Here we go!
- Thread starter jramy123
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ndrwater
2500 Club Member
This is the 10K question. You'll get arguments for both sides of that coin... My tank... Go for it. There is obviously the bacterial cycle going on all cylinders, so I personally don't see any reason not to skim. That said, the argument that some of the ammonia can be skimmed off to slow things down also has merrits. I would "dry" skim to remove unnecessary compounds, but otherwise just let things ride.
Once ammonia and Nitrite are zero, consider adding some new friends. Nitrate at this point is a non starter. All it shows is the Nitrosonoma and Nitrobacter bacteria are alive and well and doing their job as requested breaking down Ammonia and Nitrite.
Keep asking questions... You are headed in the right direction...
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jramy123
Active Member
So doing some reading on sumps as i sadly couldnt do one with my non drilled aquarium. now i have this here skimmer that has bio bale in it. my questions is could i put stuff that would be in a refugium? i forget the name now but i believe its macro algae, looks like grass and ive seen in tons of sumps and fuges. just passing time trying to get the best out of my setup.
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
Chaetomorpha is what you are thinking about, and maybe. Looks like with the design of that skimmer, the "bio bale" is more of a bubble trap then anything. I suppose it would work, but you run the risk of getting the Chaeto released into the system.
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
That's a pretty standard one. If... You were to go that route, you could get a much more efficient skimmer for the sump, and lose the HOB skimmer.... Not trying to spend your $$$ here, but definitely an option.
Many online retailers carry them like BRS and Marine Depot
WWIII
2500 Club Member
I personally feel like it's an uphill battle without a sump in a medium to large tank. Eventually nutrients are very hard to control. If it were me, I would drill the tank. Even with sand and water in the tank, I would drain it and drill the tank. I know this sounds extreme, but i have been down that road before and it just makes everything a pain not having a sump.
Having said all that, I know you probably don't want to drill the tank, so you can probably try to use that skimmer you have for a while and see how long you can make it work. If you take tank maintenance to the extreme it's definitely possible to have a tank without a sump, just makes everything more difficult. I would not put chaeto in the hob skimmer. I just think the benefits would be so small it wouldn't be worth the risk.
I'm not trying to be so negative about a sumpless tank just for the heck of it. I've been down that road before with a 90 gallon tank and after 2 years I took it down because it was overrun with algae and I couldnt properly maintain a good enviroment for fish, let alone corals.
There are still a few guys who run tanks this size without a sump. Hopefully they will chime in to offer some words of wisdom and advice.
Having said all that, I know you probably don't want to drill the tank, so you can probably try to use that skimmer you have for a while and see how long you can make it work. If you take tank maintenance to the extreme it's definitely possible to have a tank without a sump, just makes everything more difficult. I would not put chaeto in the hob skimmer. I just think the benefits would be so small it wouldn't be worth the risk.
I'm not trying to be so negative about a sumpless tank just for the heck of it. I've been down that road before with a 90 gallon tank and after 2 years I took it down because it was overrun with algae and I couldnt properly maintain a good enviroment for fish, let alone corals.
There are still a few guys who run tanks this size without a sump. Hopefully they will chime in to offer some words of wisdom and advice.
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jramy123
Active Member
Naw all input is welcome so thanx. It's just not feasible at this time to drill. And the money I spent getting this going makes the wife not want me to go much further. The hob sump may be an option but there's no one round here that will drill a tank. Well just have to see what I can do little by little?
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jramy123
Active Member
That looks too small to hold a sump big enough lol. So they go bigger? How much of a water hazard is that?
That's a pretty standard one. If... You were to go that route, you could get a much more efficient skimmer for the sump, and lose the HOB skimmer.... Not trying to spend your $$$ here, but definitely an option.
Many online retailers carry them like BRS and Marine Depot
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
I think there may be a bit of confusion, so I'll try to clarify.
What I posted a picture of is a HOB Overflow. Meaning, this is how you get the water out of your tank without drilling. From the HOB Overflow, the water then feeds into a sump below the tank. Then.... From the sump, the water is returned to the tank via a return line, and most oftentimes using a "U" shaped return over the edge of the tank.
The overflow is a relatively simple piece of hardware that holds very little water. 99.9% of the extra water volume is held in the sump area. By having a sump below (or remote) you have the ability to utilize bigger/more efficient pumps, skimmers, reactors etc. Oftentimes, people also use an area within the sump as a refugium.
Let me see if I can find a few pics and diagrams to visually show what I am blathering about...
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
A lot more complicated than what I was describing, but...
The HOB Overflow is in the too left of the picture, feeding the sump below the tank.
This particular setup appears to be using 2 return pumps feeding returns plumbed into the top of the tank.
Bear with me, I'll find a simpler one.
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jramy123
Active Member
Ah I see now. We'll only problem is the stand I have has no real space for even a 10g sump. I'd have to find a stand which most I've seen that look reliable is couple hundred. Also any hints for foxing micro bubbles in my skimmer return? There is a ton now that I turned it on lol. They have pre skim / bubble trap boxes for this model but trying to fix it on the cheap
ndrwater
2500 Club Member
When I saw that skimmer, I knew that the "Bio bale" was really a bubble trap with an interesting marketing term.. try packing it in as opposed to having it be loose. You may have to adjust the flow accordingly..
WWIII
2500 Club Member
The skimmer may take a while to settle in and calm down on the microbubbles. Making small adjustments should be able to tone them down, but I'm not really sure how that skimmer works? Is there any type of adjustment on them? I assume there is.
Do you have airlines on the pumps that you can decrease the amount of air draw?
Do you have airlines on the pumps that you can decrease the amount of air draw?
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jramy123
Active Member
Yeah there are lines and I've closed them almost all the way for noise and bubbles. Only problem not sure if it's skimming well if they too closed off.
