goldielocke76 said:
rygh said:
Sorry, meant bio-pellets, not bio-balls. Agree, bio-balls are a mess.
RDSB = Remote Deep Sand Bed. I tried one once - worked for a while, ended up a mess. Others like them and hate them.
So to be more clear on the two compartment idea:
Section 1 = For both skimmer and fuge together.
Section 2 = For return pumps.
The skimmer actually takes up a fairly small amount of space. Not the full 18 x 24 you have allocated.
But if you hard-build a separate section, you have to oversize for any possibility, so for a 3 section
plan, what you have is about right.
The idea is that if you combine them, you can optimize fuge/skimmer area ratio.
Plus, that extended area with macros really reduces bubbles.
Also, you can add other equipment to that section as needed, without running into
constraints with the fixed 15 inches.
Movable baffles are really just pieces of acrylic you jamb in to tweak the flow.
They will not hold any pressure. It just sections off areas.
You can use egg-crate to help hold the pieces in place. Or even duct tape (above water level)
Ah ok, gotcha. Thanks
so I just had a thought, what if the skimmer ( I can think about this now since it's not going to be the 2' x 2' I originally allocated when looking at a bubble king) the return pum, and everything else is outside of the tank, leaving the tank as a fuge, and plumbing the reactors and skimmer to the return pump? That way, I have the 120 gallon fuge, and the room in the stand is used for things like ATO, skimmer, return pump, gfo, calcium reactor, etc.??
I'm really trying to make things work without a biopellet reactor since I've heard lots of mixed reviews while running biopellets and wanting LPS. I heard that it can be done, and have yet to really look into what people are doing that gives them sucess, but again, was hoping to stay away from it. Also have to think of the macro algae and the biopellets outcompeting the macro.
Ah ok, so that explains why I saw crooked baffles in some pictures when looking at sumps and fuges LoL.
**Edit** So if you have the 2 sections, I'm assuming you have no substrate at all?? The only reason I partitioned them off is because I didn't want any substrate getting in to the pump and ruining it, since it happened to my skimmer pump and I had to replace the impeller. I'm still hoping though that the 120 gallon fuge with external plumbing is a good option... LoL
The thing about a "1 section" system is that the water level affects the skimmer.
If your return pump shuts off, water rises a lot, pressure difference can cause skimmer to overflow.
I actually run that way. But I have a float switch that shuts off the skimmer if the water level
gets out of bounds. So possible, but be careful.
External reactors, return pumps, and so on are great.
Return pump will be noisier, but less heat transfer.
Substrate is a concern, yes, that changes things. Especially if you want fine mud.
I remember a trick someone did for that:
They put a Tee on the drain, and connected it to the skimmer directly.
Drain in from tank
=
Tee = Skimmer Intake
=
Out to sump, mid-level. (Sometimes in, if return pumps are off)
Not sure if that was a good idea or not. Pros/Cons.