Hey y'all, couple questions

[Bvalentine92]

So I used to have a saltwater aquarium quite a few years back when I was younger and dumber. But I'm looking to get everything set back up but this time around I have been reading everything I can nonstop for a week and a half. And if I'm being totally honest I'm kind of overwhelming myself I think with everything I am reading. So I have a few questions and was hoping I could pick the brains of all of you guys. My tank is a 56 gallon column that measures 30" x 18" x 24". I have an Aqueon sump that measures 30"x 10" that I attached pictures of that I purchased at my LFS along with the skimmer in the picture and the return pump. They also sold me at the time an Aquatop CF400UV canister filter. I'm really wanting to try and set up a refugium in my sump but I am having a difficult time figuring out how to do it with the sump I have. Everything I have read says that the skimmer in the chamber with the return pump is a no no due to constantly varying water levels from evaporation and micro bubbles being put back in the display tank. So as far as I can tell it's kind of stuck in the middle chamber that it is in in the pictures. I was also planning on putting my heater in the sump to keep it out of my main tank. Is there anything I can do with the gear I have to make what I want happen or am I going to need to change some things up equipment wise?

My next question is on the canister filter. Some of the things I have been reading are telling me I could actually get by without the canister with a properly set up sump/refugium. Is this true or should I keep the canister filter in the mix?

My next question is on current/power heads. I'm still doing a lot of reading on what I want as far as coral but what would you guys recommend as far as a set up that will work with any kind of corals when it comes to power heads and current so that I have enough flow to accommodate them? Or do I need to decide on all my corals now before I can figure this out?

And I'm still reading on lighting as far as what route to go and haven't been able to really decide on one route or another. This has been one of the most overwhelming parts that I have been reading about it think. Not really a question I guess but any information, articles to read or tips would be greatly appreciated.

I know this is a whole lot to ask of you guys but any and all help would be beyond appreciated. I've been working my way the the newly sticky thread for a lot of tips. And I'm still reading any articles and old threads I can find in as well and watching video after video to try to do everything as right as I can. If there's anything I missed here that I need to consider please feel free to slap me upside the back of my head of over the internet and point it out.

Thank you all in advance for your time and help,

Bob

 

[outssider]

skimmer does go in the middle chamber. refugium should be in a separate tank although I suppose you could put it in the first chamber, you really don't need a refugium. If you don't have room for a separate tank for the fuge, I would forget it. Take the cannister filter back, it's not needed or desirable. do a lot of research on lighting, there are many types of lighting, it is an expensive mistake to make if you're not happy with your choice.

 

[Bvalentine92]

Thank you! I was looking last night at setting up a separate fuge. My plan right now after what I read last is to get a 5 or 10 gallon cube and elevate it up above the sump a bit. I'll drill it and but a couple bulkheads in and use gravity to feed the water out of it back into the sump. Would it be worth trying to make a small overflow to go into the fuge to try to keep anything from getting into the sump?

I was going to try supplying the fuge by putting a tee into the return line to the tank with a ball valve to control flow into the fuge to control water level and prevent flooding it out. Am I right in thinking this setup will work like I want it to? I found a schematic on here somewhere last night that showed a similar setup but instead of teeing into the return to tank line they put a tee in the line coming from the over flow to the sump out of the DT.

Thanks again,
Bob

 

[Michael Hoaster]

While not required, since you have a sump, a canister filter can be very handy. With multiple media baskets, you can customize for different situations. Charcoal, GFO and mechanical filtration are just a few options.

People set up refugiums for different reasons. Why do you want a refugium? What do you want it to do?

For pod production, there are ways to provide refuge for pods right in your display. Add some macro algae. Pods love to live in and eat them. Also add some coarse gravel on top of your sand bed. This provides refuge for pods as well. Even a small pile of rubble can be a refuge.

Get creative and you can provide plenty of refuge without a separate tank.