new sump

renisel · 02/10/2008, 06:38 PM

I'm putting a new sump on my 75 gallon reef. I've been using a little 10 gallon as my sump for the past year or so, and I'm upgrading it to a 40 breeder. I decided to cycle the sump before actually hooking it up to the display, but I'm curious whether that was actually necessary. Is it likely that a 10 gallon sump is providing a great deal of the biological filtration for the tank to begin with? I realize that now that I've started cycling the new sump and have some ammonia and nitrites built up, I really need to finish it before I go pumping that water into the display, but I'm just curious whether I would have been just fine hooking it up without cycling.

brians4671 · 02/10/2008, 06:51 PM

i have a new sump. instead of a water change i filled one of my 3 chambers. a week later i filled my second chamber and my return pump is hhoked up with hose. so all i did was move it to the next chamber.

Agu · 02/10/2008, 06:57 PM

What is it you're cycling in the new sump ? If there's new rock or sand then yes it may need to be cycled but you're cycling the rock/sand and not the sump.

If you're just moving equipment from the ten to the 40 there should be no cycling involved.

renisel · 02/10/2008, 06:58 PM

Did you have a sump before? If so, weren't you somewhat concerned about the fact that you're losing whatever biological filtration you were getting from that sump before?

renisel · 02/10/2008, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Agu
What is it you're cycling in the new sump ? If there's new rock or sand then yes it may need to be cycled but you're cycling the rock/sand and not the sump.

If you're just moving equipment from the ten to the 40 there should be no cycling involved.

Everything in the sump is new; I'm not moving any equipment from the old sump. So whatever biological filtration was being provided by the old sump will no longer be there until the new sump has developed its own bacteria. With about 80 or 90 lbs of live rock in the display, it may be that the biological filtration provided by the ten gallon sump was negligible--but I just wanted to be safe.

Agu · 02/10/2008, 07:13 PM

Unless you have some biological or mechanical filtration in your 10 gallon sump the biological filtration is negligible.

renisel · 02/10/2008, 07:24 PM

The ten gallon sump does have a filter sock as well as a few bio-balls and some Kent Nitrate Sponge.

Agu · 02/10/2008, 07:28 PM

In that case you may want to move that to the new sump at least temporarily.

02/10/2008, 06:38 PM	#1
renisel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 866	new sump I'm putting a new sump on my 75 gallon reef. I've been using a little 10 gallon as my sump for the past year or so, and I'm upgrading it to a 40 breeder. I decided to cycle the sump before actually hooking it up to the display, but I'm curious whether that was actually necessary. Is it likely that a 10 gallon sump is providing a great deal of the biological filtration for the tank to begin with? I realize that now that I've started cycling the new sump and have some ammonia and nitrites built up, I really need to finish it before I go pumping that water into the display, but I'm just curious whether I would have been just fine hooking it up without cycling.

02/10/2008, 06:57 PM	#3
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	What is it you're cycling in the new sump ? If there's new rock or sand then yes it may need to be cycled but you're cycling the rock/sand and not the sump. If you're just moving equipment from the ten to the 40 there should be no cycling involved. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

02/10/2008, 07:13 PM	#6
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	Unless you have some biological or mechanical filtration in your 10 gallon sump the biological filtration is negligible. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

02/10/2008, 07:28 PM	#8
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	In that case you may want to move that to the new sump at least temporarily. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

02/10/2008, 06:51 PM	#2
brians4671 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: miami fl Posts: 2,088	i have a new sump. instead of a water change i filled one of my 3 chambers. a week later i filled my second chamber and my return pump is hhoked up with hose. so all i did was move it to the next chamber.

02/10/2008, 06:58 PM	#4
renisel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 866	Did you have a sump before? If so, weren't you somewhat concerned about the fact that you're losing whatever biological filtration you were getting from that sump before?

02/10/2008, 07:24 PM	#7
renisel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 866	The ten gallon sump does have a filter sock as well as a few bio-balls and some Kent Nitrate Sponge.