"best" Sump Setup?

[RipSlider]

Hello,

I now have a three part sump that has been built. It was due to be Bioballs, DSB followed by return chamber.

However, each time a read atricles on filtration etc, there seem to be so many other idea's that I end up thinking "Damn.... should have gone that way"

So, my idea is to re-design my sump after another round of research.

Before I do, I wanted to ask what you guys use for your sumps and how you find it.

I have a 4" sump, so have plenty of space. My options seem to be:

Deep Sand Bed/miracle mud
Plenum
Crypt area
mangrove setup
rapid sand
macro algae
fuge


My current idea is: Run a length of PVC piping down the length of the sump, which would act as a crypt when suitible holes were drilled.

Then the sump is split into 4 area's. The largest would be a DSB with macroalgae growning over it, maybe some other mangrove plants if I light it well.
There would then be a intake area as the first section, with bioballs in it, followed by a skimmer area with ozone in it. This leads to the DSB, which then leads to a mechanical filter area ( I.e big lump of sponge ) leading to the outflow.

Not sure which area the skimmer livces in though. Before or after DSB?

What I'm wondering are which are "nice to haves" and what are "must haves" and also if there are any other options I should have a look at?

What works well. What have people found is a problem?

Many thanks for any advice to a high confused noobie

Steve

 

[Aquascaper]

Bioballs: Place them under the water level rather than exposed to air (ie. forming a trickle tower effect) as this will help reduce Nitrate build-up

Mangroves: These will grow well under standard T8 lighting so there's no reason not to have them

Skimmer: Personally I would put it after the DSB so that all the 'natural' filtration can take place first

Mechanical: Personally I don't use sponges as they just trap organic matter and increase Nitrates. They need constant cleaning/replacing and don't have much overall effect as particulate matter will be trapped elsewhere in the system anyway

Refugium: For this to be a useful producer of food for the display tank you will need to have this above tank level IMO, draining by gravity to the display tank. As the system is large so will be the return pump and you will find that very few organisms will survive the journy back to the display tank via the pump.

Miracle Mud: Don't use it and have yet to hear a convincing arguement for using it

HTH

 

[SkiFletch]

Deep Sand Bed/miracle mud DSB must miracle, no
Plenum nice to have
Crypt area nice to have
mangrove setup nice to have
rapid sand nice to have
macro algae must have
fuge must (with macro algae of course)

I'm a firm believer in macro algaes for nitrate export and DSBs in my sumps. That whole crypt idea seems pretty neat to me although I dont have the room for it in my sump.

 

[Opcn]

Mangroves take alot of maintainance, they need powerful lights like t-5's or VHO's standard T-8'swill simply lead to a slow death, Macro Algea is were its at, it can be used to feed HGerbivors and it pulls the waste out of the water, if we could get by without filtering all the phyto out of our water phyto would be the key but Macro makes a great substitute, and certain macros such as those in the Caulerpa Genus release antibiotics into the water reducing infection and improving health in fish.

 

[andywg]

The absolute best form of sump set up would be an algae turf scrubber as it renders live rock and skimmers pretty much obselete.

However the noise of the bucket system would turn a lot of people off, and it needs fair lighting; but the people that have them on setups (normally large display aquaria) note them as massively efficient for nutrient export and that after installing them the protein skimmers stop producing skimmate as the ATS is so effective.

 

[RipSlider]

I have top say that having spent a whole days holiday just reading WetWebMedia and fenners book I've now gone back to the drawing board again!

I now plan to have two totally seperate systems:
The main tank will feed a bog standard sump. This will house the skimmer, heaters and any other componets I aquire over time. It will also conatin quantites of Live rock that will act almost like a mechanical filter. The other option here is crushed lava rock.

This will be in a cheap as chips standard 3" tank. The good think about having a mostly bare sump is that I can run it pretty low, making the tank a bit safer in case of a power cut.

On a level with this, I will have another cheapo 3ft tank, this time acting as a pure 'fuge. This will take a low pressure feed from the sump, and will contain a 20 inch DSb which will be between 6-7 inches deep. On top of this, I'll have a big ball of Chaetomorpha as a nutrient mop and as a good home for all the phyto. This fuge will be lit on a reverse cycle to the main tank.

This seems to be about as "best" as I can make it, and as I have the space under the main tank to hold them on a level, it should be practical. Will mean squeezing one of the tanks in behind a couple of joists, but as I understand it, apart from cutting the Chaetomorpha there should be very little maintainace to do.

This is going to cost a bit more, so the budget is going to be blown, but I really don't want to cut cornersdd when I'm planning such a big tank. It will be my first marine, so I want it to be as stable as possible, and Fenner has convinced me that a good fuge will mean an easier tank to maintain, so that's what I'm going with.

I was thinking about a plenum, but no one but Jaubut seems to think they actually do any good, and I can't understand how to build one. What exactly will take the weight of all that sand and still allow water to percolate through without actually letting the sand through?

I would LOVE a mangrove, but don't have space and they seem to be things to display rather than to be a practical filter. Maybe if I can convince the wife to left me have JUST one more tank......

So this leaves me with a 4 foot sump that I'm not going to use. Does anyone know what I can do with it?

I'm annoyed I went and paid money to get it built when in fact it turns out I don't need it. Where this fresh water, I would have just got on with it. However, with marine, I'm so nervous that I seem to be making and then un-making every decision. Argh!!

Note to self: When you think you've finished researching a subject, do it all again. DO NOT SPEND MONEY!!!

Now, I have a couple of questions:

1) Is 7" too deep for the DSB?
2) What would be the optimal flow? I've read turn oiver rates anywhere between 4x and 20x for a fuge?
3) Lots of reading I have done has suggested that having something to turn the sand overin the DSB would be good. If so, what should I use. I don't want to use anything that will eat too much of the goodies that the fuge produces. Can I just manually stir it once in a while?
4) Should the intake to the fuge be pre- or post- skimmer?
5) Should the outlet of the fuge be pre- or post- skimmer? ( I'm thinking post )
6) when planning space in the sump, it will have skimmer ( s) in it from the start, it'll have pumps, live rock and a bubble trap. What other equipment should I plan for so I know how much space to leave?

Many thank

Steve

 

[Aquascaper]

Mangroves take alot of maintainance, they need powerful lights like t-5's or VHO's standard T-8'swill simply lead to a slow death

I beg to differ - I have 6 under 60w of T8 and they have been growing steadily for over 12 months, they require nothing more than the occassional pruning to stop them outgrowing the sump and hitting the lights.