personally, i would chunk out the substrate..that's a personal choice though..it would take a lot of work..you would most likely have to remove everything from the tank and clean it and then put everything back in.. it would be alot of work..you could try Krish's idea with the siphon
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- Thread starter Ian Gibson
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Ian Gibson
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Thanx for all the support. I think the algae problem is probably a contribution of numorous things. The old lights and the undergravel filter and old substrate. That sump thing that drains water do you buy it or make it.
Krish
RF STAFF
You can buy them all ready to plumb in
. I posted 2 links in post#18 that will give you pricing etc, but some people will DIY it if they have the time and resources. If you even wanted to look around even more at what else there is out there, you will be looking for "pre-filters" or "overflow boxes" as they are called. BY adding in a sump alone, it will increase your water volume which in turn, provides you with more stability as well as more options as to what other equipment you can add to your system to improve thingsIan Gibson
Member
You can buy them all ready to plumb in
If I were to add a sump, what do I put in it I have seen the refugium way but then theres no filter floss or carbon which is currently in my canister. What would be the mechanical filtration part.
Krish
RF STAFF
Well mechanical filtration usually comes in the form of a sponge or filter sock in the sump, but with any filter sock or sponge being used, they should be rinsed out every other day atleast, otherwise you risk degrading water quality which in turn can fuel nuicance algae to grow as nitrate and phosphates begin to increase. That is one of the main reasons why you don't see very many people using cannister filters these days on saltwater setups because if they are using a sponge or sleeve in it, it would be a pain to have to pull apart the canister every other day to clean. For carbon use, it can go longer... Three weeks is usually the limit to run carbon before it has to be changed so some people will use canisters just to run carbon alone, but when you have a sump, you can just pop carbon in a media bag and clip it on or hang it in the sump and use it that way. That's how I always run mine. Other forms of mechanical filtration where a sump is concerned would be using a skimming (ie if people consider "skimming" mechanical filtration). Other than that, that's about as far as mechanical filtration goes. In any event, if you plan to keep corals, they will use up the detritus/waste/fish poop etc in the water column as food so they work basically in the same way as a mechanical filter would. Also, there are water changes done weekly that keeps waste to a minimum as well
Ian Gibson
Member
Well mechanical filtration usually comes in the form of a sponge or filter sock in the sump, but with any filter sock or sponge being used, they should be rinsed out every other day atleast, otherwise you risk degrading water quality which in turn can fuel nuicance algae to grow as nitrate and phosphates begin to increase. That is one of the main reasons why you don't see very many people using cannister filters these days on saltwater setups because if they are using a sponge or sleeve in it, it would be a pain to have to pull apart the canister every other day to clean. For carbon use, it can go longer... Three weeks is usually the limit to run carbon before it has to be changed so some people will use canisters just to run carbon alone, but when you have a sump, you can just pop carbon in a media bag and clip it on or hang it in the sump and use it that way. That's how I always run mine. Other forms of mechanical filtration where a sump is concerned would be using a skimming (ie if people consider "skimming" mechanical filtration). Other than that, that's about as far as mechanical filtration goes. In any event, if you plan to keep corals, they will use up the detritus/waste/fish poop etc in the water column as food so they work basically in the same way as a mechanical filter would. Also, there are water changes done weekly that keeps waste to a minimum as well
Thanx for the help. I will definately consider having a sump it seem to have many advantages. Another thing I was wondering about is that most reefers don't have there tank covered with glass. Mine is. Wont the salt corrode onto the the lights and dust fall in the water.
having the tank covered with glass can affect your ph.. i had glass on my 72g..i opened the 2 front panels of the glass..i left the back glass covering the tank and put my lights on the covered part..your lights will get salt creep on them..you will have to clean them often
Krish
RF STAFF
Yeah, you have to keep an eye on the salt creep a bit, but the reason why people don't use any (myself included) is for better heat as well as oxygen exchange. Just think about how all that heat gets trapped under there Retro fit light kits where the bulb is exposed have a greater chance of them being damaged. I accidentally touched a bare metal halide 250w bulb with a wet finger and lost a bit of my finger print as well as it caused the bulb to crack! Since then, I moved to using either pendants or full hoods
Retro fit light kits where the bulb is exposed have a greater chance of them being damaged. I accidentally touched a bare metal halide 250w bulb with a wet finger and lost a bit of my finger print as well as it caused the bulb to crack! Since then, I moved to using either pendants or full hoodsIan Gibson
Member
thanx for help.
So you still cover the tank with a hood so that no dust and insects can possibly fall in the water. But no glass between the lights. I will have to modify my hood because the lights are currently lying on the glass panels.
So you still cover the tank with a hood so that no dust and insects can possibly fall in the water. But no glass between the lights. I will have to modify my hood because the lights are currently lying on the glass panels.
Krish
RF STAFF
Yeah, I use to use a canopy that blocked in the top and all sides except for the back, but my Aqapod has nothing Aw well...That's what surface skimming is for
Aw well...That's what surface skimming is forl337dave
Member
hey krish, can you explain how your overflow works with the airpump attached? I'm guessing it sucks air out of the top of the U bend so it doesn't break syphon but how have you rigged it? what's the black and silver blob thing do?
dave.
dave.
Krish
RF STAFF
Yeah...That pump sitting on top is an aqualifter which does the opposite of an air pump. Instead of it blowing, it sucks water in through the pump and expells it out of the other side. So in otherwards, if you didn't have a life, you could sit there with an airline on the nipple on top of the overflow and suck on it all day to keep the siphon
Powerheads can be used as well, but how they work is you would attach the airline to the venturi of the powerhead which will provide a sort of sucking action as the pump runs. Then there is the least affective way of putting a valve on the air line, sucking out all of the air and then closing the valve. The problem with that is as bubble/air collect in the overflow, eventually it will lose its siphon so you'll have to repeat the same process of sucking the air out and closing the valve. About that black and silver thing if you are referring to the thing hanging off of the back with airline tubing attached to it, that is just a pre-filter for the aqualifter. The water from the overflow runs through that little pre-filter first before going in the pump to prevent the pump from screwing up from detrtus buildup. HTH
