DO I need a sump/refugium?

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

Ok here goes.

I have always had pets. Mainly fish.

as you may have guessed i started with Freshwater, then moved onto brackish (cichlids etc)

Now many years later i found a new-found love for the hobby again.

I am learning the Reef setup and I am hooked.

so I first started with a 10 gallon and started that cycle. fish-less with live-rock. as I was researching and asking questions i found that it would be pointless (especially knowing myself) doing a 10 gallon.

I went and bought a 20 H.

That cycled and I now have 2 Clowns, 3 LPS (hammer, Zoa, Clove polyp), hermits and snails) Everything was doing fine and happy til a few days ago when i noticed my clowns had ich.

my decisions:
- Quarantine / Hospital tank
- Buy bigger tank 40 Long (Max I can go ATM)
- Leave them in the 20H feed garlic, i have been dosing Ruby Reef Kick ich and hope for the best

as you know i am HOOKED so I am leaning towards the 40L setup while i dose the tank and hope for the best.

but here are my concerns:

A. do i NEED a sump/Refugium
B. How risky will it be that i overflow my house with 40+ gallons of water and risk getting kicked out of the apartment for water flooding lol
C. can i use the Marineland Bio wheel HOB filter + Liverock and Livesand + Dr Tims Bacteris dosing since i only have 2 clowns and inverts.

also How do i setup sump/fuge?

thanks in advance!

 

[ryansc]

get a quarantine setup. you can use a rubbermaid tote if you have one. Just need a filter, PH heater and something for the fish to hide in/behind. PVC pipe works nice. Get some cupramine and a copper test kit. Leave your DT fallow(fish less) for 120days. Just from my experience.

You don't need a sump/refugium but they are nice to have to put equipment in instead of in the DT.

I have my tank refuge set up in a manner that if my siphon breaks and my return pump empties into my DT the DT will get full tp the top but not spill over. Same for my Refuge. If return pump fails i have plenty of space in the refuge to hold the extra water from the DT until the siphon break. My ato only ever has 5gal or less in it, so if that goes haywire and fails dumping 5g of freshwater i have room in the sump.

So to answer your question, if you set it up right, you will have little to no risk. Except tank failure and thats pretty rare. (knock on wood)

with such a small tank and small bioload you probably won't need a skimmer and that setup should work, just keep your filters clean. And do weekly 10% water changes .

 

[mcgyvr]

Dont NEED a QT..
Don't NEED a sump..
Don't NEED a seatbelt..
Don't NEED to breathe.

But there are clear benefits to each of those.

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

Dont NEED a QT..
Don't NEED a sump..
Don't NEED a seatbelt..
Don't NEED to breathe.

But there are clear benefits to each of those.

:bounce1:

I'm actively trying to figure out how to conserve oxygen, part four is hard. i've managed to hold my breath for 5 - 10 minutes at a time, so i only take approx 6 - 8 breaths an hour now. so thats plenty oxygen left for more important things, like the tank!

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

get a quarantine setup. you can use a rubbermaid tote if you have one. Just need a filter, PH heater and something for the fish to hide in/behind. PVC pipe works nice. Get some cupramine and a copper test kit. Leave your DT fallow(fish less) for 120days. Just from my experience.

You don't need a sump/refugium but they are nice to have to put equipment in instead of in the DT.

I have my tank refuge set up in a manner that if my siphon breaks and my return pump empties into my DT the DT will get full tp the top but not spill over. Same for my Refuge. If return pump fails i have plenty of space in the refuge to hold the extra water from the DT until the siphon break. My ato only ever has 5gal or less in it, so if that goes haywire and fails dumping 5g of freshwater i have room in the sump.

So to answer your question, if you set it up right, you will have little to no risk. Except tank failure and thats pretty rare. (knock on wood)

with such a small tank and small bioload you probably won't need a skimmer and that setup should work, just keep your filters clean. And do weekly 10% water changes .

SO 40 Gallon with such a little bio load should be okay to run with just the HOB then? What I was thinking/planning was turning my current 20 gallon into the quarantine and make the NEW DT the 40 Gallon make it Fallow and just transfer everything into the 40 gallon whilst leaving the clowns in the 20 gallon til ich was clear.

the time it would take to get the 40 gall cycled would be enough to clear the ich?

is my logic sound?

i understand i don't NEED(in regards to to the comment) anything but would my parameters be better handled if I had the refuge, is basically the deeper question? lol

 

[gone fishin]

A properly set up sump will not overflow. They are nice to have but not a requirement.

FWIW garlic and kick ich will do nothing to get rid of ich.

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

A properly set up sump will not overflow. They are nice to have but not a requirement.

FWIW garlic and kick ich will do nothing to get rid of ich.

I know, it at-least makes me feel better that I am at the very least trying to do something about it n the interim :worried:

 

[Yellow Eyes]

I have a 20 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump and refugium.

This all started with a Nuvo16 AIO, which after reading these forums, watching youtube videos of people set ups, reading books, etc, I realized I needed a sump.

I currently have no fish, LPS corals and a CUC, but I my Chaeto in the sump has tripled in size in only 2 months. Does it filter everything out? No, I still do water changes every 2 weeks, but you know what equipment I have in my DT? A powerhead, the return line coming over the top and the overflow.

All my other gadgets are nicely tucked away in the sump below and the added water volume helps keep everything stable.

And as mentioned a properly designed overflow/sump you will not have any worry of water leaking....just drill the tank.

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

I have a 20 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump and refugium.

This all started with a Nuvo16 AIO, which after reading these forums, watching youtube videos of people set ups, reading books, etc, I realized I needed a sump.

I currently have no fish, LPS corals and a CUC, but I my Chaeto in the sump has tripled in size in only 2 months. Does it filter everything out? No, I still do water changes every 2 weeks, but you know what equipment I have in my DT? A powerhead, the return line coming over the top and the overflow.

All my other gadgets are nicely tucked away in the sump below and the added water volume helps keep everything stable.

And as mentioned a properly designed overflow/sump you will not have any worry of water leaking....just drill the tank.

Yes that is my intention. aesthetics. i hate seeing everything in the way. i feel lik ei see my heater and HOB tube more than the fish and rocks LOL =/

i am currently researching if the 40 gallon tank i want to get is drill-able, or just say F it and get the 55 gallon(if it is drill-able, and use my 20 High as a sump/refugium.

if i drill the backs one for overflow and one for return, do i have to do anything special with the pvc piping? like certain bends like toilets? LLLOLLL

 

[Yellow Eyes]

I've read that the bottoms of 55g tanks are tempered glass (undrillable) so I would double check if you wanted to drill the bottom.

Personally I would drill two holes both for overflows. My tank uses the Herbie method, it is silent, restarts for any power failure, and once I dialed it in, I have not touched it since.

If you only have one overflow, and it clogs (snails, gunk etc) now the only way for your water to reach the sump is over the side of the tank (you'd be lucky if any of it makes it actually into the sump).

They have over the top return lines you can buy, or you can drill a third hole for the return.

Special PVC piping: maybe, it depends how you decide to do your overflow (i.e. the Herbie overflow you don't want any horizontal runs). On the return I have a check valve to stop water from siphoning down the return line when the pump shuts off. This is only one method, there are also siphon break holes drilled into my return just below the water level so that if that check valve fails those holes will, once the water level drops, rush air into the return.

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

I've read that the bottoms of 55g tanks are tempered glass (undrillable) so I would double check if you wanted to drill the bottom.

Personally I would drill two holes both for overflows. My tank uses the Herbie method, it is silent, restarts for any power failure, and once I dialed it in, I have not touched it since.

If you only have one overflow, and it clogs (snails, gunk etc) now the only way for your water to reach the sump is over the side of the tank (you'd be lucky if any of it makes it actually into the sump).

They have over the top return lines you can buy, or you can drill a third hole for the return.

Special PVC piping: maybe, it depends how you decide to do your overflow (i.e. the Herbie overflow you don't want any horizontal runs). On the return I have a check valve to stop water from siphoning down the return line when the pump shuts off. This is only one method, there are also siphon break holes drilled into my return just below the water level so that if that check valve fails those holes will, once the water level drops, rush air into the return.

do you have photos you can show me?

i will google Herbie method now

thanks!