My first reef tank, could really use your help...

[roibenami]

Hey,

So first of all hey everyone, my name is Roi and i'm just starting with the reef hobby, I previously have kept a small fish pond and I currently have a 100 liter planted tank and a 20 liter planted shrimp tank.

I've been dabbling with the idea of starting a reef tank for a few weeks now, have been consuming huge amounts of content on youtube and i think I have enough to start off for...

Anyway, I didn't think I could start a reef tank right now due to some budget restrictions (aka: having a wife), but about 3 days ago I stumbled upon a guy who's selling a pretty large package for not a lot of money, It was a 300 liter tank (1.4 meter) about a 100 liter sump, a steel stand, and a lot of equipment like a protein skimmer, a return pump, a wave maker, about 50kg of dried out live rock and some other stuff... all that for $250.

So i jumped on the opportunity and bought the whole thing from him and started working on my reef tank, here are some pictures of what i managed to set up so far...

(keep in mind water movement in the sump is right to left)

So the stand was a total mess, full of salt and rust. I cleaned it with a metal brush over and over and painted it with a paint compressor.

Then I re-partitioned my sump, when i bought it it was divided very weird, there were 4 compartments, the first one was setup for a diagonal sponge, the 3rd was a bio balls shower, and i just didn't like how it was set up, so i just removed the partitions and added them as i wanted, basically the first chamber (to the right) gets the water from the overflow and has a skimmer in it, then a small bubble trap, then the refugium (or just a settling chamber, haven't decided yet...) then the chamber for the return line.

So thanks for reading and here's what i need:

My first question (the reason i'm here...) is that i'm not sure if i can use the protein skimmer i got, i really don't understand how to use it and if it will be ok. like, where is the water coming in and out? where is the air coming from? i have no idea...

So can i use it? How do i use it? should i just get a new one?

Also i wanted to get some general feedback on my current setup, any help will be highly appreciated and will probably save me a lot of time/money...

Thanks a lot!

 

[Naiad]

It appears as if there are parts missing from that skimmer, aka the pump. It kind of looks like it was a hob skimmer which would be very unusual for a system with a sump. I would just get a new skimmer. It doesn't have to be brand new if you can find a good deal on used but be sure to see that it has a working pump as this is a big cost component. Have you leak checked the tank and sump?

 

[Martin H. Lawton]

Nice tank man! I would just scrap the skimmer and get a new one .. =\

 

[roibenami]

It appears as if there are parts missing from that skimmer, aka the pump. It kind of looks like it was a hob skimmer which would be very unusual for a system with a sump. I would just get a new skimmer. It doesn't have to be brand new if you can find a good deal on used but be sure to see that it has a working pump as this is a big cost component. Have you leak checked the tank and sump?

Actually no not yet, I just need to get some parts tomorrow to finish the return line and then i'll test both of them. (bad idea doing all of this work without testing for leaks?) I also want to run them with vinegar for a couple of days to clean the glass...

About the skimmer, If i get a pump will it work properly? The problem is i have very little room for a skimmer where i want it, and the one i have fits perfectly there...

 

[roibenami]

Nice tank man! I would just scrap the skimmer and get a new one .. =\

Thanks a lot!

Yea i figured as much, just wanted to make sure... I really hope i could get a good skimmer that's the same size as this one, because this one fits perfectly where i need it and i don't have a lot of room...

 

[Martin H. Lawton]

what is the size of the skimmer area ?

 

[roibenami]

what is the size of the skimmer area ?

20cm X 17cm is width/depth.

as for height, water height is at 30cm (top of sump is 36cm), and total height until the top of the stand is 55cm

Edit: Also the reason for 17cm width is because of the input elbow, which is at about water level height. so any part of the skimmer that is at water level or below can extend to be more then 17cm... hope you know what i mean...

 

[Naiad]

The problem is not the work it is that leak check is usually best done outdoors just in case. If it doesn't hold water there should be plenty of people who can help you reseal it on here. I am sure you can get a nice skimmer that fits. They are making some really space efficient models these days.