FOWLR to a reef help

[rcdude1990]

hey guys, i have a 125 gallon tank that i have been running as a FOWLR for a while so during the xmas break i decided to change it up and convert it to a small reef (nothing crazy mostly with some beginner corals, mostly ones that sway with the water movement)

now i currently have a wet/dry which i honestly have not washed any bio-balls or pads in 6 years (knock on wood my tank looks beautiful lol)
so first thing i did was look into sump and such that would fit my small cabinet.. i purchased a trigger systems ruby 36s sump and just waiting for it to be delivered

next i bought a new skimmer... i got a reef octopus super reef 3000 awsome reviews and feedback

next i purchased a BRS carbon and GFO reactor (i bought this because i recently noticed a little bit of hair algae growing)

so in opinions... am i good so far? the sump has 3 chambers.. first for my simmer, second for the refuge and third for the return

so why am i writing this? well i need some help as far as what goes were and such

first... ive started to slowly take out bio balls which was suggested by some reefers as far as the wet/dry... my concern is when the new sump comes i would not use the same water that is in my wet/dry... why? i dont know i figured its best to have new water than old water. the new sump has a volume of 30 gallon, which i think the wet/dry definitely does not have (proclear pro 150 model). so my idea was to purchase the nutri seawater they have in stores, match it with my tank salinity, place it in a container with some cured LR and let it sit inside with some powerheads for a few days. then do the whole process of taking out wet/dry and placing sump under tank... thoughts? opinions?

second... the first chamber will be the protein skimmer, which i might have to place ontop of some egg crate to make sure the water level is good. my question is do you suggest i place a power head in this chamber? many people said its a good idea because itll insure you have no detritus.. thoughts opinions?

third... the center chamber will be a refuge, however no LS, probably 2-3 big pieces of LR as suggested by many reefers. here i would put chaeto or calurpa or both? suggestions? also do you think i should place a powerhead in this chamber?

fourth... as far as lighting.. where i work we have many LED reels (see link) http://www.ebay.com/itm/120929047783?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 would you think if i make a square and place all these leds in, it would be enough light to light the second chamber to have the chaeto grow? it saids output 24w

fifth... the last chamber would have my return pump and seeing from my wet/dry how much detritus is in it i will definitly be putting a powerhead in this chamber. my question is where should the pump for the BRS Carbon and GFO reactor go?

lastly if im using current overflow and return pump in my wet/dry, i can simply place it into the new sump and not have worries of overflowing or anything right?

thanks in advanced

 

[SteveZ15]

I got the ruby sump also its really made nice. The sro i hope you got the space saver one it barely fits in the first chamber .you have to take the pipe bracket off and put it on in the sump pita if you want to run in the first chamber also i hope you have a high cabinet you have to raise the skimmer .3.5 inches to get the right height i bought this stuff for a big tank i want to do in the future im glad i did cuz when i get the tank and cabinet it has to sit high 36 just might make it.i put my skimmer up on market i think i ober sized it for what i gonna get that thing is a monster made nice though. Good luck with your set up

 

[SteveZ15]

Get a rodi unit to make pure water its important for reef .make new water slightly more than the sump needs it will pro take more water than your wet dry . Reactors i seen a few that hang on the sump the last chamber. These are what im looking into also.im sure you gett more accurate responses from people who know better i just have those two items so i know the skimmer is gonna be tight.

 

[brianx45]

If its the dual chamber BRS Reactor you can place them next to your sump and just run a power head inside the sump running to it.

 

[rcdude1990]

I got the ruby sump also its really made nice. The sro i hope you got the space saver one it barely fits in the first chamber .you have to take the pipe bracket off and put it on in the sump pita if you want to run in the first chamber also i hope you have a high cabinet you have to raise the skimmer .3.5 inches to get the right height i bought this stuff for a big tank i want to do in the future im glad i did cuz when i get the tank and cabinet it has to sit high 36 just might make it.i put my skimmer up on market i think i ober sized it for what i gonna get that thing is a monster made nice though. Good luck with your set up

o dam really? nah i bought the regulsr one, i called trigger and reef octo and they said it would fit... hmm i guess im going to have to return it and get the space saver... no biggiee its fine

yes i have a rodi unit and i have a brute can all ready to go

and yes i just received my dual chamber reactor in the mail and it looks great. very happy with the attachments they included!

steve what do you mean by "you have to take the bracket off and place it in the sump pita?
whats a sump pita? lol

 

[Awibrandy]

If you use "filter socks" on your drains you will not have detrius build up in your sump. I don't run a fuge so my skimmer is in the middle chamber of my sump, the socked drains are in the first chamber. I have the pump to my BRS duo reactor in the middle chamber along side of the skimmer, and the out put end in the return section. Guess you can place the pump to the reactor in the same section you have your skimmer.

 

[rcdude1990]

If you use "filter socks" on your drains you will not have detrius build up in your sump. I don't run a fuge so my skimmer is in the middle chamber of my sump, the socked drains are in the first chamber. I have the pump to my BRS duo reactor in the middle chamber along side of the skimmer, and the out put end in the return section. Guess you can place the pump to the reactor in the same section you have your skimmer.

im going to ditch the filter socks and just have the water come down into the sump.. filter socks are good but i read they can be nitrate traps, so i might as well just eliminate them


well im thinking about growing the chaeto and stuff so the middle chamber would be for that. and ive read that the BRS reactor pump should go after the algea section so then the pump for BRS reactor and return pump will both be in the last chamber.. the return hose of the reactor will b right in front of the input of the return pump

 

[hclaveria]

If you don't do socks, you re going To get detritus in other places. They also tell you when to get changed I.e. they get clogged quickly.

I don't see how you can prevent debris buildup without mechanical filtration. I'm not an expert but not everything dissolves into the water.

 

[SteveZ15]

Theres a bracket on the ouet pipe which holdes it to the skimmer you have to.take it off put it in the sump them put it on theres more room once you get the skimmer in because the filter sock holder gets in the way a small pain in the ass but it does fit the second chamber is bigger if you dont use as a fuge.

 

[SteveZ15]

theres 9in where the bracket for the socks sticks out then it opens somewhat lower in the sump you have more clearence in the bottom but that bracket makes it smaller,you will get lucky when you raise it because the air intake chamber would sit on the edge of the sump if it didnt need to be raised. i dont have it hooked up to a tank but the thing is a beast should take care of your tanki size and then some.

 

[rcdude1990]

If you don't do socks, you re going To get detritus in other places. They also tell you when to get changed I.e. they get clogged quickly.

I don't see how you can prevent debris buildup without mechanical filtration. I'm not an expert but not everything dissolves into the water.

Ok so ur suggesting leave the sock on ( i only have 1 drain so 1 sock will be used. Now the word "clogged" worries me. I do bi-weekly changes... If i were to use the sock then i would be cleaning it every time, good thing or bad thing to do? I just heard there a head ache like bio balls

 

[rcdude1990]

And thanks for the heads up steve, ill probably give it a try in the first chamber and see if its a headache, if its now then ill leave it in the first chamber.

Steve do u have pics of ur sump? Is it running? I like seeing how ppl set theres up, because some people do the micro algae an some dont.. Ive seen beauitful reefs which is the reason y im changing... And from what ive read micro algae is always a great thin when it comes to reefs... Thoughts and opinions open to anyone?

 

[Awibrandy]

rcdude, of course the decision is ultimately your's to make. Socks being a PITA is all in the person's perspective. I personally prefer to spend a couple of minutes changing out the socks every 2 to 3 days, then to spend an hour or two syphoning out the sump. True socks can become nitrate factory, but only if you just leave them for indefinite time. Which I can't see how you can do that since they get clogged, and then just spill into the sump. I keep 10 socks on hand. I use two because of how my drains are. I swap them out, and when I am down to the last pair I wash the other 8 in my washer. My washer's white cycle gives me the option of pre-soak, and double rinse. I do one of the white cycle with a 1/4 cup bleach, and 2 more cycles with just water so the socks are rinsed 8 times. Oh, and I turn them inside out before the first wash.

 

[hclaveria]

My point exactly Awi.

I used bioballs in my FOWLR until my tank matured and then replaced the filter pads and bioballs for filter socks. I actually feel I waited too long to make the change. By the time I took them out, they were completely filthy, which I was unaware. They were about 6 months in use. The problem is that the filter pads arent efficient in keeping debris off of the bioballs. Of course, my bio load is high for my 75g.

But, to clarify, the socks are equivalent to filter pads or foam pads, they do mechanical filtration. The bioballs are biological and only can be replaced by fully cured live rock to continue the biological filtration.

The nitrate problem is because something in the system is being neglected. Of course not on purpose, but like in my case, I was unaware that the bioballs were accumulating so much debris. With socks, when I see that the bottom half of the sock is clogged, I know I have to change it then or very soon. It pretty much leaves out the guessing from the maintenance.

 

[rcdude1990]

wow cool, thanks for the helpful advice guys, i might give the socks a try in that case, ill go out tonight and buy 10 filter socks like awi

most of the questions have been answered and thanks again guys for answering them...

if im using the same overflow box and return pump that i had for the wet/dry i can simply use them for the new sump right? without worries of overflowing or anything right?

also opinions on weather the BRS reactor pump should b placed after the refuge part (again LR and chaeto) which is in the second chamber, or place it with the skimmer which is in the first chamber, or placeing it in the last chamber with the return pump?

 

[Awibrandy]

wow cool, thanks for the helpful advice guys, i might give the socks a try in that case, ill go out tonight and buy 10 filter socks like awi

most of the questions have been answered and thanks again guys for answering them...

if im using the same overflow box and return pump that i had for the wet/dry i can simply use them for the new sump right? without worries of overflowing or anything right?

also opinions on weather the BRS reactor pump should b placed after the refuge part (again LR and chaeto) which is in the second chamber, or place it with the skimmer which is in the first chamber, or placeing it in the last chamber with the return pump?

I don't see why you couldn't use the same overflow box & return pump. It's not like you are changing the size of your tank.
I answered your question on the BRS reactor's pump in post # 6. Place the BRS pump in the same chamber as your skimmer with the return line going into the return compartment.

 

[rcdude1990]

I don't see why you couldn't use the same overflow box & return pump. It's not like you are changing the size of your tank.
I answered your question on the BRS reactor's pump in post # 6. Place the BRS pump in the same chamber as your skimmer with the return line going into the return compartment.

cool so you say place it before the micro algea chamber.. got it thanks

 

[Awibrandy]

Since you are not putting sand in your micro algae chamber you could put it there, but I worry about the pump getting gunked up with pieces of micro algae.

 

[rcdude1990]

Yea i wouldnt do that even if i had the protective sponge pad on it lol

 

[SteveZ15]

no i dont have this running ,i cant get the big tank for a wile because of house renovations so im starting a 40 breeder in my spare room for now i got the sump and skimmer thinking it was gonna go faster but its not so i got a little tank to get started.