N
niki
Guest
ok i've had a 55 freshwater for 10yrs and switch over 3 months ago to salt. well i've always had an undergravel in my fresh so i put it in my saltwater.now from reading alittle this doesn't sound like a good idea what do u think?
fshhub
Active Member
some people do alright with a ugf in a fish only tank, but if you want any inverts or corals, they will be a problem, in fw they do keeep things clean by sucking the trash under the filter, but in sw they they pull the garbage down and trap it too, only problem is that by trapping it, you are creating a breeding grounds for nitrates, so they are not as good as one would think, and are more maintenance,
the best filtration for a sw tank is what is called the berlin system, it consists of plenty of lr(about 1.5 lbs per gallon), a 4 inch minimum sand bed, good circualtion(10 times your gallonage per hour), and a protein skimmer, believe it or not the lr and sand do the filtering for you, actually they do the cleaning for you, they remove(consume) the garbage and break it down into gases whch then bubble out of the system, instead fo pulling it down and hiding it
HTh
the best filtration for a sw tank is what is called the berlin system, it consists of plenty of lr(about 1.5 lbs per gallon), a 4 inch minimum sand bed, good circualtion(10 times your gallonage per hour), and a protein skimmer, believe it or not the lr and sand do the filtering for you, actually they do the cleaning for you, they remove(consume) the garbage and break it down into gases whch then bubble out of the system, instead fo pulling it down and hiding it
HTh
rhomer
Member
There are many good ideas on filtration, some people have success with ugf, but personally I think they are too much work. Fshhub's suggestion is by far the norm on this board, but in my area most places I've seen wet/dry's setup, if you do some reading you will also see people use "refugiums". These are all natural filtration, using macro algea called calupra in a sump with either miracle mud or a really deep sand bed. I'm sure I'm missing some, but I'm guessing these are the most recommeded.
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niki
Guest
where can i find a good article explaining about how a sump works, (pics would help).i've read some but they don't break it down step for step which i think i need lol .
thanks for all your help.
thanks for all your help.
rhomer
Member
Here is a step by step of my sump. (wet/dry)
My sump is a three chamber sump.
I have an overflow off the top. The water drains off the top of the aquarium into a box that is inside the aquarium. There a two inch diameter tube that goes up and over the side of the tank to another box. This tube siphons water out of the first box into the second box and is gravity fed. The second box drains the water down a tube into the sump.
The first chamber of the sump:
This holds a proten skimmer and my thermometer. This chamber goes nearly to the top of the tank with about 3 inches of space between the top of the tank and the spacer to the next section. In the first chamber there is a protein skimmer and my thermometer. As the water rises and fills the first chamber it will overflow into the second chamber.
The second chamber of the sump:
This has a flat plastic board filled with holes over the top of bioballs sitting on eggcrate about 4 inches off the bottom of the tank. The water will fall through the holes on the top plastic plate through the bio balls and down under the egg crate. Under the eggcrate seperateing the second and third chamber is a piece of foam filter. As this fills up the water will pass through this filter into the third chamber.
The third chamber of the sump:
This holds the return pump back to the aquarium. This pumps the clean water back into the main tank, and attached to the end of the hose is a nozzle that will not allow water to drain back into the sump from the aquarium if the pump shuts off.
I hope this helps. Most lfs sell these, and you can look at them, this didn't really help me until I installed one myself.
My sump is a three chamber sump.
I have an overflow off the top. The water drains off the top of the aquarium into a box that is inside the aquarium. There a two inch diameter tube that goes up and over the side of the tank to another box. This tube siphons water out of the first box into the second box and is gravity fed. The second box drains the water down a tube into the sump.
The first chamber of the sump:
This holds a proten skimmer and my thermometer. This chamber goes nearly to the top of the tank with about 3 inches of space between the top of the tank and the spacer to the next section. In the first chamber there is a protein skimmer and my thermometer. As the water rises and fills the first chamber it will overflow into the second chamber.
The second chamber of the sump:
This has a flat plastic board filled with holes over the top of bioballs sitting on eggcrate about 4 inches off the bottom of the tank. The water will fall through the holes on the top plastic plate through the bio balls and down under the egg crate. Under the eggcrate seperateing the second and third chamber is a piece of foam filter. As this fills up the water will pass through this filter into the third chamber.
The third chamber of the sump:
This holds the return pump back to the aquarium. This pumps the clean water back into the main tank, and attached to the end of the hose is a nozzle that will not allow water to drain back into the sump from the aquarium if the pump shuts off.
I hope this helps. Most lfs sell these, and you can look at them, this didn't really help me until I installed one myself.