what do i put in the sump for a fowlr tank?

[spacenyc]

have a 120 i have been cyclinfg for about a year with varoius fish. finally decided to set an aggressive tank have a panther grouper, a tang, and a trigger, probbaly get a lionfish. have a 15 gallon sump i never hooked up on the drilled tank; so what do i put in it. i have a 6 inch sandbed in the main tank. just fill with lr or should i do cheateo also, use big rocks or rubble? do i need a light?

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

u need light but with cheato people usin different things n rocks n bigger sump a 15g for a 120 i think its to small i would go with a 50g in my opinion

 

[akma]

A skimmer to help take care of the waste.

 

[skene]

just fill with rock... considering what you are planning is a FO tank... you dont need anything crazy. You can also put in bioballs. Fish arent goin to be bothered by nitrates the way corals would be.

 

[spacenyc]

15 gallons is all my stand will allow

i thought bio balls were out even with fish only, just thought for fresh water

 

[TRIGGERMAN]

Anything can be a nitrate factory if not maintained..a regular tank, a reef ready tank, a hang on filter a canister filter, bio balls it doesn't matter. The bio balls will actually help because they collect a lot of debris n crap that flows through them. If you rinse them in tank water once a month they will not only collect stuff but hold bacteria. The same thing with a canister filter, they are great but if you don't clean it for 4 months odds are you will have a problem. I would put some LR in your sump also, rubble is fine.

 

[fishman1069]

I would go with rock rubble and a skimmer. You said you can only fit a 15 under a 120? 8 had a 20 lng under my 75 and thats 6" narrower than a 120! I would try to go bigger if possible. If you have a power failure your going to have a flood!

 

[SIReefer]

A good skimmer in sump as predators are messy & nitrates accumulate quite rapidly.

 

[nycmat]

skimmer, UV, and some rock. nothing more. dont put anything else except maybe a filter sock. thats my advice.

 

[spacenyc]

so can i use my old eheims

i have a shaped acrylic so the tank is not standard, reason only a 15 gallon. defintly using a skimmer, have a das. so can i now use my eheim again if it is only fish? thanks to everyone for feedback. what about difference between rubble and big rock? another question: does it matter if rock is submerged or if it is wet/dry style where if flows over exposing to oxygen?