if not bio balls what

[ricky1066]

Ok I might be repeating my original question here But I am about to make another purchase and I want to not regret what I buy. I have asked about the sump/fuge combo and in all honesty I don't think I need a fuge yet. I have a 12.5 tank with a single baffle

I was told it was too samll and I have a hob skimmer a bermuda rogue which I think it skims too wet not matter what I do ,So I think I should look for a larger sump one I could fit the or should I say the one I am going to buy(new skimmer ) in it.

Now alot i see look so simple as buying a 20 or 30 gallon tank and putting a piece of plastice as a baffle and we are set.

I also see all the stores selling them Wet/dry with BIO BALLS so why do I keep hearing they are nitrate factories then why would so many stores sell them.

they sell a bunch of sump/refugiums on ebay with everything I will attach a link are they good ? They have a refugium they are about $229 Someon onhere is looking to sell one I saw but no room for a skimmer

I need some advice because either way it is another $200 purchase?
Even though I am not sure about a fuge yet the combos seem, to be the same price with them as without them

the first one looks good and it is cheap
The second one comes with all I need
25 Gal Refugium-Sump Wet/Dry Aquarium Filter - SPECIAL - eBay (item 260221103914 end time Mar-26-08 18:00:32 PDT)



eBay Express: 75 Gallon Aquarium Sump Refugium Wet Dry Filter Bio - Description

 

[meschaefer]

Wet dry filters are useful primarily with fish only systems, where nitrates are not a problem.

Get your self the largest standard tank you can fit under your display tank. Have a glass shop cut some baffles for you and silcone them into place. Very Very easy to do, same result and a hell of a lot cheaper.

 

[ricky1066]

are the baffles glass or plastic?

 

[meschaefer]

On an acrylic sump, you should have acrylic baffles.

On a glass sump, you should have glass baffles.

The Silicone used on glass tanks, will not hold acrylic in place. Nor will the glue used for acrylic, hold glass in place.

 

[meschaefer]

Look at the bottom of this page, and you will see how I converted a glass tank into a sump. Albeit on a larger scale than you are probably looking for.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

First option: Depends on price(who knows what's the reserve is-it may not be cheap), it does look good

Second option: It looks like you do not need a second skimmer which is included in your second options.. This offerring is even smaller than the one I shown you before in another thread. How big is your current skimmer?

Pretaining to DIY baffles:

If your sump is glass, should use glass baffles if using silicone as glue

If your sump is glass, and you prefer acrylics then use E6000 glue-don't use silicone

If your sump is acrylics, use only acrylics baffles and use solvent base glue and/or E6000 glue

 

[RyanG]

If you are diligent and 1/3 to 1/2 of your bioballs weekly or buy enough extra to rotate them and they are kept clean they arent a bad thing, most peeps are just to lazy or forgetful to keep up with the maintenance.

 

[meschaefer]

If you are diligent and 1/3 to 1/2 of your bioballs weekly or buy enough extra to rotate them and they are kept clean they arent a bad thing, most peeps are just to lazy or forgetful to keep up with the maintenance.

They really have no place in a reef tank. They have no added benefit to the system.

Their only function is to break down ammonia and nitrite into nitrates, which is easily handled by live rock. Furthermore, the live rock has bacteria which break down nitrate into nitrogen, which evaporates out of the system. When the ammonia and nitrite are broken down by the rock, the resulting nitrates are easily accessible to the anaerobic bacteria to be broken down further. When bioballs are used for this purpose, the resulting nitrite is no where near anaerobic bacteria resulting in an inefficient conversion ratio, whereby nitrates rise.

 

[ricky1066]

I keep being told that my skimmer is not good it is hob and I would rather put one in the sump so that is why I pointed to the second one .The first one looks good but the price seems to be the same $40 whichis cheap

I can probabaly get a another skimmer or use mine in the sump Correct.

I hate to keep asking the same question I just am tired of buying things then hearing oh that is not good so I would rather ask 5 times before I buy.

The first one looks good to me second onei s full of stuff ?
confused

 

[ricky1066]

<y skimmer is the bermuda rogue Sorry

 

[meschaefer]

The first option looks like a good deal, for that price. He really does not give a whole lot of information about it, but I would expect that the price will climb significantly higher as the end of bidding approaches. I wouldn't use the bio balls that are in it.

The second option, is overpriced in my mind because it looks like you are paying a lot for items that I wouldn't use. You don't need or want the skimmer, or pumps that comes with it. You will need to replace them. On top of that, the sump itself (the only useable component) looks like nothing more than a standard tank that has had some glass baffles glued into it. You can build that yourself, (it's so easy a caveman could do it), for a whole lot less money.