Saltwater tank set up help

[cally2k]

Hello i am new to the saltwater community and was wondering can you guys help me out. I have a 150 gallon drilled tank, what size return pump is food for it , what size sump is good i was recommended 40gl can i have a sump and fx6 running( i know canister filters are looked down on) I have skimmer do i need those reactors as well. Other then protein skimmwe what else is good to put in sump

 

[RocketEngineer]

A 40g sump is a fairly good size for that size display. I’ve use similar before just fine. For the return, there are plenty of options but my personal choice would be a Sicce AC pump. They have been around for a long time with a proven track record. A Sicce 4.0 would give you the recommended 3x-5x turn over. I use a pair of 3.0s on my system for redundancy.

The reactors can be added later. To me, the skimmer is all that’s needed at the beginning anyways. Aside from that, I have my heaters in the sump as well as my ATO (highly recommended). As the system matures other equipment can be added but keep in mind not all of it is needed. Research is key.

Hope that helps.

 

[Phil Steel]

Welcome to the group.

I can't comment on the sizes. But for the sump, I would start off with a skimmer, heater, bio media, and ATO. Later on you could add in a doser, reactor and perhaps chaeto with light?

 

[flyfisher2]

Agree with previous advice. Sicce is a reliable pump and won‘t break the bank.
Hold off on unnecessary purchases until the the time comes when you actually need the reactors and such.
Determine what you want to keep going forward. Fish, coral, combination of both. Types of coral… Great fun planning this all out. Above all read as much as you can.
enjoy the process!

 

[Zero_Cool]

Hello i am new to the saltwater community and was wondering can you guys help me out. I have a 150 gallon drilled tank, what size return pump is food for it , what size sump is good i was recommended 40gl can i have a sump and fx6 running( i know canister filters are looked down on) I have skimmer do i need those reactors as well. Other then protein skimmwe what else is good to put in sump

First, welcome to the community!

You are already doing it right by asking questions. Lots of really smart and experienced hobbyists here that will gladly help.

IMO, a healthy thriving home aquarium really only requires a couple of thing to start:
- good water quality (RODI for both salt and top off if possible)
- good biological filtration (live rock in sufficient quantity)
- good excess nutrient removal (filter socks and skimmer)
- good water flow (return plus in tank powerhead(s))
- Great commitment to tank husbandy (top off, filter sock changes, maintenance, etc)
- proper planning (like you are doing now)

If you want to keep corals then the next would be good lighting.

A drilled 150 with a 40g breeder for a sump is a very nice start. A return pump like what was mentioned above that turns 4x tank volume is needed. Sicce makes excellent pumps as do others and the choice of AC or DC powered pumps is something for you and your budget to decide.

In addition to a skimmer in the sump I would recommend:
- baffles for bubble control
- mechanical filtration like filter socks on the tank drain line(s)
- heater with controller and redundancy (2nd element)
- a way to mark proper water level (could be as simple as a marker line in the return section so you know how much top off water you need)

Regarding top off, an ATO set up could reduce the daily need for manual level check and filling. This is a great help for both tank stability and reducing your daily husbandry tasks (doesn't eliminate you checking it though).

As mentioned above you can add other gear as your reef requires.