<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13435068#post13435068 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by figuerres
I think if I got the question right then yes.
if you setup the tank and sump and get the water going then it can help with the later steps.
a lot of the system needs to get "broke in" like the inside of the plumbing, over time they get a kind of "slime coat" of bacteria.
also getting the skimmer ready to skim good before adding too much ....
for your sump's sand bed I would size it and order some sand and a few rocks from richard to put in after a wait of say 2 weeks.
that should give some time for the tank to get going a bit and by adding some live sand and rock to the sump / fuge it will add more bacteria and plankton to the system.
then add part 1 of the main package... and so on.
go slow... relax...
Figuerres is right on the money let me walk you through my own steps at a high level.
1. Assume for a moment you have all the plumbing tank and equipment setup.
2. I run a fresh water test with RO/DI water verify nothing is leaking, everything is in smooth running order. I do this for several days.
3. Then I will add salt water to the tank and run it for about a week adjusting lighting and skimmers as neccessary. This will also make sure all the lines are clean and that all the equipment is "broken in." I do not want to have any problems in later stages and I always find something that needs adjusting.
4. I then take all the water out and wipe everything down. Refill with RO/Di water, salt the water and give it a couple of days to settle down.
5. In my case I run two 100 gallon sumps one for equipment, monitors, probes and heater each of my overflows dump into this sump first. My over flows are also independent of each other. If one is blocked the other can ussually handle the load. The second sump is feed by the first ( note I have 1" over flows in the display tank but I have two 2" overflows that feed the second sump from sump one) and is for adding sand at a depth of about 1", 2" at the most. Micro's and pod and mysis farming area, no preditors in this baby. Two return pumps are located here if one fail the other is still moving the water into the main tank.
6. Wait for the tank to cycle and stabalize. Test, Test, Test.
7. Order rock from Richard and follow his instructions explicitly. I never deviate from the directions he gives. My package sand goes in the display tank along with the live rock. If I need to add any liverock to the sump I will typically order additional from Richard. I typically put two or three medium size pieces in the sump for pod cover.
Additional notes:
I do not place any lighting over the equipment sump (sump one) and run six VHO T5's over sump two (16 hours a day opposite the main tanks lighting). More lighting than needed I just happen to have an old setup I saved from previous tanks.
Sump one has about 75 gallons of water in it, sump two has about 50 gallons of water in it. if I lose all power I have enough water capacity to prevent any flooding. I mimic several failures during my testing including a complete power outage. Typically I draw 25 gallons of water out of the main tank due to the return lines feeding water back into the sumps. If I draw more than that I adjust the return line noozels enough that they do not create micro bubbles.
This is a little exterme and is some case may not be all that neccessary but I like the tank running with some live sand and micros in sump two ahead of time.
I can not stress enough whether you use this process or not to follow Richards instructions and do not get in a hurry.
Sump setup sideview sump on the right is sump one and the left is sump two.
