sump question

markoantoniojr · 09/10/2007, 03:40 PM

i have a 29 g i wanna put a 5 gallon sump thats all i have in space to fit... 10inches high and deep and 16 wide....

whats a good in sump protein skimmer for this size sump? ...and whats a good return pump from about 4feet.

bertoni · 09/10/2007, 04:18 PM

In all honesty, I don't think I'd bother. I don't know of a skimmer that'd work well in that size system, and 5g is very small. I think it's more trouble than it's worth, personally.

I'd probably try to find a very small pump to run maybe 40-50 gph at most through the sump, if I was going to try at all. I don't have any good suggestions, although you could look at the Micro-Jets or perhaps there's a very small Eheim.

oct2274 · 09/10/2007, 04:40 PM

the tunze nano skimmer works pretty effectively. A guy in our local club uses one on his 50 gallon frag tank that only has one fish. you only want 3-5x the display tanks volume through the sump per hour so 29 x 5 = 145 after headloss give or take

zach0660 · 09/10/2007, 04:47 PM

I would say a Coralife Super Skimmer.

markoantoniojr · 09/10/2007, 05:45 PM

im thinking about going mostly reef only with maybe on 1 or 2 small fish.. right now i have a watchman goby and a 2 clowns and a blood shrimp with 4 hermits 5 snails
and some zoos GSP and xenias so far everythings ok but my nitrates just got to 20ppm i did a 3 gallon water change sat and its still the same at 20 ppm im running one power head, bioballs and a blue pad filter,,, no media.....only reason i wanna put in a sump is to make it easier for me to maitain the tank but 5 gallons is all i can put down there.i am considering a protein skimmer and a phos reactor so i can put my media in it........

if i go reef would you still need a protein skimmer , media?

or even if i keep the fish would i have to build this setup just to keep my nitrates down? i don't feed alot i feed frozen brine shrimp maybe a minute of feeding i have 36lbs of live rock and 40 lbs of sand....need some advice.. i have had the tank over 2 months

Aquarist007 · 09/10/2007, 06:00 PM

I would get rid of all filter medium and the bioballs. they become nitrate traps over time.
You have a great combination of live rock and deep sand bed for biological filtration.
I agree with Jonathan above--but I would turn the small tank into a refugium and stock it full of cheato algae--great nitrate reducers plus produce a great variety of invertebrates(copopods) to watch.

with using the frozen stuff--rinse it good through a brine net--it collects alot of nitrates and phosphates in the holding tanks where they are produced.

"if you go reef"----you are reef--welcome to the dark side

Aquarist007 · 09/10/2007, 06:03 PM

--------------I have a 30 gal spare/quarantine tank--it has a "aged" deep sand bed and 30lbs of live rock. I run a charcoal bag in the HBO filter--that's all-----and change 20 per cent of the water every two weeks.
Its very clear and the ammonia and nitrates are always undectable.

markoantoniojr · 09/10/2007, 06:06 PM

lol dark side?
yea i think im just gonna keep my watchman and my clownand blood shrimp.
i wanna do mostly reef...

my concern is that i have 4 hernits 5 snails and my shrimp..
can these guys make my nitatres go up too?

i think im gonna put the 5 gallon sump with a protein skimmer and a phos reactor for media anyway...
does the chaeto help more than the skimmer and stuff?

i havent done research on that

seastar12 · 09/10/2007, 06:14 PM

chaeto definately helps

Aquarist007 · 09/10/2007, 06:33 PM

no--those guys won't add much to the bioload and will take some out. I would go with more snails and less hermits--put the hermits in the sump where they will leave the snails alone

no the cheato is not as effective as a skimmer and it depends on the flow through the refugium--in many cases it is minimal so as to produce copopods and other inverts.

phosban and reactor control phosphates
run another phosphan with charcoal in it--this will help with nitrates and other DOC's.

09/10/2007, 03:40 PM	#1
markoantoniojr Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: new york city Posts: 58	sump question i have a 29 g i wanna put a 5 gallon sump thats all i have in space to fit... 10inches high and deep and 16 wide.... whats a good in sump protein skimmer for this size sump? ...and whats a good return pump from about 4feet.

09/10/2007, 04:18 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	In all honesty, I don't think I'd bother. I don't know of a skimmer that'd work well in that size system, and 5g is very small. I think it's more trouble than it's worth, personally. I'd probably try to find a very small pump to run maybe 40-50 gph at most through the sump, if I was going to try at all. I don't have any good suggestions, although you could look at the Micro-Jets or perhaps there's a very small Eheim. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

09/10/2007, 05:45 PM	#5
markoantoniojr Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: new york city Posts: 58	reef only with one fish or 2 im thinking about going mostly reef only with maybe on 1 or 2 small fish.. right now i have a watchman goby and a 2 clowns and a blood shrimp with 4 hermits 5 snails and some zoos GSP and xenias so far everythings ok but my nitrates just got to 20ppm i did a 3 gallon water change sat and its still the same at 20 ppm im running one power head, bioballs and a blue pad filter,,, no media.....only reason i wanna put in a sump is to make it easier for me to maitain the tank but 5 gallons is all i can put down there.i am considering a protein skimmer and a phos reactor so i can put my media in it........ if i go reef would you still need a protein skimmer , media? or even if i keep the fish would i have to build this setup just to keep my nitrates down? i don't feed alot i feed frozen brine shrimp maybe a minute of feeding i have 36lbs of live rock and 40 lbs of sand....need some advice.. i have had the tank over 2 months

09/10/2007, 06:00 PM	#6
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	I would get rid of all filter medium and the bioballs. they become nitrate traps over time. You have a great combination of live rock and deep sand bed for biological filtration. I agree with Jonathan above--but I would turn the small tank into a refugium and stock it full of cheato algae--great nitrate reducers plus produce a great variety of invertebrates(copopods) to watch. with using the frozen stuff--rinse it good through a brine net--it collects alot of nitrates and phosphates in the holding tanks where they are produced. "if you go reef"----you are reef--welcome to the dark side __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock

09/10/2007, 06:03 PM	#7
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	--------------I have a 30 gal spare/quarantine tank--it has a "aged" deep sand bed and 30lbs of live rock. I run a charcoal bag in the HBO filter--that's all-----and change 20 per cent of the water every two weeks. Its very clear and the ammonia and nitrates are always undectable. __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock

09/10/2007, 04:40 PM	#3
oct2274 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Plano, TX Posts: 2,347	the tunze nano skimmer works pretty effectively. A guy in our local club uses one on his 50 gallon frag tank that only has one fish. you only want 3-5x the display tanks volume through the sump per hour so 29 x 5 = 145 after headloss give or take

09/10/2007, 04:47 PM	#4
zach0660 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NE Posts: 549	I would say a Coralife Super Skimmer.

09/10/2007, 06:06 PM	#8
markoantoniojr Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: new york city Posts: 58	reef only lol dark side? yea i think im just gonna keep my watchman and my clownand blood shrimp. i wanna do mostly reef... my concern is that i have 4 hernits 5 snails and my shrimp.. can these guys make my nitatres go up too? i think im gonna put the 5 gallon sump with a protein skimmer and a phos reactor for media anyway... does the chaeto help more than the skimmer and stuff? i havent done research on that

09/10/2007, 06:14 PM	#9
seastar12 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 245	chaeto definately helps

09/10/2007, 06:33 PM	#10
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	no--those guys won't add much to the bioload and will take some out. I would go with more snails and less hermits--put the hermits in the sump where they will leave the snails alone no the cheato is not as effective as a skimmer and it depends on the flow through the refugium--in many cases it is minimal so as to produce copopods and other inverts. phosban and reactor control phosphates run another phosphan with charcoal in it--this will help with nitrates and other DOC's. __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock