Advice needed please
 

Hi everyone, I'm pretty new to all this and bought a used system on the weekend. Just starting to get it setup and needed some advice on the plumbing the guy had done.. see attached file? Is this ok for my FWLR reef setup that I am going to start? Is a 90 gal tank with an eshopps sump. I am going to replace the ball valve he had with a gate from some advice I got from another member, who also told me to get rid of the bio balls .. and just use Live Rock. Do you all agree? I have a skimmer also that will sit in the same area as the pump.
I would gather I will have the heater in the sump.. correct?
Appreciate any advice I can get from this knowledge base here.
Thanks all.
Steve'o

I'd agree to get rid of the bioballs. You can use live rock, but I wouldn't put it in the same spot as the bioballs as they will fill up with dietris.

I would get some filter socks and place them over the plumbing that comes into the sump. You will need to change them out every few days(I change out mine twice a week) and wash the dirty ones.

And yes, it is preferable to put the heater in the sump.

Thanks for the advice..
ok stupid question here ..
would the socks attache directly to the drain pipes?
Or would they mount on the sump as I have seen pics of and have the drain lines drop into them.. ?? Probably either way is ok I would guess.
And if no LR in the one section than everything is in the bigger side of the sump... LR, Pump, and skimmer? correct
Thanks again,
Steve

Definitely get rid of the bioballs.

I would add some live rock to the main area of your sump, personally I wouldn't frown on putting it where the bioballs are but that's just me. I don't run filter socks, not because I don't think they work... I'm just not willing to change them every few days and if you can't change them then they become problematic.

The gate valve is an excellent suggestion on a herbie, way more "tunability" of the water level in the over-flow. I have a herbie setup as well and couldn't imagine how a ball valve would work properly.

Heater, skimmer, and any other devices you don't want in the display can all go into the sump.

I would attach them to the sump so that there is less stress on the pipes and less risk of them detaching from the tank.

And yes, you can put everything into the large side of the sump.

I'm not sure if you have enough room in the sump to put in baffles, but you could add baffles on either end to put the skimmer in the same compartment as where the water comes in, and the return pump on the end by itself. You could add the live rock and chaeto then in the middle compartment and put a small light over the middle.

Here is an example of what I am talking about:

http://prisoncityreef.files.wordpres...ump-design.jpg

The reason you want to avoid bio balls or other wet/dry media is that they work too well.

They do such a quick job of converting ammonia to nitrate that things like macroalgae or live rock denizens that would also pick up that ammonia and turn it into bio mass don't get as much of a chance. It is always easier for stuff like this to act on ammonia or nitrite than it is nitrate so we want to encourage that where we can.

Is this what your sump looks like:

http://www.petsolutions.com/storefro...pFilters.html#

If you have live rock in a trickle tray like that it will work the same way as bio balls eventually. I'd remove the tray altogether before i used live rock.

I like filter socks even if they are a pita some times, the other benefit is that they remove bubbles. Most of the socks you see have a plastic collar you could use to secure them, I use an old powerhead hanger and a zip tie.

hi Midget
thanks for the reply
My sump sort of looks like that but if you check out my pdf .. it's is more of what i have.. I don't have the black top like that pic with the connections ..it's just open.. and then to the right side I have a bubble trap overflow.
Hope that helps

Here are some pics of what i have

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...horney/091.jpg
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...horney/093.jpg

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...horney/092.jpg

Is it a good idea to put egg crate on the bottom of the tank before putting in your sand and for support of your Live Rock?

Some people have done this but I personally do not. Detritus will get down in there and it gets very difficult to remove, sand sifters have a tough time getting to it there as well. Lots of people place live rock directly on the bottom in a bare bottom setup with no problem, I like to spread a layer of sugar fine sand, then a coarse layer on top to prevent any pressure points on the glass.

Looks to me like the bottom half plumbing needs to changed too..... The primary drain in a herbie should be plumbed below the water level in the sump.....I would also consider removing the egg crate and the bio-ball box that is in that drain chamber....you don't need it there

with the old tank having a DSB I made boxes out eggcrate for the LR to sit on. As the LR was being placed before the sand, reasoning was "why bury the LR in 4" of sand'. Current tank is BB, LR just sits directly on the glass.

Nice to see you've started with a Herbie.