next step ?

[irish904]

This is my 55 gallon its been up for about 5 months I have 2 clowns about 50 pounds of live rock just added 3 peppermint shrimp. I know that the filter/skimmer combo I have is the bare min. I am leaning towards a canister filter and a hang on skimmer and suggestions or tips would be appreciated

 

[Entacmaea]

Hey Irish, I would probably skip the canister filter and instead invest that money in a sump set-up. You have a few more options in terms of which skimmer to get if you go with a sump set-up. If you can't install a sump, get the best HOB skimmer, and still skip the canister filter- your LR is the basis for your biological filtration, and the canister will just be a pain, and trap detritus. I don't have any experience with HOB skimmers personally, so perhaps someone else can chime in. Aqua-C Remora Pro, or CPR BakPak are some HOB skimmers that come to mind...

 

[Entacmaea]

Oh, and welcome to reefs.org!!!

 

[irish904]

does anyone have any good links to sump diagrams/pics and info ?

 

[Brian5000]

This is a pic of my sump. This is about as simple as it can possibly get:

Drain hose from the display above

Protein skimmer with pump sitting in the sump

Submerged return pump

Look up the construction logs of tanks int the "member's specifications" part of the forum. You'll find lots of examples of baffles, refugiums, closed loops, reactors and other things that often go down there.
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[irish904]

what size sump should i start out with for my 55

 

[Entacmaea]

Hey there, I would start out with the largest sump you can possibly fit in your stand (or you can plumb it to your basement as well). The larger the better, in general, as it will increase the total water volume in your system.

Here is a website with some plans to choose from:

http://ozreef.org/diy_plans/tank/sump.html

and another:

http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

You can either use a glass aquarium, and add dividers (using anything from glass, to acrylic sheet, to plastic cutting boards siliconed in place). If you would really like the best solution, you can make one out of acrylic, which is great because you can drill it for bulkheads. Or you can buy an already made acrylic sump, but they are expensive. I order all my acrylic from www.usplastic.com, or you can go to a local glass shop which sometimes has acrylic, or is you have a Tap Plastic near you, they will have everything you need. If you have access to some tools (table saw and a drill) working with acrylic is pretty easy, once you know the basics- Just Google "working with acrylic".

Hope that helps.

Best, Peter