mr funktastic
Aquarium Advice Addict
so i just upgraded to a 30 gallon long tank from my 15 gallon tank i had previously.i will be using the old 15 gal tank for the sump. it currently has about 25 pounds of live rock. a few corals (mushrooms/button polyps/green stars) just easy grow corals. i am running a quad 36" t5 ho lights with 6 blue led mood lights. has a 1" sand bed. not a fan of deep sand beds. but to get to the point i am wanting to upgrade from my current filter set up. here is my equipment list:
jager 150watt heater
marineland 350 HOB filter (filled with live rock rubble and has a carbon cleaning pad for large debris)
prism HOB skimmer (rated up to 50 gal)
a hydor mini 425gph powerhead
the tank inhabitants are currently:
1 perc clown
1 royal gramma
3 peppermint shrimp
8 regular hermit crabs
2 turbo snails
i want to condense everything into my sump if possible. i will be running a 3 chamber set up. there seems to be endless debate on bioballs. all pointing in the end to not running them. a lot of people seem to be running a filter sock on the inlet of the sump to catch large debris. the middle chamber im not really sure what i want to do. but i would like to house my heater and if possible set up my prism HOB skimmer. that will be tempory untill i can get a larger skimmer to place inside the sump. besides that im not to particular as to how to set it up. so i am looking for some tried and tested set ups that work for others.
i will be building my own overflow out of pvc pipe. the tank will not be drilled. i have been reading and it seems that around a 700gph pump is reccomended for my 30 gal. this is to account for the 4 foot overhead the pump will have to acheive. should give me around 400 gph inside the aquarium. i would like some input on this. if it will be sufficient or should i go larger? i am also very unsure of the size of the pcv piping i should be using for the overflow. i was thinking about 1.5" would be large enough. but again i could be wrong.
so in the end i would like some recommendations on a set up for the sump. some pump suggestions. pretty much any input to get me going in the right direction. i am trying to do this on a smaller budget. i dont want to spend a fortune since the tank will eventually be upgraded again and this sump will be too small. this is more for a learning experience and to reduce tank clutter.
jager 150watt heater
marineland 350 HOB filter (filled with live rock rubble and has a carbon cleaning pad for large debris)
prism HOB skimmer (rated up to 50 gal)
a hydor mini 425gph powerhead
the tank inhabitants are currently:
1 perc clown
1 royal gramma
3 peppermint shrimp
8 regular hermit crabs
2 turbo snails
i want to condense everything into my sump if possible. i will be running a 3 chamber set up. there seems to be endless debate on bioballs. all pointing in the end to not running them. a lot of people seem to be running a filter sock on the inlet of the sump to catch large debris. the middle chamber im not really sure what i want to do. but i would like to house my heater and if possible set up my prism HOB skimmer. that will be tempory untill i can get a larger skimmer to place inside the sump. besides that im not to particular as to how to set it up. so i am looking for some tried and tested set ups that work for others.
i will be building my own overflow out of pvc pipe. the tank will not be drilled. i have been reading and it seems that around a 700gph pump is reccomended for my 30 gal. this is to account for the 4 foot overhead the pump will have to acheive. should give me around 400 gph inside the aquarium. i would like some input on this. if it will be sufficient or should i go larger? i am also very unsure of the size of the pcv piping i should be using for the overflow. i was thinking about 1.5" would be large enough. but again i could be wrong.
so in the end i would like some recommendations on a set up for the sump. some pump suggestions. pretty much any input to get me going in the right direction. i am trying to do this on a smaller budget. i dont want to spend a fortune since the tank will eventually be upgraded again and this sump will be too small. this is more for a learning experience and to reduce tank clutter.
