Do You Need A Sump?

[njstockley]

Hi all

When I move flats in September my Mbuna will be transferred to a 5 fter, meaning I will have a Vision 260 "spare". Speaking to my Mrs this weekend she is on board with me getting a saltwater tank. I don't really want to sump the 260, even with an overflow box, as would mean messing around with the cabinet, and want this to look good - not like the rest of my DIY exploits! So if having a sump is better than not having one then I will probably just shop around for a decent setup and sell the vision 260.

So my question is, do I need a sump? What are the advantages / disadvantages? I know it would mean hiding equipment etc, but would I lose out on anything major by not having it? I'm going for a reef setup if that makes any difference?

Another question I had is on RO units - when you want to remove the unit, do you have to replace the pipes that you plumbed it into?

Will get a journal going eventually, but like I said, the move isn't until September and will have to prioritise furniture and upgrading the filtration on the Mbuna before I get this one moving.

Cheers

Nick

 

[ainsy]

Welcome to the salty side Nick!

The short answer is NO.

There are benefits - you mention hiding the equipment. The biggest plus is increased water volume. They can also assist in increasing water turn over (but this can be done with powerheads). They can also increase dissolved oxygen levels (but this can be done by pointing the aforementioned powerheads at the surface).

It is always possible to add one at a later date if you decide that you really want one.

Disadvantages? there aren't any (other than the slight chance of a leak - but if properly done this isn't a problem)


You have some time before you set it up so do lots of reading - the links in my sig are a good starting point as are many of the journals.



As for your RO problem - I assume that you used the saddle clamp & pierce type valve that comes as standard on most units? If so then there is no need to replace the plumbing. Just turn the valve off and unplug the unit from it. Just leave the valve on the pipe (but turned off obviously!!!) and get a new valve for the new flat - they are relatively cheap to replace.

HTH

 

[njstockley]

Thanks Ainsy - really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I've been researching like crazy - so much so that my head is spinning with all the info right now!!

That's good news about both the sump (and RO unit!) - I think if I can use the tank then I will. I think that 260 litres is a pretty good place to start? Big enough volume to allow for some (inevitable) newbie errors, as well as to get some interesting stocking in there. Seen a couple of big tanks being broken down on AC with live rock for as little as £4 per kg, but sadly no point in buying now as can't set anything up!

Guess I might as well start on the rest of my questions whilst I'm at it:

What's a good skimmer brand / model for a tank this size (assuming it will be a hang-on type)?
How much live rock would be needed, and can you have too much live rock? Should this be supplemented with live sand?
Powerhead turnover - I've read everything between 20-40x turnover...what's worked in your experience?
Are the 2 T5 bulbs (when changed to marine) going to be enough for a beginner reef, or is it worth looking at some different units to make sure corals stay healthy?

That's hopefully it for now...but sure more will turn up once things get moving..!

 

[Xraymark]

260 litres is a great tank size IMO.

Equipment wise not everything needs bought straight away. You can get your live rock in and think about a protein skimmer and lighting later.

1kg of live rock per 10 litres of water seems to be the recommendation. Also if you are going reef with corals they come attached to live rock so you end up adding to the tank everytime coral is added.

If you have an external canister you can use it for extra flow, mechanical and chemical filtration if you want. It is useful but some people don't use. Just keep maintance up on it to reduce the chance of it being a nitrate trap.

Flow, I think at least 20x is recommended. More is necessary if your thinking of SPS coral but if your starting out its probably better staying with the easier coral. LOL that's my intention anyway. Easier does not mean less attractive.

Read people's journal for your size of tank to get ideas about how you want your tank to go equipment wise.

Edit for spacing. #40## iPad.

 

[ainsy]

Yes I agree with Mark - you don't need everything at once.

(although I would add the skimmer sooner rather than later!) Great sized tank to start with & you are right about the noob errors!

For a skimmer I would recommend a Deltec MC500 (if you don't mind it being in the tank) or the MCE600 if you want HOB. If on a budget I would go for an Aquamedic Turbofloater 1000.

The turn over is a good question! IMO you can never have too much flow! (as long as you aren't creating a dust storm with your sand!)

Don't bother with live sand - by the time it gets over here from the Caribbean it is as dead as a dodo. Just get the dead stuff & it will soon be live.

Lighting - all depends on what you want to keep.

 

[njstockley]

Yes I agree with Mark - you don't need everything at once.

(although I would add the skimmer sooner rather than later!) Great sized tank to start with & you are right about the noob errors!

For a skimmer I would recommend a Deltec MC500 (if you don't mind it being in the tank) or the MCE600 if you want HOB. If on a budget I would go for an Aquamedic Turbofloater 1000.

The turn over is a good question! IMO you can never have too much flow! (as long as you aren't creating a dust storm with your sand!)

Don't bother with live sand - by the time it gets over here from the Caribbean it is as dead as a dodo. Just get the dead stuff & it will soon be live.

Lighting - all depends on what you want to keep.

So how would you prioritise equipment - I'm not fussed about spending if I'm just going to end up with it all anyway!
Quite like the internal skimmers as they just look like weirs, hobs I'm not so keen on but will take a look at what's out there... What other brands on the internals are worth looking at?
Thanks for the advice re: live sand.
As for lighting...I don't really know what I want to keep...would like options, so again if I need a better light unit I would get one. I want to start with some nice simple corals etc so thought maybe new tubes in the light unit might work? But then again want to build the reef up over time...
Thanks,
Nick

 

[ainsy]

For me Priority would be to get LR, Skimmer & flow sorted. I have heard of people keeping softies under a couple of t5's but have never tried it myself.

Which skimmer to look at is a tricky one as there are literally hundreds out there! My faves are the ones I mentioned above although I have also heard good things about bubblemagus