Set up Help

[edmt]

I have dabbled with this hobby for some time but I am looking to get more educated and could use some help on my tank set up.
I have a 125gal tank with just a few fish in it. The tank has been set up for quite a few years and had a very large lion in it. The lion recently died and I decided that I want to put together a community tank with a lot of color. I have a fish only set up, no live rock just decorative coral and a large conch shell. I had a HOT Magnum as well as some other filter units, but got rid of them and purchased a wet/dry (bio balls) filter sized for a 200 gal tank. I put it on line about two weeks ago along with the magnum and will to give it a few more weeks to get established (and to get some more funds). My next purchase of many is a protein skimmer. Here are some of the questions I have
1. I have purchased a return pump for the filter that pumps a little over 500gals per hour and now I'm wondering if that is sufficient. My lfs assured me that it was. Probably should have sought other opinions before buying it!
2. I intend to purchase an in sump skimmer, I was considering an "Octopus extreme model 200 " but I recently read that this skimmer works best in 8 to 10 inches of water and my filter only keeps about 5 inches of water in the sump before the bio balls start to submerge.
I have attached a few pics of the tank & set up for your comments.
Thanks, any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[sickboy]

I'm not really sure what I would do with your set-up, sorry...
...So here is a free bump for someone more knowledgeable to see it....

 

[coastie5685]

well i know this much by some research...
your goal is turn over the water 10 times per hour...so somewhere are 1250 gph should be right for a 125gallon tank.

 

[coastie5685]

and if im not mistaken... i would transfer that wet/dry filtration to a sump/refugium.
remove bioballs... bad for tank in the long run.
remove bioballs and other filtration media that the overflow water from the tank runs through... replace that all will live sand bed and a few pieces of live rock. ( this will be your refugium. the proein skimmer should go in middle of sump the narrow part of the sump and maybe a heater where your return pump is located.
i would suggest MUCH live rock in display tank.
look into other ways in converting that wet/dry filtration you have into a sump/refugium.
definately do not want to keep bioballs. and for a tank that size you want things right. to make it amazing. a lot to work with= unfortunaltely... a lot of money lol..
good luck. hope that coud help

 

[edmt]

Thanks for the info. I've read both good and bad opinions regarding the use of bio balls (so confusing!) and after talking to the people at my LFS and doing some reading I feel that if I keep up on my maintenance, performing water tests, cleaning the bio balls when necessary, water changes and what not, they along with the protein skimmer will provide the necessary water quality. Am I wrong?
Also, does anybody have any thoughts on the quality of the "Octopus extreme model 200 " Protein skimmer and the necessary water level (8" to 10")

 

[k1sully]

i have had 2 different octopus skimmers fro different tanks and would recomend the brand to anybody. in order to get the water higher in your sump you will have to get higher baffles for peak performance of the skimmer. you might want to see if you can take the sump back and get a different one on mod it your self. on the bio balls, they do a good job but nee to be cleaned once in a while to keep them from releasing nitrites into you tank. with a FO system you can afford to have higher nitrites than a reef but still do not want them to get out of hand.

 

[eric b 125]

bio-balls really get a mixed review. if you keep up with the maintenance on them then they should work just fine. what kind of community set up are you looking for? you might want to really consider getting live rock, it is one of the best filters money can buy.

 

[eric b 125]

what kind of overflow box do you use? have you had any problems with it?

 

[turningtim]

Agreed, But increasing baffle height will leave less room for power out overflow situations.
Couple of thoughts.
Your flow (pump) is based on what your overflow can handle. Looks to me like you have a 600gph hang on OF. So you can't increase return pump size w/o a bigger OF. IMHO you could use another 600 gph OF. That will give you 1200 and then you can get a bigger pump. 10x is good for FO tank but you'd be good with 1200 or there abouts.
I would not get rid of the BB's just yet. If kept clean they do a very good job at what they do. They just need a good SW rinceing to keep goobers from building up.
I would make a switch to at least some LR. If the system has been up and bio balls are seeded then just get some dry rock and seed from your tank. Eventually you will be able to remove the BB all together.
So power goes out how much water leaves the tank and goes to the sump? In any sump set-up make sure you have enough room in the sump for the overflow water. Easy calculation. Just shout if you need help.
HTH
Tim

 

[edmt]

Hey guys thanks for the info!
I wasn't really planning to put in live rock. . . I like the clean look of the open tank with the decorations but maybe I should reconsider?? A mention was made about modifying the sump, I was wondering what kind of modifications I could make. I doubt my LFS would exchange it since its been on line for a while

 

[snakeblitz33]

I suggest buying a EuroReef RC135. I love recirculating skimmers, and as the added bonus, you do not have to mount it inside of the sump.
I also suggest putting some live rock rubble in your sump. Basically, what you are going to have to do is increase your biological filtration because you are increasing your biological waste.

 

[edmt]

Sorry I don't mean to be dense but I'm a little confused, where am I increasing my biological waste? wont adding a skimmer help with that?
Thanks for the EuroReef RC135 suggestion, It looks awesome. At about $800 it's more than I want to spend. I was looking at around $300 to $400. Am I wasting my money?

 

[snakeblitz33]

You said that you want to create a "community tank with a lot of color" which I concluded as being 'more fish'. If you increase your bioload, you have to increase your filtration. "increase your biological filtration because you are increasing your biological waste."
EuroReef sells protein skimmers that are specifically rated for that size tank. Most protein skimmer manufacturers bump up how many gallons a single protein skimmer can filter. EuroReef does not.
If you want an alternative and to save money, you could go with a Coralife Super Skimmer 220g I think they cost in the upper 200's. They aren't as good as a euroreef, but they will do a pretty good job skimming.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Also, you could modify your sump and put in an extra couple of acrylic baffles and add some chaetomorpha algae to your sump. That would definately help with any waste problems.
HAH, Also,... another thing to consider is adding some extra flow in your tank. Adding a couple of Hydor Koralia 4's or 5's would definately be an added benefit.

 

[edmt]

Hey thanks alot you've given me some great info and plenty to think about.