet. He does eat brine shrimp that I add to the tank.
I can tell you they are excellent killers of Aptiasa anemones!!!

 

[q]

If you rinse out the filter material every few days it shouldn't produce any nitrates because when you rinse it out you kill all the bacteria.

 

[miner]

I used small bits and pieces of live rock. Check with your lfs. and see if they might have some

 

[mr . salty]

Originally posted by Plato:
<STRONG>If you rinse out the filter material every few days it shouldn't produce any nitrates because when you rinse it out you kill all the bacteria.</STRONG>
In this application,it is NOT necisarily the bacteria that will produce high nitrates,it is the waste and uneaten food that collects in the filter that will .So YES,cleaning it every month or so will help...

 

[burnnspy]

Im with Plato, rinse the filter every few days. It is best to get rid of it because the average person will find reasons not to clean it and wonder later why the nitrates keep going up.
BurnNSpy