Starting A Marine Set-up (almost Nano)

[Gordon_46]

Well guys I have bought my RO unit and TDS meter from RO man. What a service they offer, if you are going to buy an RO unit get it from them! Anyway my first problem appeared, I didnt fancy drilling my tank so I ordered the Schuran overflow box for my tank WOW it has arrived and it is almost the size of half my tank so I am sending it back.

Are all overflow boxes this big??

I am assuming they are and might try and save my money so....... can someone tell me if this will work?

I have an Eheim ecco external filter which outputs 500lph ( exactly the turnover I want for my sump), so can i use this to take water from my tank and into my sump? Or in-fact any tye of pump? If ii can then I will do this. I could even put some filter media or something in the external filter for xtra filtration!!!

Anyhelp guys will be greatly appreciated.
Please help
Thanks

 

[SkiFletch]

You can... But then when the power goes out the eheim looses siphon... Then, when the power comes back on, your return pump turns on, drains your sump, overflows your display tank, overheats/destroys your return pump, and possible shorts out electrics. Worst case, the electric short causes a fire... Not wise

Not all overflow boxes are very big, although finding one small enough for a 30g tank may prove difficult...

 

[Gordon_46]

Well its ok now as I have decided to drill my tank next week hopefully. Got everything now except live rock. Got my RO unit up and running today after a couple of little problems but me being a typical man doesn't read instructions!!!! haha. I will post pictures of everything soon. O and I have stained my tank a nice deep pine colour. Getting closer can't wait. My equipment is now as follows:
- 2 hydor koralia 1 powerheads and a new-jet600, might use the new-jet for water movement and buy a new sump pump.
- A sump, very nice one, will have pics soon.
- 150w MH lighting unit with 2 39w Actinics and moonlight LEDs
- All salifert test kits
- 8KG reef crystal salt
- All plumbing and piping
- Heaters
- Arag-alive substrate
- Eheim external filter

Ok now for some more questions:

1) My sump has 4 sectiions, one bigger one for the return pump, heater and probably the skimmer when I get it, the other three are all the same size, now what do i put in them? I did want to have DSB but the waterflow goes up, down, up, so would the water flow be able to go through the DSB if you understand me?

2) I want a 500lph flow through the sump what do you recommend the return pump power be?

3) Does a sump mean i can have more livestock as the volume has increased? I dont want to stock my tank fully I just would like to know?

Thanks alot
anyhelp will be appreciated

O also almost forgot

4) Is a TDS of 0 good for aquarium water from the RO unit? The manual says the TDS should be close to natural reef water?

Thanks

 

[SkiFletch]

1 - Don't put the skimmer in the return pump section. Two reasons; the changing water level will play havoc with your skimmate production (overflowing or underskimming as evaporation varies the water level there); and outputting the skimmer into the return section is asking for microbubble problems.

2 - If it's a standard under-tank sump, I'd try and find an 800lph pump. Err on the high side if you can't find that exactly

3 - Eventually yes, but don't take that to mean you can just throw a bunch of fish in there all at the same time and they'll be fine . You still have to stock slow, but yes, you can usually get away with more fish in a system equipped with a sump (provided you don't have aggression problems in the display )

4 - Yes, TDS of 0 is what you want, but even up to 5 is probably fine for 95% of aquariums, doesn't have to be perfectly zero IMO