Skimmer Outflow.

I want to set up my sump with a MM bed and some chaeto so in time I will have pods to feed my (future) dragonets. I also am persuaded a skimmer is necessary at least part of the time. If I fixed the skimmer outflow to go directly to the return pump section of the sump thereby not depriving the MM bed of the nourishment it would get from the tank, i.e. the water from the tank would go partly to the skimmer and partly to the MM bed - would this work?

Well, yes it will "work", but putting any outflow into the section of the sump that houses the return pump (or it's intake) is just asking for microbubbles in the system... Better to have the skimmer outflow in the same section as the display tank drain line. Keep all your bubbles in one spot, makes it easier to remove them. Also, thinking in terms of "clean" and "dirty" water really isn't (IMO) a good idea. In a system with a sump, there SHOULD be enough water flow/turnover wherein the whole system should be nearly the same water. Water ideally moves fast enough so that the amount of dissolved organics in your sump is equal to that in your display tank. Sure the skimmer "cleans" the water, but it doesn't do so faster than the water in the chamber is turned over...

JMO

Hi,

I have a lifespace 680 with an MCE 600 hanging on the sump inside the l/h door. It takes water from the centre section and returns it to the first. Got lots of pod population living in my cheato no problem, so i guess it can't effect it too much. The skimmer only takes a tiny proportion of the flow throught the DSB centre section....


Hope my experience helps

Jetbox

Right, thanks Skifletch, hadn't thought about the bubbles... you think a skimmer run periodically, say 12 hours during the night, will still leave enough for pods to flourish?

Hi Jetbox Thanks reply - does your skimmer sit inside or outside the sump? did you have to reorganise the baffles in the sump to contain a sandbed/MM bed?

fishstick said:

Hi Jetbox Thanks reply - does your skimmer sit inside or outside the sump? did you have to reorganise the baffles in the sump to contain a sandbed/MM bed?

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hangs on the outside (see pic) moved the r/h baffle to the right and down to the bottom to allow for DSB


hanging on the outside adds a bit of extra water capacity too... the more the better.....

Yes, thanks for pic, Jetbox, your sump looks v. full. certainly not much room in there. How long has your Betta been running? and have you got the weir to function quietly?

fishstick said:

Yes, thanks for pic, Jetbox, your sump looks v. full. certainly not much room in there. How long has your Betta been running? and have you got the weir to function quietly?

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yep cabinet is full, which is a bit of a pain for maintenance... have 20kg of live rock in the first chamber, DSB and cheato in the second and return pump in the third. also have phos reactor (home made) in the first, UV sitting above the third, tunze auto top up in third etc etc.....

weir working quietly mmmmmm... ask my wife!!!! in a word no.... first off had it silent by turning the tap to balance the flow... Some one advised this was not a good idea due to blockage etc so I started to experiment with a durso which i made... now it noisy... problem is with the tap method the water level is not constant in that its a very fine balance to get the flow quiet and stable. the height of the water inside the wier tends to change slowly (in my experience anyway) and therefore an auto top up can not function correctly. so at the moment I put up with the noise ( but constant water level). its not too bad ( I can switch off from it but it does annoy the wife a bit.

Tank has been running since november... See my thread "ready for the marine challenge again"


great tank though.... wish I had bought a bigger one but not enough space really.... not sure if its going to overheat in the summer though!!!!!

Nice arrangement reef, Jetbox, hope mine looks as good eventually but its only a week old (but includes live rock, fish, inverts and corals from smaller reef). Agree very well made tank, just need to sort out the sump and connect it to tank NOISLESSLY.....

Should work... Hell, pods LIVE in my skimmer