Sump question for 75 gallon, 220 gallon setup

[jaschreck]

Hi there,

I am new to the forum and have enjoyed reading the many threads thus far. I was hoping to get to get some specific help on my current 75 gallon FOWLR setup. I have about 100 pounds of live rock in the tank itself and I have a sump that has a large compartment of bio balls and protein skimmer. I have been reading that many have switched from bio balls in the sump to strictly live rock and I wanted to know if I could simply add live rock to the sump and keep the bio balls too. Will that help the tank or should I try something else? Also, I am hoping to add 220 gallon FOWLR in the next 6 months and switch the 75 to a reef tank over time. Can a first floor concrete slab hold both tanks in the same room? Any input is appreciated!

[reefhead728]

As far a the concrete slab goes you could hold that and alot more. just make sure they are level.

BTW WELCOME TO REEFLAND

[metalhead]

Hi there,

I am new to the forum and have enjoyed reading the many threads thus far. I was hoping to get to get some specific help on my current 75 gallon FOWLR setup. I have about 100 pounds of live rock in the tank itself and I have a sump that has a large compartment of bio balls and protein skimmer. I have been reading that many have switched from bio balls in the sump to strictly live rock and I wanted to know if I could simply add live rock to the sump and keep the bio balls too. Will that help the tank or should I try something else? Also, I am hoping to add 220 gallon FOWLR in the next 6 months and switch the 75 to a reef tank over time. Can a first floor concrete slab hold both tanks in the same room? Any input is appreciated!

If you're on a good slab (at least 6'' thick reinforced) you shouldn't have to worry about footings for anything less than 10k pounds or so... of course this is assuming the weight is distributed proportionally and so on and so forth. You shouldn't have any worries with the amount of weight you're dealing with though by a long shot.

As far as the bio-balls... Probably not "as-bad" in a FOWLR system and some would argue in their favor still I'm sure especially regarding heavy bio-loads.

I've got a reef tank so I can't really provide any concrete opinion in your case other than to say I've seen several reef systems with trickle filters and all of them had algae/nitrate problems. I also have used trickle filters full of bio-balls myself in various freshwater applications over the years with very good results... So who's to say?

IMHO.. With the amount of live-rock you have I'd guess that you probably don't need the bio-balls or a wet-dry type filter at all, other than maybe a ATS, unless you're running at a very heavy bio-load.

IIWY.. I'd let it ride for now, if you start having problems with algae build-up or elevated nitrates later then look to the trickle/balls first and remove them gradually, not all at once.

[berkdog]

IMHO.. With the amount of live-rock you have I'd guess that you probably don't need the bio-balls or a wet-dry type filter at all, other than maybe a ATS, unless you're running at a very heavy bio-load.

What's an ATS?

[reefplayground]

ats = algae turf scrubber

Btw, i've seen several pretty well designed and looking reef systems w/ wet-dry filters. In my experience, the reason many ppl who use wet/dry filters on reef, do it from an upgrading stand point (they had a fo and are changing it to a reef) and its not so much the wet/dry filter thats in use, but the husbandry habits of the person who owns the tank. ie: they dont keep with the water changes on a reef, or dont bother to keep the chemistry in as well a balance, or keep using tap for water changes and not rodi. all of which will inevidably lead to waste build-up and in many cases algae problems.

You can have a wonderful reef tank with a wet/dry filter, it will simply require a different maintenance approach.

As far as "needing" more filtration, I would say you have plenty, but if you are upgrading to a larger system, it will definitely pay off to have your biological filter seeded and ready to take on a larger job.