Reef Tank Filtration???

[reefarchitect54]

In the past few weeks ive started really looking into the equiptment i need to start my 46 gallon bowfront tank. At first i was only going to start a fowlr setup with a flurval 304. Later I becided that i would start with a fowlr tank and then ease into a reef aquarium. However i want to obtain all equiptment needed to keep my reef except the lighting. I have been leaning towards buying or building a sump so i dont have to waste money on a flurval and six months later a sump. I have several questions about sumps:

1) Can you run a reef setup on a fluval 304?
2) Whats the best pre built sump on the market?
3) Whats the deal with bio balls and are they ok for a reef aquariums?
4) If I was to build my own. Whats the best size and design for my setup?
5) Any other questions i dident ask that you think I need to know???

[boozeman]

technically you could run the fluval and then afterwards remove any media that would act as a nitrate factory...but why bother. Go for the sump to begin with.
IMO the best sumps are those from royal exclusiv..but why spend all that $$$
bio balls provide a surface area for bacteria to colonize and complete the amonia~nitrite~nitrate cycle in fish only aquariums...in reefs this is more effectively accomplished by the live rock.
thats a matter of personal taste..I think that you can make a great sump out of a 10gal. and it would be a good size sump for a 46 gal., but I've seen many systems with sumps that are larger than the main tank itself
look into the RS database...all your questions will be answered most effectively there

[fishcrazy]

Marc Levenson built a good web page about sumps. He shows a few of his own sumps and then has a page on how sumps work as well as DIY plans. http://www.melevsreef.com/

Depending on stand size, I would probably go with a 29g vs a 10. Especially if you want your skimmer to go into the sump vs hanging on the back of the display tank. Once you go to a reef, you will probably want a skimmer.

[lcstorc]

I would make that definitely want a skimmer. I was skeptical until the first time I empried/cleaned the collection cup. Whatever it is taking out of my tank I am certain should be removed. LOL
A bit more info on the bio-balls. They work well as Boozeman described which is fine for a FO or FOWLR system. The live rock however not only is more effective, but it takes the process one important step further. It will convert the nitrates to a harmless gas which is released via bubbles. Fish have a much higher tollerance for nitrates than corals do and that is why you see them in FO tanks but most reefers tend to avoid them.
I am seriously plumpng impaired so I cannot offer anything helpful for your sump excepp to say get the biggest you can fit and/or afford. If nothing else it gives you more water volume in the system which will help keep you parameters in line. Someone here's signature says "dilution is the solution to polution". Love that line and it illustrates why more water volume equals better more stable water parameters.
Just my 2 cents,

[JaxReef]

Originally Posted by reefarchitect54

In the past few weeks ive started really looking into the equiptment i need to start my 46 gallon bowfront tank. At first i was only going to start a fowlr setup with a flurval 304. Later I becided that i would start with a fowlr tank and then ease into a reef aquarium. However i want to obtain all equiptment needed to keep my reef except the lighting. I have been leaning towards buying or building a sump so i dont have to waste money on a flurval and six months later a sump. I have several questions about sumps:

1) Can you run a reef setup on a fluval 304?
2) Whats the best pre built sump on the market?
3) Whats the deal with bio balls and are they ok for a reef aquariums?
4) If I was to build my own. Whats the best size and design for my setup?
5) Any other questions i dident ask that you think I need to know???

1) I don’t know what a fluval is, I assume its a canister filter which I wouldn’t use

2)a sump is anything that holds water. It can be a 10 gallon tank or a rubbermaid container. If you want to spent money I would get an MRC sump but thats not necessary

3) Bioballs, well some use them and some do not use them. I don't use them. Some say they are a time bomb. I like basic, a fuge, some liverock, a filter sock and a protein skimmer

4) The best sump is one that fits your needs. It will hold all your equipment and leave room for things you might add in the future

5) How about running a refugeium?

[RanRoc]

I would look at the DIY plans on the net for sumps and build my own, if I were you. Better control over what you want, less expensive to do it yourself, more personal involvement and pride when it's done, more experience gained, easier than you think, or you can make it as complex as you want. Just a few of the benefits. JMHO.
-RY

[reefarchitect54]

Thank you to everyone for the info. I was thinking about putting live rock in my sump instead of bio balls but what would the design be? Would I need a light on the live rock? I think i know but Im wondering about the process of compartments in the sump. Basically I think the rock would take the place of the balls?

[Anselth]

Right, live rock would replace bio balls in the sump. Another thing you can add to the sump is macroalgae to assist in Phosphate and Nitrate export, which in turn helps keep algae in the display down. If you do put macro in, you will need a light, otherwise it isn't necessary. Compartmentalizing the sump isn't difficult, you just need to set two pieces of acrylic about an inch apart with one glued to the floor and the second raised off the floor about an inch. This will trap bubbles from passing into the next compartment in the sump. Don't use anything thinner than 1/4 inch acryllic or it will bow a lot under the pressure.

[BoomerD]

The vaast majority of reefers use only live rock and a skimmer for their filtration. Canister filters and bio-balls tend to build up detritus and become biological filters, (which is what the live rock is supposed to do) and become nitrate producing factories.
Live rock and live sand will go the extra step and break nitrates down into nitrogen gas, which bubbles off harmlessly into our atmosphere.(our earthly atmosphere is 78% nitrogen gas)
A sump can be done in several ways...
it can be used only for equipment, allowing you to remove much of the unsightly stuff like heaters and pumps from the tank and allows you to use a larger and much more efficient skimmer.

it can be used to house (either in full, or in part) a refugium, in which you use live rock and sand, along with macroalgaes to grow a pod population, and reduce nitrates by growing and harvesting macroalgae.

any combination of the 2.

[Charlie97L]

great advice so far!

on another note, as i see you mentioned that you're starting as a FOWLR and then easing into reef... be sure to research your fish selections carefully, because a lot of the popular FOWLR fish aren't reef-safe. many a reef-with-caution, and a lot of the time you have issues only when you add, say a new shrimp/coral/clam AFTER the fish, rather than having them established before you add the fish.

[BoomerD]

Having TOTALLY missed the part about setting this up as FOWLR, let me add/change a few things...
FOWLR's can be run very successfully with bio-balls, as the increased nitrate levels (in MOST cases) doesn't harm fish like it does invertabrates.
A 46 gallon tank is awfully small to do as a FOWLR, unless you plan on ONLY keeping small fish. Using the normal stocking recommendation of one inch of fish (measured at it's adult max size) per 5 gallons, that gives you a MAX of 9" of fish...that's a pair of clownfish and one small goby...or one dwarf angel, and one very small fish...
Better to save this for a small reef, and set up something large for a FOWLR, so you can have some of the many beautiful fish that are not reef safe...

[jubbers]

here is a very affordable sump with skimmer and heater!:
Catalina Aquarium SUMP/REFUGIUM FOR 200 GAL TANK
that is the one i am getting for my 55g.