what the best order for things to go in when going through the sump (bio balls, micro algae, sand, live rock, sponges,carbon, protein skimmer) what order should you do things in mechanical chemical bio? and should the protein skimmer be last?
sump and fuge functions
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I would say a little of each. The first section of your sump where the water drains into should have your skimmer. That is where the 'rawest' water is that is being skimmed from the surface of your display. In that section I also use filter socks on the drain inlet to the sump and I run 2 media reactors; one with carbon and one with phosphate media. Skip using bio-balls if you can. If you insist on using them, you will want to pull them out when you do water changes and rinse them/clean them of any detritus building up in them or they can produce nitrates.
Macro algae and sand (DSB?) would be in your fuge. You can put live rock in there as well. I actually have LR in my sump and my fuge but in the fuge I'm using LR rubble. The pods and critters like it better I believe. Your fuge can be integrated into your sump or separate. I like separate but it all depends on available space.
Check out melev's site for some ideas on sump and fuge designs. I also hear that he will be speaking at the next PSAS meeting, Jan 18th I think:
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html
Macro algae and sand (DSB?) would be in your fuge. You can put live rock in there as well. I actually have LR in my sump and my fuge but in the fuge I'm using LR rubble. The pods and critters like it better I believe. Your fuge can be integrated into your sump or separate. I like separate but it all depends on available space.
Check out melev's site for some ideas on sump and fuge designs. I also hear that he will be speaking at the next PSAS meeting, Jan 18th I think:
http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html
badger126
Zoanthid Addict
The sump I just built for my parents has three chambers. From what I've seen this is one of the most commonly used designs for a sump/refugium. First chamber, as Chinchas said, is where your overflow drains to the sump and also where your protein skimmer is located. It is divided from the refugium by a single baffle which the water pours over. If you use 2 baffles here you can stick a filter pad between them for mechanical filtration. Our refugium has a deep sand bed, live rock, and macroalgae for nutrient export. Next come three baffles, to be used as your bubble trap. The third chamber is just your return pump. We've been happy with this design so far, although it would be nice to have a separate refugium if we had the space.
