Have a 150 gallon acrylic tank. Need help with sump setup.

[ReefMountian]

Hello I have a 150 gallon Acrylic tank with a built in sump and need help on how it should be set up . Im currently cleaning it and about to buff it out and polish it. Anyways the Sump section is fairly large in size. But I clearly just dont know where to put everything because it has so many sections. As you will be able to tell in the picture via email, the middle section that has the white mesh looking stuff and on top of all that is the bio balls. And in the last section is the return section that has 2 return pumps . I just need help what would be a nice sucessful setup for this sump section of my tank.
And I would like to put an internal protein skimmer in as well .
and no refugiam or how every it is spelled.

Any help will be taken and thanks .
:headwally:

 

[CStrickland]

I don't see a pic. Is the sump like a separate section of the DT (dispplay tank) or is it in a cabinet underneath with pipes connecting them?
EDIT: I see this is your first post, welcome! I don't think you can post pics until you have a bit of a post history, to keep spam out.

Bioballs are usually more trouble than they are worth, they tend to raise nitrates unless maintained properly and they are a pita to maintain. I'd throw them out.

Personally, I don't like the sumps that have a lot of sections and compartments. It's really tempting to fill them all up with unnecessary, expensive, and counterproductive stuff. It's like a weird marketing thing that the more complicated they are the more they can charge for it or something, but I prefer KISS (keep it simple stupid). I like just a protein skimmer and heaters down there, maybe a gfo reactor and dosing kit later on.

Usually the water in your tank moves a lot faster than the water in your sump. This good because all the crud from the tank is suspended in the water and carried to the sump for filtration. But that means that when the water slows down in the sump, a lot of that stuff settles out of the water. In a cluttered sump it will land in bioballs, or dry rock, etc. and rot, but in a clean one it will land on the floor of the tank and collect in little piles. These piles are easily sucked out - less waste decaying in your system and fouling your water.
So a sump can work for or against you, depending on how it's set up.