New guy here

[dbenenh0]

Hey everyone just wanted to introduce myself (Derek) and see if I could get some advice on my setup I'm building.

I'm Working on a 75 gallon w/ 29 gallon sump and planning on a mixed reef tank. My question is I bought an entire setup from someone and it came with an eshopps 75 skimmer but I dropped it and broke the body on it so now it needs replacing :headwally:

I would like to have a refugium and a larger skimmer but with my current sump there isn't enough room to have both. So my question is would you just replace the eshopps with the same thing and have a larger fuge or would you go no fuge and get a much larger skimmer?

I've been doing lots of reading and have learned so much information in the past month. Look for a post in the next few weeks with pictures of my stand and sump build!

 

[joshbrookkate]

Just wanted to say "welcome!"

Michelle

 

[Irishman360]

I have both decent size. Some say the fuge has to be really large in order to make a difference in the tank for converting your ammonia and nitrites. I made my own sump with a 20 gallon tall tank and have a Reef Octopus SS150 and a small fuge to grow pods and stuff in.

You can nix out the fuge go with a bigger skimmer and get a HOB fuge to grow pods and what not.

 

[dbenenh0]

What size is your fuge? I have been looking at skimmers and would like to go with the Vertex omega 150 but it will take up half of my sump not leaving me much room for my fuge and return area. I have also looked at the Eshopps S-150 and PSK-150 because of the smaller footprint it would give me more room. The skimmer I broke was a PSK-75 and the guy who had the tank before me said it did a great job but I plan to have more in the tank than he did so I'm thinking a little bigger will be better.

Where the tank is going anything HOB is not a possibility. Everything will have to be mounted in the stand or in the canopy.

 

[Mrramsey]

I'd choose the skimmer over the fuge. A fuge that small will have little if any impact on the tank. I have a 120g and a 55g simp with a small fuge. Just has some extra rock in it. If I recall I only ended up with about 6-8 gallons in the fuge. If I ever redo my sump I would do it without

 

[BrianD]

[welcome]...

 

[Dmorty217]

Welcome Derek! I would suggest getting a better skimmer since thats more important in a sump then a refuge. They make hang on the back boxes with pumps that will serve as a refugium when sump space is limited. Skimmers are extremely important in a marine tank, much more so then a refugium if you had to pick one. Also a refugium is for nutrient exporting and a place for pods to grow and flourish, it won't help with ammonia and the likes

 

[dpulve]

Welcome Derek you will find this site full of information for no matter what you want to do in this hobby. Also, everyone loves pictures, cant wait to start taking some of my new setup coming soon.....

 

[H2OCulture]

Welcome!! By far the setup with the best success rate is a combination protein skimmer with bio pellets. You can absorb any non-sequestered phosphate with a small bag of Grannular Ferric Oxide (GFO). Go slow on stocking, add a couple of hardy corals and then fish after you cycle; I've found this works better than the reverse.

Once again, welcome to this wonderful hobby! Best of luck to you in the future.

 

[Jade5051]

Skimmer! Save up and buy a nice one.

I have limited sump space. HOB refuge works well. Does little if anything for nutrient export mostly a pod haven.

Carbon dosing has been proven to be very effective. Biopellets are a form of carbon dosing but you want to run GFO with pellets. Also, with pellets make sure you have a recirculating reactor. Even better is a recirculating reactor and skimmer.

I'd also recommend a algae turf scrubber. Sounds like a UAS would work better for you than a waterfall.

Also note I would not dose carbon/biopellets with a turf scrubber. One or the other. They are both extremely effective at reducing nitrates and phosphates. I like the scrubber because I can see the growth and fauna grows in them.

 

[dbenenh0]

Thanks for all the helpful info everyone! I've been looking at skimmers all day and I have it narrowed down to a few (Reef Octopus 152-S, Skimz 181 or 201, or Vertex Omega 150 or 180I) so I'll do more research on those and see if I can narrow it down a little more.

I will check out all of everyone else's other suggestions as well and see if I can't get this tank started in the next few weeks. Also working on my quarantine tank right now as well and hoping to have it up and running by the end of the week.

 

[Jade5051]

Aquamaxx CO1 or Q2 or EM200 skimmer would be my top choice for this tank.

 

[dbenenh0]

Thanks for the advice, at first glance those look like really nice skimmers. Ill have to check some reviews on them but I am really liking the small footprint that they have and that they will work when I decide to upgrade tanks later down the road.

 

[Jade5051]

Here are a few hundred post on the CO1.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2305001