Setting up my sump

[Capslock]

Hello,

I will be providing below a few pictures so you have a better picture of what I am looking for.

I would like for my sump to have a protein skimmer, 2 heaters, sand and live rock for filtration and heating. Does it make sense that I want the heaters in the sump and not in the display tank?

I bought this tank from someone and he explained a few things to me about the sump but I am still a bit confused.

You can see in the pictures that there are two lines from the overflow going into the tank. This makes sense? That would mean when I buy my pump I will need tubing to take water back into the tank correct?
I doubt pumps come with tubing, what type do you suggest? I would like to see neat tubing so flexible might be out of the question, I would assume pvc then. I also assume the tubing should be something the pump can fit firmly into?


If there is sand and rock on the one side, what is the purpose of the middle panes; to keep sand from going into the filter and to use the one side for fragging?

I will be asking the previous owner directly but any idea why one of the inbound tubes has a filter on it and the other does not? (the other has little holes all around the edges for about 2 inches high).

Finally; where would one put the protein skimmer? Im still lost trying to find the right one but I will be doing more research on this today.

thanks for any tips.

 

[Capslock]

My apologize if this is against the rules

 

[Len]

Most people with sumps put their heaters in them.

I'm not sure why there are two drains in your overflow box, but it does look like both are drains. You will need to plumb the pump back up into the tank. Some people prefer hard PVC (schedule 40) and some people prefer flexible vinyl tubing. Both can be done neatly. All return pumps have output pipe sizes that are standardized (e.g. 1/2", 3/4", 1", etc.). You simply need to get the right pipe/tube size, available at any decent hardware shop (like Home Depot).

In your sump, the skimmer should sit on the left side where all the drain pipe is plumbed to. The return pump should be on the right side (after the baffles, which help reduce bubbles from getting back into the pump and tank).

 

[Capslock]

So the baffles (I am assuming thats what the middle glass pieces are) only purpose is to keep bubbles out? Fair enough.

Few more questions:
I am still confused about the skimmer though no matter how much I read. So the protein skimmer takes in water that is on the left (dirty) side and then it returns the water it took in back onto the dirty side? Isn't this counter intuitive?

I am imagining sand and rock on the 'dirty' side of the tank while the right (clean) side only has a pump and heaters. Is this correct? Protein skimmers are ok to sit in the same space as the sand?

I also imagine filter floss in the two baffles.


What about the chemical filtration? I am not sure how that fits in

 

[Len]

The water on the left side will naturally move to the right side and back to the tank, so the protein skimmer will work as intended. Don't think of the left side, right side, or the display tank as separate containers. They are interconnected and really just one continuous body of water. If you add poison to one compartment of it, it will spread to all parts very quickly. If you clean one compartment, it will clean the whole system.

The protein skimmer should not sit with sand. The bottom of the left side should be bare. The previous owner might not have been using that side as a protein skimming compartment, but rather as a refugium (with sand and rock). I would advise you to keep the left side bare and just run the skimmer.

Put the pump and heater on the left side. No need for filter floss anywhere; hobbyists rarely use mechanical filtration these days. For carbon, you can put bags of it right under the drain openings, or ideally, get a carbon reactor (water is pumped into a pressurized chamber filled with carbon or whatever chemical filtration you choose to use).

 

[Capslock]

Len,

thanks for all the input.

From what the previous owner said he had the skimmer, live rock, and some macro algae on the left. He had filter socks over the two drains to catch all of the big stuff.

More than just yourself has told me not to worry about filter floss. Ok I will go with that; with the live rock that makes sense anyways. Forget the sand, I dont feel like buying another bag anyways.

Now he told me he had two lines going into the sump because (i guess the size of the pvc only allowed 600 gph each line) he had a 900gph return pump.

That seems like alot but since I have the tubes available I might as well take this into consideration.

Did you mean put the pump and heater on the right side?


I dont know much about pumps (yet); as an example,. if I purchased a 900gph pump, I am assuming the output line will be large enough to handle that; i.e. I can get tubing that will fit snugly around the output?

 

[Capslock]

Another question:

Do I need a pump for the skimmer As well as the return pump to the display? It seems that this may be the case

 

[JKDMan]

yes they are seperate pumps for the return and the skimmer. depending on which kind of skimmer you get it may or may not come with a pump. i would put the heater on the same side as the drain lines and the skimmer,and put return pump on the other side of the baffles.
about the tubing for the return line most pumps take 3/4 in tubing,i use clear vynil tubing,it should fit very snugly around the pumps output area.