New to the sump world

[ChelseeAnn]

Hi! I have a 75 gallon reef tank that I've had up and running for a year now. I've been paying someone to take care of my tank but have been trying to learn to do it all on my own without someone. I recently bought a wet and dry sump with bio balls and had a cascade canister filter running as well. My nitrates have shot up to 160 ppm so I did a water change and went to take the pad out of the sump which was completely filthy and went ahead and shut off the canister bc the store didn't have anything I need for it. So... My question is.. Is it ok to just use the sump? I really don't want to use the canister filter anymore but didn't know if I need to run carbon or anything like that. Will the sump with bio balls and just a blue floss pad be sufficient? I also have a protein skimmer going. Any advice appreciated! Thank you!

 

[prsnlty]

Yes it should be fine sump only but get rid of the bio balls. They are nitrate factorys and run the skimmer. Add some granulated active carbon in a filter sock or media reactor

 

[prsnlty]

The filthy pad and bioballs are most likely the high nitrate culprits and with nitrates that high I would suggest a water change is in order now

 

[ChelseeAnn]

Here's a pic of my sump. What do I put in place of the bioballs? Liverock? And where would I put the carbon? Sorry still trying to figure it all out...

 

[prsnlty]

Well you could put the carbon in mesh bags on the shelf where the balls used to be. Be sure to rinse the carbon. Then add a clean pad. You said you have a skimmer. Where is that located?

 

[prsnlty]

I would put a fresh sponge in that other chamber as well.

 

[prsnlty]

I would also clean that sump up real good with a vinegar wash. And since there is a lot of salt creep get some plastic or something and cover that electric outlet. If salt gets in there it can be really, really bad

 

[ChelseeAnn]

The chamber below? bc there isn't a sponge in it. Just wanted to make sure it was ok to put carbon in the sump like that. I don't know what works best for filtration. I have a protein skimmer hanging off the back.

 

[ChelseeAnn]

 

[prsnlty]

Ok. What is the tan colored item in the sump picture? It looks like a micro bubble sponge

 

[prsnlty]

You can put any media there as long as it is contained. Like gac and gfo in mesh media bags directly under the water flow. You don't have to add anything else. Where your pads go I would cut them a little smaller so the lid fits down tighter. I'm on a phone app so the picture is a little hard to see clearly. What is in the middle of the sump?

 

[prsnlty]

Chelsee Ann, be very careful cleaning over by that electrical outlet. If possible turn off the breaker to it first, clean it and make sure it's thoroughly dry before flipping the breaker back on. Not trying to scare you but better safe than sorry. If you have nothing else, use a ziplock baggie and duct tape to protect it from the salt.

As far as the sump goes, clean it well with some regular store vinegar. That inclues the pump and everything else. Remove the bio balls and add a bag of carbon under the flow of the water. I got on my pc and can see it a little better and can see thatthe top does not work like a lid. Sorry. I had one of these sumps 20+ years ago and it did. I still can't tell what is in the middle of the sump though. What is the tan colored item? It should be a micro bubble reducer sponge in that spot. And is that a shelf between that and the return? If so, if it's removeable you don't need to use it since your skimmer is on the back of your tank.

 

[ChelseeAnn]

I'm glad you pointed out the electrical outlet because I haven't even thought about it... I think I will go buy a lock box to put over it and maybe that will help. And you are right! There is a sponge there! I wasn't thinking clearly. In the left is just water with the pump and then there is a divider with that sponge and then the chamber where the water goes in with the bioballs and pad. So what exactly is the sponge in between and how often do I need to replace that?

 

[aqua1dude]

You should replace that outlet with a CGFI one since it's so close to water. It's highly recommended. If you don't want to switch it out you can buy a portable CGFI outlet which you can plug in.

 

[prsnlty]

+1 ^^^^ on the cgfi outlet.

The sponge may be able to be cleaned by soaking in vinegar and rinsed really well with RO water and re used. If it falls apart or is sticky feeling you need to replace it. You should clean this out weekly IMO to keeps it from clogging. Its main purpose is to elimiate microbubbles.