Sump set up help!

[Shane88]

hello all I am new to saltwater aquariums, thanks in advance for your help as it is much appreciated. I am having trouble with my sump setup, I bought it off of CL and seemed to be a decent deal however I am unsure of how to set it up exactly.
The sump is a 55 gallon with 4 compartments.
The display tank is a 210 gallon
Main Questions:
Which compartment should the intake and return line be in?

Is there a such thing as too much filtration? I have two sponges a small amount of live rock and a little amount of bio balls .

 

[ReeferBob]

That is actually a 3 compartment sump since there is no separation between the "two" on the far left. I would put the return on the far right. The far left would be the drain and skimmer. The section where you have the rocks of course is the refugium. Good luck! FYI: Those swing arm style hydrometers are not too accurate, invest in a decent refractometer and calibration solution.

I'm also a little confused as to how the water level is where it appears to be on the far right chamber. Explain?

FYI: Lose the bio-balls - they tend to promote Nitrate (nutrient) production! Live rock is mostly all you need. You could use a canister or hang on filter for mechanical filtration but need to keep up with filter cleaning.

 

[Shane88]

Hey thanks for your response , the configuration you suggested is what I suspected. I actually had it set up like that but someone told me it was wrong . the water level on the far right was so high is because I had a black sponge that was pretty dirty and clogging it up, I took that out and that entire side leveled out. Thanks again, when I get home I'm gonna switch it back

 

[Shane88]

This is how I set it up before, the pic was right after I set it up so the right compartment was the same level as the rest of the sump, but after a day or so the level dropped with the return , evaporation.

 

[ReeferBob]

You want your return to have less water so in case of a clog your sump won't pump up too much water and flood your tank. Also you need to have a consistent water level compartment for your skimmer. The one on the left is big enough and will always maintain that level. There is not enough room for a skimmer in the far right section.

Also I suggest you put your drain pipe under water. It will be much quieter and create a lot less salt creep.

Good luck!

 

[Shane88]

Hey reeferbob I very much appreciate your advice, I was getting a little frustrated trying to figure it out.

Things that I've done:

Switched the return line with the drain as you suggested.

Added a little more live rock to the refugium.

Submurged return line.

Took out the bio balls

And added a fx5 that I had sitting in the garage for media.