freshwater sump Question

[PowerCerg One]

Like some of the people who came in today wondering why everything was getting sick in there tank...

Woah woah woah... I feel like that was me again. I'm starting to get insulted over here.

[danielratti]

You didn't bring me in a weeks worth bag of dead fish.

[RichE]

Well The redneck in me got to work, I found a acrylic "tower" in the garage, and then found a smaller one that fit perfect inside.

So I now have a tower with ceramic rings on the bottom, and then a shelf of egg crate and then I filled it with filter floss and misc aqua clear sponges, the water from the tank will go thru this first, then flow down thru the ceramic rings, and then I have a "4th" chamber in frt of the tower I filled with bio-balls and scrubbies, and then on the next section its filled with more bio-balls and then there is the area where the return pump sits.

I have a carbon "filter" that hooks up to a smaller pump and takes the water in the return area and flows thru the carbon and return's the water into the return area. Kinda like a gfo set up.

I am going to add some lave rock in the second compartment for more surface area at the bottom.

I am also going to skip the plants, as the only reason I mentioned it, is I read that it will suck up the nitrates

So tomorrow I will fill the tank and turn it on and see what happens

[danielratti]

Yeah the whole plant thing is wrong a lot of people think that is the whole purpose for it but have very little success with keeping livestock healthy. The purpose of the plants is to absorb phosphates and to keep the ph stable through out the whole day and night this is why the lights are run in reverse of each other. Another thing it does it helps with feeding the tank oxygen constantly helping keep bb  reproducing and happy.

[RichE]

Yeah the whole plant thing is wrong a lot of people think that is the whole purpose for it but have very little success with keeping livestock healthy. The purpose of the plants is to absorb phosphates and to keep the ph stable through out the whole day and night this is why the lights are run in reverse of each other. Another thing it does it helps with feeding the tank oxygen constantly helping keep bb  reproducing and happy.

SO If I run a air pump/stone in the sump to add air will that be ok?

[danielratti]

It would be kinda useless to be honest. The pump you use for a return should be creating enough to put enough oxygen in the water. Well how big of a pump are we talking?

[four_by_ken]

With all the agitation of a sump system... totally pointless to add an air pump.

[RichE]

It would be kinda useless to be honest. The pump you use for a return should be creating enough to put enough oxygen in the water. Well how big of a pump are we talking?

Mag 7

I knew there will be a big turn over rate on the water, it just sounded like I needed more o2 in system

Maybe I will add a pump and put a led bubble wall in the back for the looks and effects

[four_by_ken]

It would be kinda useless to be honest. The pump you use for a return should be creating enough to put enough oxygen in the water. Well how big of a pump are we talking?

Mag 7

I knew there will be a big turn over rate on the water, it just sounded like I needed more o2 in system

Maybe I will add a pump and put a led bubble wall in the back for the looks and effects

Where did you hear you needed more O2? 

I dont have one air pump in any of my tanks.  They are not needed with good filtration.

[RichE]

It would be kinda useless to be honest. The pump you use for a return should be creating enough to put enough oxygen in the water. Well how big of a pump are we talking?

Mag 7

I knew there will be a big turn over rate on the water, it just sounded like I needed more o2 in system

Maybe I will add a pump and put a led bubble wall in the back for the looks and effects

Where did you hear you needed more O2? 

I dont have one air pump in any of my tanks.  They are not needed with good filtration.

One of the you tube video's, thats why I am asking. I figured with the turn over rate that it would have enough o2

[linuxrulesusa]

It would be kinda useless to be honest. The pump you use for a return should be creating enough to put enough oxygen in the water. Well how big of a pump are we talking?

Mag 7

I knew there will be a big turn over rate on the water, it just sounded like I needed more o2 in system

Maybe I will add a pump and put a led bubble wall in the back for the looks and effects

Where did you hear you needed more O2? 

I dont have one air pump in any of my tanks.  They are not needed with good filtration.

One of the you tube video's, thats why I am asking. I figured with the turn over rate that it would have enough o2

Youtube videos are like online news sites. Sometimes there's good info, and sometimes people are just making it up as they go along.    No followup videos on the bad ones e.g. pacu + guppies = mayhem. 

[danielratti]

Your going up what maybe 5 feet at the most for the return so it will being you down to like 550 650 give or take some gph on a 90 gallon you will be good. Oxygen would be coming from when the water comes down the tower into r wetdry this will help create more oxygen for the bacterica is the biomedia and oxygen for in the tank as well.

[RichE]

Thanks for all the help, I have it put together and getting ready to add water:) Here's to no leaks