sump info

[keish24]

right now i have a 55 gal tank with live sand and 75# live rock. i am wanting to make it a reef tank. i have 2 hang on back emporer biowheel 400 filters. i want to set up a sump. can i move those down to my sump tank and continue to use them or do i need to do some other kind of filtration system?

 

[robertmathern]

I would look into a in sump skimmer with the addition of those two filters. You should be good there I would also add a refugium if you have the room.

 

[natclanwy]

If you design your sump to support the filters you could definetly add them to your sump but, unless you are going to make a very large sump I doubt you could get both to fit unless you have the room to hang one of the front and one off the back of the sump. Depending on how you design your sump you find that you don't need the filters anymore as you can incorporate the filtration into your sump design.

 

[keish24]

what would be an ideal way to design the sump where i wouldnt have to use the filters?

 

[keish24]

i forgot to note above that i have a skimmer that hangs on the back of my tank right now also.

 

[natclanwy]

To use your HOB equipment you would have to use baffles that would keep the water level at the top of your sump, and to replace the biowheel filters you can build a shelf by siliconing pieces of glass on the inside of the first chamber so that it can support a piece of eggcrate which in turn will hold a piece of blue filter pad. Underneath that you can run live rock rubble which will take the place of the biowheel portion of the filter. If I get creative and ambitious I will see if I can draw up a diagram. Paint is not one of my favorite utilities. Dennis210 has built several sumps like this maybe he has a couple of pics of the ones he has built.

 

[natclanwy]

To use your HOB equipment you would have to use baffles that would keep the water level at the top of your sump, and to replace the biowheel filters you can build a shelf by siliconing pieces of glass on the inside of the first chamber so that it can support a piece of eggcrate which in turn will hold a piece of blue filter pad. Underneath that you can run live rock rubble which will take the place of the biowheel portion of the filter.
If I get creative and ambitious I will see if I can draw up a diagram. Paint is not one of my favorite utilities and I will check with Dennis210 he has built several sumps like this maybe he has a couple of pics of the ones he has built.

 

[keish24]

that would be great....thank you!!!

 

[keish24]

is this kind of what you are talking about?
green arrow = waterflow
red line = eggcrate
blue = filter pad
circles = live rock
purple = return pump
on the blue filter pad you mentioned....is that just pretty much the same kind of filter pad you would run in a biowheel? and by eggcrate do you mean like the foamy kind of eggcrate or like a plastic piece with holes in it?

 

[natclanwy]

Yep that is basically what I was talking about and here is my diagram with a refugium added also. Its not very feasable to use both the filter pad and the HOB skimmer so you would still need to have it on your DT. The filter pad is probably the same as what is in the biowheel filter you can buy it in bulk from your LFS or online and then cut it to fit. The eggcrate is a piece of plastic with square holes in it, it is used as a light diffuser on flourescent lamps and can be found in the lighting section of your hardware store.

 

[keish24]

if i did it that way would i also need a light? live rock rubble....just small pieces of live rock or live rock crushed up?? if i went with the refugium and added the live sand....am i going to have any kind of cycle?

 

[natclanwy]

Yes you would need a light over the refugium but you can use an inexpensive shop light from walmart with a 6500k spiral flourescent bulb for your light.
You can buy rubble or you can break up larger pieces of LR, it is generally cheaper to buy the rubble but it all depends on who you buy it from. I would use dry sand in the refuge and then add a pound or so of live sand to seed it. Just to be clear live sand needs to come out of an established aquarium from your LFS, online, or other local reefers. The stuff that is sold in a bag is the equivelent of sand and a bottle of prime there are no living creatures in the bag save for bacteria and it is the microfauna that you are looking for in good live sand. As long as the LR is cured you should not see a cycle, if it is not cured or if you buy it online put it in a rubbermade tote with a powerhead and heater for a few weeks to cure it before you add it to an established system. It is usually recommended to do this even if the LFS claims it is already cured.

 

[1990jpyj]

couldnt you take on of those filters and mod it to be a fuge. i am just fisihing the plans to mod on half of mine and the other half carbon. it has the room i think. im just gonna us some cheato in there with lots of cappods for my mandrian goby.

 

[kane4fire]

If you have the room, you can put one filter on the front side and the other on the back.

 

[natclanwy]

The problem with HOB filters is they cannot handle very much head height because the pump is on the outside of the tank and it has to suck the water over the side of the tank. As long as you design your sump to use the filters they will work but you can't use the design I posted above and a HOB filter.

 

[keish24]

if i decided to use my hob equiptment....you said i would have to baffle it where the water would stay at the top of the sump. can you give me an example of what you mean?

 

[keish24]

is this kind of what you mean???

 

[natclanwy]

Your baffles would need to be taller like this:

 

[florida joe]

why the live rock in the sump/refug ?

 

[keish24]

ok....so i wouldnt need the horizontal ones...i would just need the tall vertical one. that makes sense. thank you so much for all of your help. i really REALLY appreciate it.