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Unread 12/28/2016, 08:41 PM   #1
Jenessa_anne78
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Smile Needing help with making a sump or some kind of filtration

I'm kind of a newbie at the saltwater hobby. I bought an aquarium off someone who said it would be great for saltwater. It kinda makes me wonder if it was handmade? It's plexiglass with a built in overflow and the overflow collects in the bottom of the stand. It has a compartment that has bioballs and I'm not quite sure what kind of filtration I need for this. I've had two damsels in it for over two years now and I've noticed green alge has been growing and my nitrates are high. I saw that bioballs can do that? I could use any advice! I will also attach pictures. I can't hang anything on the tank either.


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Unread 12/28/2016, 08:45 PM   #2
Jenessa_anne78
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Here is a picture of the whole tank. The overflow is in the middle and it flows into the right side and a pump takes the water back up through the left side. Hope this makes sense.


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Unread 12/29/2016, 08:35 AM   #3
rmatth
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From the way that looks the water is just right through the bio balls. In my sumps they are almost all submerged all the time. It all depends on what your trying to accomplish but I'd recommend a sump remodel and definitely some live rock


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Unread 12/29/2016, 08:39 AM   #4
RobZilla04
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You need to do a lot of research. Not trying to be rude but there is simply too much to type in one response.

Search for "Filtration", "Sump", "Over Flow", and "Parameter Testing" for starters.

There are "Stickys" in the New to the Hobby section.


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Unread 12/29/2016, 08:53 AM   #5
Jenessa_anne78
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I do have live rock I just had them out of the way because I was told to get all the green alge out with a turkey baster so that was right after I did that. I was told I needed to convert it to a sump but I just don't know if I have the room the way the tank is made.


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Unread 12/29/2016, 09:07 AM   #6
RobZilla04
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Your tank is drilled and has an overflow; that is the design for the water to get to the filtration (sump). Options are to buy a small sump if you don't have one already, or make one from a small tank (10g or so from petco, petsmart, etc.)

There are several options w/ sumps. Filter socks vs a tray w/ filtration media. Your gonna have a small sump so the filter sock style will likely be the best option.


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Unread 12/29/2016, 09:36 AM   #7
75mixedreef
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First thing you need to go is it have a goal of what you want. Are high nutrients ok for your tank or not? Are you planning on going with a reef tank with corals? Is your light not enough, just right or too much? If you are going fish only with no corals, then you do not need a good light or it will just grow algae. If you do plan on keeping corals, then you might need more light but how much and high the nutrients can be depends on the corals.

If you do need to lower the nutrients then look into nutrient export systems. You could do something as simple as chaeto with a clamp on light in your sump. That would help to limit the algae growth, making your display tank look better. Nutrient export can help all systems but it is not required in all systems. Some systems even make nutrient export harder, like copper systems. Just figure out what you are going to do and go from there.


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Unread 12/29/2016, 10:28 AM   #8
Jenessa_anne78
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I would like to have some corals in the future but I want to make sure I do everything right before I get to that point. I have had the tank for almost 3 years but we did go through a move so it sat empty for about a year. The two damsels were kept in a small tank until I decided to start it back up a few months ago. I have a slimmer also. I did research on my light before I bought it and I believe it could be used for corals. I have it on a timer for 8 hours a day. I would eventually like to make my own sump underneath I'm just not sure exactly what it needs as far as the size and what order it would go in. I'm not sure if my bioballs are where they should be or if they need to be moved and something go in its place? Thank you everyone for your advice I really do appreciate it.


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Unread 12/29/2016, 11:45 AM   #9
75mixedreef
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So you want to keep some SPS. That means you need a nutrient removal system. Water changes and a decent skimmer could work, I prefer an algae turf scrubber (ATS), but each one works. You definitely want to get the right setup as soon as possible, delaying, using equipment that you happen to have on hand, and buying things that are not long term solutions will just end up costing you more time and money. It you use things that are not correct for your system you can build up nutrients and cause headaches down the road. Something is better than nothing, but do not delay buying something like a good skimmer because you have a biocube skimmer on hand.

One mistake I made was buying things like power heads that were "good enough" for now. Even the cheap ones are not cheap and you will end up replacing them anyways. Save yourself the extra money and just buy the good equipment first, otherwise you will end up with a bunch of junk that fails when you still aren't "ready" to buy the good one.

Bio balls are one of those things that might work "for now" but cause too many problems for reef tanks. They are nitrate factories and are meant to replace live rock in fish only systems where you don't care too much about nitrates. Get enough rock so that you have 1-2 lbs of rock per gallon and ditch the bio balls. Some people are able to make them work, but they know what they are doing and have other systems to remove the nitrates. Some even prefer more nitrates to act as fertilizer for their algae and corals. That's not you though so I would suggest adapting to a more common system before you try to specialize/customize it.

Common systems have plenty of live rock and sand in the display, a sump with a skimmer, and do weekly or bi-weekly water changes. It is a good starting point and you can adapt from there. A common add on is a chaeto compartment which is great for exporting nutrients and breeding pods. Another common add on is a GFO, but that's more for SPS tanks and targets Phosphates. Some people, like myself, use an ATS either in addition to or in replacement of a skimmer. They both do different jobs but in the end they both reduce nutrients and both oxygenate the water. You just need to look at these different options and understand the differences so you know why you would want to use each.


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Unread 12/29/2016, 12:55 PM   #10
Jenessa_anne78
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What exactly is a chaeto?


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Unread 01/05/2017, 01:15 PM   #11
75mixedreef
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http://lmgtfy.com/?q=chaeto


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Unread 01/05/2017, 05:39 PM   #12
Vinny Kreyling
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Your best bet might be to have everything next to the tank.
I bet you have problems trying to do anything inside that stand.


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Unread 01/06/2017, 08:01 AM   #13
RobZilla04
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 75mixedreef View Post
Lol, it's like they can find us here, but Google


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