wet/dry into fuge suggestions

dlee300z

Wannabe Reefer
Since it's been a slow day, I would like some suggestions on converting this wet/dry into a fuge as well.

I've been having nitrates going to about 20ppm as opposed to 0 when I first started the tank lately and would like to just nip it in the butt before it gets out of hand.

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Thanks!
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First, you need to remove the bio-balls. I would suggest doing this slowly, and only removing 1/3 per week to allow the rock and sand in your tank to pick up the slack that your bio-balls were handling.
Next, you would need some modifications of that sump to allow you to use it as a fuge. For it to be a fuge, you will need it to hold water, so it looks like 2 options(short of setting up a seperate tank as a fuge).
1 - seal the current hole in the bottom of that baffle so that section will fill with water. You need to make sure that water can flow over the baffle without spilling out of the sump. If the baffle extends to or over the top of the sump, you will either need to drill lots of small holes, a couple of large holes, or cut the top off to allow water to flow over, or through, without spilling out of the sump.
2 - Build, or have built, a small tank that will fit into that section of the sump. The same issues apply about water spilling out of the sump. This option is nice because you could build the tank taller to hold more, and just drill a hole near the top, use a bulkhead and some PVC pipe, and have it drain into the other section of the sump without messy modifications. I would suggest using some additional supports under this mini tank. HTH.
 
A quick and dirty way to convert after removing the bio balls is to find a plastic cube container, or you can glue a few pieces of acrylic together to make a cube, that fits into the bio ball area. Make the cube smaller so that water that enters overflows over the edges and directs through your sump the same as usual. You will need access to the bio ball chamber to put things into the cube and remove when necessary.
 
Before I did anything else, I would flip that sump 180 degrees and scoot it to the right a few inches. The drain coming from the tank is on the left, and it enters the sump on the right. Uncriss-cross it and it will be a bit simpler, because your drain line won't get in the way. :D

Also, the drain line coming from the tank needn't be overly long. It should be a continuous "downhill" slope. Does it gurgle at all?

Can you raise the water level in the sump about 3-4" for a total depth of about 6-8"? This is the ideal water height for a ER skimmer, IIRC.
 
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