Coralife Biocube 32g Questions and ATO

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Jake337

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Jun 10, 2012
Messages
644
Location
MI
Hey everyone, I'm getting back into the hobby after finishing college.

I bought a 32g Coralife biocube and have it cycling currently.

I have a question about the back sump that attaches and comes with the tank. The first chamber is part of the overflow, where the second chamber holds my live rock, and then the third has the pump that pushes back water to the main tank.

My question is, is the 2nd and 3rd chamber suppose to have a lower water level compared to the first chamber? The water level for the 2-3 chambers is only like 5-6 inches. Following that question, if I buy an auto top off, where would I place the holder that detects the water level and when it drops?

Since the main display has the most water since the return pump pushes all the to it, I don't think the water level lowers there, but does on the chambers? Would I have to place the auto top off detector on the third chamber? It would have to be placed more than half way through the tank since the 2nd and 3rd chamber's water isn't high.

Hope that all makes sense, and hopefully anyone with a biocube that came with the back sump or someone with experience with it can give me some advice.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
@jake the back compartment is called an internal sump. The overflow takes the mechanical and possibly chemical filtration. The return obviously houses the return pump. The other compartments are up to you. I have a protein skimmer and heater in mine. The higher and lower baffles direct the water. So it overflows the at the gate, goes down under the baffle then comes back through past the heater or skimmer or live rock in your case, then over that baffle and into the next compartment then up over another baffle to the pump to return to the display. This way the water gets cleaned heated, skimmed and returned with nothing in the tank. The ATO sensor goes in the return pump compartment. I put the ATO water line in the return pump compartment as well.
 
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