NEW Tank build starts here

[DAVE]

Originally Posted by sphelps

Your return pump flow rate is independent from your skimmer flow rate, hence matching them doesn't serve a purpose. Unless you feed your overflow water directly into your skimmer you have no way of really assuring overflow water isn't bypassed anyway. Typically a skimmer sits in a sump chamber, and water flows through the chamber to the next. You'll have a very hard time trying to come up with a system that insure overflow water enters your skimmer only once prior to moving on and that no water from the overflow can bypass the skimmer before moving on. Your skimmer is already designed with the correct pump for skimmer contact time so you're better off insuring your skimmer chamber gets a decent turnover rate, once equilibrium hits and your skimmer is sizes accordingly to bio load it really makes no difference what turnover rate your sump skimmer chamber sees. It makes more sense to size your return pump to properly skim your display tank and keep organics from settling.

Your right you can't be assured your skimmer is going to skim all the water coming into the chamber, hence the reason why you try and match it.

You want to try and "Capture" as much water from the DT with your skimmer as possible. Obviously your skimmer is not going to get all the water from your DT, but why would you want your DT draining twice as much water as the skimmer can take up? Ultimately, you are limited by your drains and how much they can handle (depends on the method you want to employ here). A herbie or Bean method can handle much more water then a standard durso.

The other variable at play here is your sump size. Having a smallish sump with a HUGE pump is going to move the water through the sump WAY to fast and really defeat the purpose of the sump. (that is if the purpose of your sump is to filter your DT water)

I don't use my return pump to keep organics from settling, I use powerheads. My return pump is used to get water from the DT to the sump for filtration.

[sphelps]

At the end of the day you got to do what ever makes the most sense to you, you'll never get a solid answer on the subject and asking it just clogs up threads with two knuckle heads like us

[Aqua-Digital]

Ive been quietly sitting on the side lines, I kne this topic would bring out th best debate, its always does, the reason is I do not think there is an answer. As long as the tank is turned over adequately to be skimmed then we are all good.

I have decidded to ignore everyone and got for 1.5 times an hour turn over which matches the skimmer.

Next argument: 1 small daily water change or 10% every two weeks?

[sphelps]

Originally Posted by Aqua-Digital

Next argument: 1 small daily water change or 10% every two weeks?

If it's automated then daily, if manual then weekly. Larger quantity less often is more effective than lower quantity more often but you have to consider stability as well.

[reefwars]

sounds sweet ....hehehe i seen your tank and it looks great , the one piece eurobrace looks killer.....im not gonna lie i wanted to steal it lol

subscribed!!

[DAVE]

Originally Posted by Aqua-Digital

I have decidded to ignore everyone and got for 1.5 times an hour turn over which matches the skimmer.

I am pretty sure that is what I said.

Originally Posted by Hydrologist

You want your return pump to match your skimmer output.

[Aqua-Digital]

damn it and there was me thinking I had ignored everyones advise

[dave_C]

Hi Michael

here is a little update on your tank


now the little surprise for you we used the ultra clear silicone on some of the edges and wow does it look good lol


this is what regular silicone looks like



do you see a difference?


Thanks Dave

[Aqua-Digital]

Wow this is amazing! and its my tank

Yeah!!!!!!

My Daughter keeps telling me our fish are on Vacation!

[DAVE]

Originally Posted by sphelps

At the end of the day you got to do what ever makes the most sense to you, you'll never get a solid answer on the subject and asking it just clogs up threads with two knuckle heads like us

I hear that! Excellent (yet brief discussion)