Reef nutrition

Cruz Mc5’s family reef tank

ashburn2k said:
Return doesn’t have to be strong, it’s what flow pump you have in DT.


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There's gotta be enough flow through the sump though, right? That's the part I'm worried about. My drain isn't working very hard at all and my pump is running at full power.
 
TBH.. you dont need a very strong flow in the sump, slow/low flow is good for pods to thrive in your sump and collect gunk in the bottom of your sump during water change.
 
There does need to be "enough" flow yes.
But getting everyone to agree on a definitive answer on what that means will never happen.

My opinion (guess): 3X is probably enough.
(Meaning, ACTUAL GPH = 3 * entire system volume)

Unless you have a flow meter, it is hard to get actual GPH though.
Although you can do some tricks by measuring it with a plastic bag.

So maybe double that for the pump rating.
Meaning : Your pump GPH should be 6X or so your volume.
Larger works as well, but is a waste of money.
 
I might actually get a flow meter that I can hook up to my apex. They aren’t *that* expensive since I have extra ports left on my FMM.
 
Ok. Update time. I did some rearranging of my sump. Swapped out the fuge and skimmer.

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Added some turbo start on Thursday night along with some cheato. And noticed my first hitchhiker yesterday. It looks like I have some vermetid snails unfortunately.

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And in the sump area

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Try to get rid of those snails; if they are in the sump’s rock will be easy to deal with now before they find their way to the display tank.
 
xcaret said:
Try to get rid of those snails; if they are in the sump’s rock will be easy to deal with now before they find their way to the display tank.
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They might actually be old tubes from the person who used the rocks before me. I’m looking at lot closer at them now then I had been before.
 
I installed my flow sensor this afternoon. I thought my pump flow was a little on the low side, and I think I’ve now confirmed it. My return flow is around 270 GPH. Total system volume is probably around 130 gallons or so, maybe closer to 145.
 
So now I’ve got to figure out what pump to replace it with. I could get a bigger jebao or move to a different brand. Seems like it’s either a Reef Octopus Varios 8 or the Vectra L-1 if I stick with DC (I think the Abyss is just a bit out of my budget, lol). I guess I could look at AC pumps as well.

I wonder if this all has to do with the way I was finally able to get the return lines plumbed inside the overflow. Because if that’s the case, I’m gonna have to redo it somehow. At least the tank is just cycling right now and I don’t have fish/coral to worry about keeping healthy while I figure it out.
 
I’d go with the varios if you want dc. That seems to be the most reliable. But honestly with your sump in the garage I’d just go with an AC pump. They are more reliable and the sound isn’t going to be an issue for you.
 
Well, we got a little antsy and added a coral today (actually 3, but the other 2 are really small). We got a toadstool that was pretty angry when we first put it in. Closed up and no color. Just looked a few minutes ago and it’s doing much better.

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Also, I did a 22 gallon or so water change today. Nitrates were at 50 before, but my test tonight had them dropped down to 5! Only that water change, some cheato, and a marine pure block. So I’m pretty pleased about that. Now to figure out the return pump ...
 
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