Drain ---> recirculating skimmer + rdsb ?

[FlyTekk]

Hi guys im new here.

Bout to setup my 75 gallon with 40 sump for a FOWLR.

Im planning a barebottom but would like to run a dsb remotely via a bucket.

Im also considering an octopus recirc skimmer ran externally.

Im trying to save as much money as possible on electric bills (funny, i have money to burn for the tank and equipment but must watch the electricity bill cause i sure it with my roomate) hence the recirc skimmer.... run from drain.

My question is wether i can plumb a tee on the drain from the main tank and send one line to the rdsb bucket and the other with a valve (to send 1-1.5x the tank volume) to the recirc skimmer.

This way i dont need to use 2 feed pumps for each the rdsb and the skimmer.

Im assuming that both the skimmer and the rdsb will have return lines comming back into the sump where the main system pump while send it back to the main tank.

Thanx!

 

[NYreefNoob]

avoid a separate tank for the dsb, also it wont have enough surface area to really work, just go no sand at all, a recirc skimmer still has a pump on it so it really doesnt save on electric there,

 

[FlyTekk]

Why should the dsb in a seperate tank be avoided? I read on reef central alot of people are putting 10"-12" of sand in a bucket with fast water movement over it so detritus doesnt settle.

When u say no sand at all.... does this mean that i could get nitrates down some other way? I dont want a fuge or chaeto cause that would mean another light. :0) Can ALOT of live rock alone bring nitrates to zero?

I know a recirc skimmer still has a pump but i figured the wattage on a pump used to mix was alot lower than that of a pump used to feed.

Sorry for all the questions.

Thanx

 

[NYreefNoob]

A Recirc Skimmer Would Still Use The Same Pump But To Recirc The Water And Still Need To Be Feed, Having A Separate Bucket Always Leads To Potential Of A Problem, { Did It And Flooded The Floor } You Need The Surface Area Also For A Dsb, And Yes No Sand At All Alot Of The Guys Here Run Bare Bottom Systems With No Sand At All, Just Need To Keep Up On Water Changes