This is why I don't understand gow an oyster(s) in the sump could nuke a tank if it dies. Not like it'll be sitting there rotting. Just going to have some fat, multiplying bristleworms.I guess it’s time to share the “sump” on my eel tank. Anyone want some bristle worms? This was taken at night when they are all out.
Cool, I can almost envision it! I'm all for detritus and what grows in it. I love seeing sumps. I want to build a cryptic sump but I also want to see in it so I can see the filter feeders. My dt is going to be set up with some severe overhangs for deep shadow areas tooI think the egg crate is a detritus trap. I have a sheet in my sump with a pile of rock on it and pvc legs. The idea was to allow flow underneath to keep detritus clear… meh it doesn’t and the egg crate is full of it too. 15 years worth
Low flow is not really required. The super high flow area has piles of spirobis worms and white tube worms encrusted. The main area with rock is fairly high flow too. Lots of sponges and tunicates and other weirs stuff. Not lighted, but gets ambient room light, so not pitch dark either.
Had similar problems...4om list3ning to podcasts on utube have made some changes.This is the sump of my last tank. It is a simple and cheap 45-gallon tank. It had no compartments, no filter socks, no [insert third thing here when you think of a third thing]. And you know what? It kept my water clean, my nitrates at around 5ppm, easy to access, and my salinity stable with the ATO. Yes, it's a bit of an eyesore, and I would have preferred to have kept it in a cabinet, but my stand didn't have a cabinet. The concept is simple. The mangrove and caulerpa removed the nitrate and phosphate, the skimmer took care of the fats, and the sand and rock allowed for bacterial filtration and grew pods for my fish.
I recently upgraded to a fancy tankwith a fancy sump. It's got like five compartments. A place for the water to enter, a filter sock section, a skimmer section, a refugium section, and a return pump section. Yet, it is doing so much worse at keeping my nutrients down! Last I tested, my nitrates were 50!
My issues are as follows.
- The first two compartments are just for the filter socks, and filter socks are a lot more hassle than helpful. They collect a small amount of detritus, get clogged, and then the water diverts over the baffle, bypassing the socks. This not only renders the socks useless once a little dirty but it also affects the water level of the rest of the sump which stops the ATO doing its job properly.
- The lack of refugium space. So far in my reefing journey, the only thing that has consistently worked at keeping the microorganisms happy and the nutrients down is a refugium. Yet this gives far more space to the almost useless filter socks and even more space to the skimmer. I have space for one small rock (yes, I added another to the skimmer section and one to the return pump section) and one rock is not nearly enough! I used to grow enough macroalgae to sell it to my LFS every month. I have not sold him any since upgrading because I can't grow enough.
- Finally, there is the ATO system for this. I use a 5-gallon bucket. The little plastic container with the float valve is useless. First, it is attached firmly in place and needs a wrench to remove, which makes it a PITA to fill. Second, it is way too small. Finally, it gets in the way of the "refugium", which I should have mentioned has nowhere to put a refugium light.
So, in summary, despite having the fancy thing, my fish and corals are less happy because my nutrients are higher, my salinity is less stable, I have fewer spaces for bacteria to grow, and I have less space to produce pods. Though, admittedly, the new sump is prettier.
(also annoyed by the new skimmer, my old Tunze comline skimmer worked all the time while this new one stops working around any detritus, and is just in general far more finicky.)
I'm now wondering if my socks are causing high nutrients. I don't change them enough (whatever that means). so they trap organics and plug up, the water then overflows to the next chamber and I have now created a stagnant area in my sump with trapped organics that decompose. my next experiment might be pulling them except when I snow the tank or dose lacl.
True. Isn’t that why people don’t use canister filters in saltwater.
This is why I run a "refugium" with a skimmer only for filtration. A 40 breeder with just the return separated. I have coral band shrimp, crab, brittle stars, pest control fish. Everything that ended up in the sump has something to consume it.
At least there is flow through a can. but my nutrients are the same now as when I ran a cannister. maybe I'm the problem...
Apparently,one person does! I have 13 fw tanks and one sw. Gotta minimize maintenance in my house.
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If they sit in the tAnk and the much rots, that makes sense
Because I bought the tank thinking it would be better and make my life easier. I want to be lazy!
Thank you for sharing your experience and sump setup. Why do you use filter floss when you use coral snow?Learned a long time ago simple is better. Last system didnt use socks or floss, large fuge, skimmer and lots of rock and water. This newer tank is around 85g and sump is a 75g with 3 baffles one to divide the fuge area where the water comes in and a bubble trap between the skimmer and return the bubble trap also sets the return pump and skimmer area water level. I have an eggcrate shelf that I put floss on when I use coral snow for a day or two after. Not properly maintaining your socks creates more nitrates and filter rollers remove too much.
The point of coral snow is as a floculant to bind particles in the water colomn. They then need to be collected by filter socks or floss.
Yeah What @Slocke said. I honestly think my skimmer would do it just fine but it really freaks out if there is no floss helping.
