new to saltwater

[padlock 09]

sorry i didnt get back earlier but my broadband was down. yes i will research all the species i mentioned and thanks for the advice on the cc. As to the above diagram has the refugium a pump running water to it and then overflow back to the main tank? Is the sump just powered by 2 powerheads and is the ato gravity powered or using a water level switch?

[Seige]

sorry i didnt get back earlier but my broadband was down.

No problem. ;-)

yes i will research all the species i mentioned and thanks for the advice on the cc.

Excellent. Remember to post lists to the board so you can get advised on your selections. Make sure you include type and quantity you intend to get. Some fish do better in pairs. Others not so much.

As to the above diagram has the refugium a pump running water to it and then overflow back to the main tank?

Yes since the refugium is above the main tank it needs a pump.

If the refugium was below the main tank you could split the main tank overflow so part of it go's to the refugium instead of the sump and then have the refugium overflow go to the sump. This would remove the need for that 1 pump. You would need to add a valve so you could adjust the flow rate to the refugium.

Is the sump just powered by 2 powerheads and is the ato gravity powered or using a water level switch?

Not sure what you're referring to. My main tank has 2 Koralia 3's shown in the diagram facing each other from either end of the tank.

My sump will have 1 wet/dry 500 g/h pump that returns water to the main tank at approx 300 g/h. You will need a higher flow rate around 900 g/h at the tank. The actual pump rating will depend on the height difference between return pump in the sump and the top of the main tank. Likely around 1200 g/h. Once you get the water up to the tank you can use any number of heads or spray bars to spread the flow however you like. Just make sure that you have syphon breaks so you don't syphon back down to the sump if you have a power outage.

The sump contains a 2nd smaller pump for the skimmer unit. Your skimmer can be within the sump (more cleaning but less worry about leaks), or on the side of the sump. Make sure your skimmer is the right model for how you want to set it up and can handle your tank volume. Ask on the forum because their isn't an industry standard for skimmer ratings.

is the ato gravity powered or using a water level switch?

ATO will need a float valve (see Float valve - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). It won't need a pump or any electrical switches as long as it's above the sump so gravity can do the work. It's all handled by a mechanical float valve. The link describes a copper or rubber float, I'd probably use plastic instead but I need to research what's safe to use for the float in an aquarium since some plastics can leach toxins.


oh one other note. Make sure when you get your sand that it's not Aragonite crushed coral. You want finer Aragonite sand for your sand bed. Not sure if I was clear about that earlier.

Watch your prices. One of my LFS sells equipment for 40-50% less then the others. It's a 2 hour drive but it's worth it.

[Seige]

One more note... In the diagram the overflow from the refugium could go either to the main tank or to the sump.

Couple reasons why it's better to overflow back to the main tank if the refugium pump is in the main tank.

1. If the overflow went to the sump you'd have the possibility of overflowing the sump if the sump return pump stops.
2. If you have nutrients growing in the refugium they get fed directly to the main tank without being filtered off by the skimmer.

If your refugium is below the main tank you can overflow directly to the "return section" of the sump so the skimmer doesn't filter the added nutrients.

[Seige]

Any update? Have you selected your potential fish yet?