new sump setup help!!

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no, sand is not necessary at all to grow pods and macro algae. i do think a sand bed is good to have in a refugium though...even a shallow one.
you might want to do some research on deep sand beds. they have a controversial filtration aspect that is worth checking out.

the best place for a DSB is in the refugium. this way, if you needed to disconnect it from the main display for some reason, you could quite easily.
 
yea i been reading..there is alot of controversial stuff on deep sand beds but maybe i can just use the chaeto and some live rock in my fuge for copepods with out the sand then..
 
so this is what i was able to come up with at almost completion of my sump setup once my skimmer is broken in and begins running better.. i found it fairly hard to drill through the acrylic with a hole saw..its pretty tough stuff
 

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looks good from what i can see. i don't think you needed the ball valve on the drain though- as soon as you turn the power off that should stop draining, or shortly after. did you do a power outage simulation to see where it left the level of your sump?
 
Yea I wasn't sure if my return pump was gonna be fast enough for the drain so I just figure I put it and for when I do maintnace and stuff I can just stop it from draining all into my sump..No I haven't tested that but my sump will hold about 4 more gallons from what I calculated and my tank will drain about two gallons into my sump before stopping.. Was calculated using this formula L x W x H / 231 = gallons
 
Well no sorry not only 2 gallons.. 2 gallons plus whatever my drain holds.. I will try today after work to really make sure
 
DSB in a refugium is a non-starter. It's not large enough to offer any benefit. Unless your refugium is a kiddie pool in the basement filled with several species of macro and all sorts of life. I know a hobbyist in the Philly area who has this setup and occasionally sells detrivore kits on eBay.
 
Oh I see so it should be just fine with some chaeto and live rock in my fuge then correct? No substrate is really needed then..i have about 2 inches my my display tank of sand
 
your return pump dictates how much water is draining out of the display, not the drain pipe. whatever water is pushed up the return, is exactly how much will fall down the drain.
many people have DSBs in their refugiums and they work quite well. it's an excellent place for it actually. what makes you think it's not beneficial?
 
Well I was always under the impression that dsb was good from some stuff I been reading.. But what is considered deep sand bed? My fuge is 8.5 inches deep and I would like to have the chaeto.. How deep can I go with sand that will actually give me benefits of a dsb
 
A DSB is 4"+, but it really requires more area than you can have in a sump or fuge to work and give you any real benefit. You will still need to employ other means of nitrate reduction.

DSB and refugium are two different things. You do not need any sand for macro algea like chaeto. That can just be in a sump if you want.
 
Thanks..also I am really getting discouraged with my sro1000int.. Is anyone else using one of these? I cant keep it from overflowing with water. Its makes so much bubbles that it raises all the way up and overflows the collection cup with water. Its sitting in 7.5 inches of water. Aquacave recommends 8 to 10 inches but seems to make it worse in that depth. Its been running 3 days now and same problem.
 
I don't have an sro1000 but it sounds like you need to adjust it just from my own previous problems with my skimmer.
 
I have tried adjusting the valve to every position possible.. I have it fully open to the point where the water level in the skimmer is at its lowest.. Any other adjustments will make water level raise more and overflow more.. Not sure what else I can do
 
I had that same problem with my old skimmer but it was cheap so I got a new one. Once I bought the new skimmer the old skimmer started working. I would say give it two weeks to fully break in. You might not have anything to skim. Keep adjusting it. No experience with your skimmer though sorry. I have a aqua c urchin. Love it and swear by it. No adjustment necessary.
 
your octopus will skim circles around that urchin. have you added any weird stuff to your tank lately? certain chemicals/additives will really foam up and make a skimmer act just like that.
 
No I dont add any conditioners or anything else.. Only thing I have added is calcium which shouldn't affect it... I have been reading that people only run it in 6 to 6.5 of water depth.. But aquacave recommended me 8 to 10.. I will see if I can raise it some more possibly if I have room..its running at 7.5 and still over flowing
 
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