Amiracle Sump Wet/Dry

Ramie

Ramie

Member
Ok I'm going absolutely out of my head. I've been running all over the Internet trying to find out what model sump wet/dry this is, and how to assemble it without the Bio balls.
I just bought a complete setup, and he was using Bio balls in the sump. I however do not want to, and was curious what other kind of filter media to use. I've just had some really bad experiences with Bio balls. My nitrate goes through the roof.
I'm including a photo of the sump, and I've been going nuts all day trying to figure out how it goes together, and what types of filtration I can use in it. I have the pumps that go with it, but so lost when it comes to putting it all together, and putting filter media in it.
I want to be able to keep it as easy to handle and carefree as possible, yet make it a great working sump.

Any help in this matter is greatly appreciated.
:help1:
 
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Ramie

Ramie

Member
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Ramie

Ramie

Member
Ya know I came to this site, for help and advice on Saltwater tanks, reefs fish, ect... not to be harrassed for my name.
 
lcstorc

lcstorc

Well-Known Member
I'm not sure what kind of sump it is but I can tell you that any filter material will eventually become a nitrate trap unlless you clean it often.
Do you have LR in the tank to house the beneficial bacteria? If so I would use the sump as a place to house equipment like a skimmer and heater as well as add water volume to the tank.
I had a similar sump when I started. When I removed the bio-balls it introduced a ton of micro bubbles into the tank. On the advice or a friend I put rock there to break up the flow.
I'm not sure how helpful this all is but anyway...
 
Clownfish518

Clownfish518

Razorback
PREMIUM
It looks like an Amiracle - that's Amiracle blue. They were popular in the hobby 20 years ago or so. I had this huge counter current skimmer by them.

Put your equipment in it or make it into a fuge. Any filter media will create nitrates, like has been said
 
Ramie

Ramie

Member
Ok I've never had a sump or a refugium. I love the idea of it, but unsure how to make one. I'll be researching more on that tomorrow.
I have had very bad experiences with Bio Balls, but the LR I use in my Oceanic Bio cube, sofar has done pretty OK. I do clean it often. I used the Bio balls in there, and cleaned them out ALOT with fresh saltwater to keep it from building up too much, and they did Ok as well. But my 29g. NITRATE city, no matter how often I cleaned them. Twice a month, then weekly. My reef crashed. I think it had to do with a 3 week vacation I took from a death in the family. Noone tended to the tanks. They only fed the fish.. I came home and BOOM! So what started out as a small reef, crashed..and I kind of gave up without really starting. Just a few shrooms in there, anemone's clown fish, crabs, snails, and a few other inverts I forget them all right now. But was just a nice small little patch.
I have since learned with my love for the hobby, that I'm going to try for a larger setup, and really take it slow. I'm also teaching what I can to my teenagers, in case an emergency comes up like that again.
I'm also keeping a journal so I can trace any mishaps.

Thank you all very much,

Ramie
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
Bioballs must be used correctly. The water does need to be prefiltered, one way or another, to keep gross particulate matter out of them. It is this prefilter that must be cleaned often. The bioballs only provide a base for bacteria to grow. Correctly made bioballs tend to be self cleaning in that once a bacteria film gets to a certain thickness, it will fall off from it's own weight. Note that this does not mean that you never clean them

By cleaning them in FW you destroy the bacteria coat you wanted in the first place. In most reef systems, this may not be an issue because the live rock does similar filtration. This is why you can remove the bioballs in a filter and replace them with nothing at all.

Even so, filters using bioballs do tend to produce a lot of nitrate. This is because they are extremely good at reducing ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. They often do this reduction before the rest of the filtration system gets a chance at it, so you can easily get hight nitrates. This is why such filters are generally nt used too much today.

In you specific system, to make it a sump, simply set it up as before, but don't use the bioballs. You might want to replace the prefilter pad with one or two filter socks, and use the space the bioballs formally occupied.

With out a big "cut and rebuild" job on the filter, it would be rather hard to install a refugium section. It could be done, but I think you'd find that you would get much better results by adding a refugium as a stand alone tank, next to your sump.
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Very well worded Dave. It's good to hear someone else give the "Full" explanation of why BioBalls aren't ideal rather than "just bad". They're just TO GOOD at what they do LOL!

Ramie a Sump is just another tank of water plumbed into your main system. It gives you a place to put "equipment" and get it out of your display tank (protien skimmer, heaters, etc). It also increases water volume which is a plus.
 
Ramie

Ramie

Member
Can't do too much with that sump, I hate it, but refuse to toss it out. So I came to the conclusion, to use it like it was before but put the skimmer and heater in there, and some Plants of some sort to help with the nitrates. Like mangroves or something.
I plan on cleaning it as much as possible. I don't want to use the Bio balls that were in there, so I may just use some rubble. I know their not much better, but maybe with more maintenence, they might not get out of hand.

I'm also thinking of putting in some lighting as well for them. Then buy a refugium. Either in tank or under, most likely under. My other half wants me to just keep using canister filters, like I have been for years. Their easy to clean every month. Just do my bi-weekly water changes. But still undecided.

I feel like I have a x-mas present in front of me, and so excited to open it, yet can't. I just can't wait to get this started. LOL :bigbounce
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
You have lots of options ahead of you. That's part of the BEAUTY (some call it frustration) of this hobby... ask 10 people the same question and get 12 answers LOL!! :dunno:
 
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