djp183 Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 I just set up a 20 gallon and am using a marineland bio-wheel filter with a sea-clone skimmer. The skimmer seems to be collecting alot of organics and working well, however, the lady at my l.p.s. says a sump system is the only way to go (topping off, O2, etc.). Should I change? Link to comment
sturuomo Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 Depends how much money you wanna throw at the hobby. the lady at your lps probably has lots of livestock to worry about...meaning a huge investment for her. My 22g has no sump or skimmer and its doin fine. I change 10% each week. I hate unnecessary plumbing. Goodluck with your decision. GS Link to comment
mattie Posted November 17, 2003 Share Posted November 17, 2003 you don't need a sump but you can save up for one and her idea is to sell you a wet/dry sump for when all you would need is a 10g a piece of acrylic some silcon a powerhead some tubing return nozel and a skimmer box over flow and light and you can have a fuge /sump for 150-200 and you'll have made your own that would be perfect for you needs I do not have a sump I have cpr HOB fuge works awesome or I would switch. i have a sump ready for use but i am busy/lazy now and everything is working fine and stable Link to comment
djp183 Posted November 18, 2003 Author Share Posted November 18, 2003 Thanks for the advice! Link to comment
matt the fiddler Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 here is an interesting sump thought i have not really seen addressed here.. but how many people put the sump above the nano?.. then no drilling in the actual tank. would only work if you had your nano on a shelf- with area above it. Link to comment
djp183 Posted November 22, 2003 Author Share Posted November 22, 2003 Hey Matt, That would be unique. I never heard of one above a tank. I was also wondering about activated carbon - do you use it? - ever? I just took it out of my filter because I suspect phosphates. Link to comment
maroonclown Posted November 22, 2003 Share Posted November 22, 2003 Do a sump. I don't have one, and I wish I did. Link to comment
birdman204 Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Sump if you can yes. Carbon, Run it for short periods, It loses it;s effectiveness quickly, Just what I've heard. Link to comment
matt the fiddler Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 stru- what filter do you use instead of the sump? something like a whisper- or what? i have a mini whisper going- and am descently pleased wiht the results mainly for the mechanical filtration till i get a real sump going.. may try to find some one with a few bio balls they don't want to "feed" my sump when i eventually add it ya ya- i know add it all at the beginning. rather than pidce by piece now i know carbon losses it's effectiveness quickly. but what about using one of the mixed ammo carb that has the carbon and the white rock to lower the ammonia.... would that interfere with the ammonia that would jump start the cycle? Link to comment
smaug Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 Matt instead of bio balls i used shotgun wadding for my koi works great and was cheaper. Link to comment
birdman204 Posted November 23, 2003 Share Posted November 23, 2003 where's that location smaug ??? Texas ? Link to comment
aggiereefer Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 lame.... the only reason houston has worse air pollution than LA is because we have one of biggest freakin petro chemical industries on the southside of town yet no on takes that into account Don't mess with Texas Link to comment
maroonclown Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 That amocarb is worthless for saltwater. The stuff jams almost instantaniously, if it works at all. If you want to cycle it faster, get good LR and LS. Link to comment
Vincerama Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Use a sump if you can! I use a 10g AGA under my main 10g tank. I built my own (crappy, crappy) weir overflow. Don't do this, spend $50 on an Amiracle overflow, unless you are actually competent. Anyway, so I have an overflow going to the sump, then I have a ViaAqua 2600 (total overkill, I have to throttle it way back) return. In the sump, I have my "spare" live rock, which is bascially the rock I thought was cluttering my main tank too much. This is a good way to keep it alive and use its filter capacity. I also toss any macros I find in the main tank into the sump. Yesterday, I bought some TINY blue leg hermits and a few astraea snails and tossed them into my sump, just for fun. Oh yeah, so I will eventually move my skimmer to the sump as well as the heater. (too lazy right now, and waiting for a better overflow which I bought from someone off eBay...it's taken a month for this loser to even ship it...the perils of eBay) Anyway, it's like getting two tanks for the price of one! I forgot to mention that my sump/fuge also has 3-4 inches of aragonite sand. V Link to comment
birdman204 Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Aggie, I was refering to the shotgun wadding! Link to comment
Mnesarchus Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Sumps suck. Major pain in the ass. Noisy. Not worth it. Dont waste your time, hair, and money. Link to comment
birdman204 Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 Coming from the #1 sump hater! LOL. If It's not in your bedroom, and It's plumbed properly. Then It's a blessing, otherwise, you get headaches..... "awwwwww Man I shoulda puta union valve here", or, "WTF why is this leaking!!!!!" Link to comment
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