More Newbie Questions...

[CharAznable]

I have a 150 gallon display tank and a 3 chamber 45 gallon sump tank in the basement. Currently I am cycling my live rock. I am getting a lot of microbubbles in my display tank and a god head of foam in my sump due to the speed of the drains. I am planning on adding more sand so that it can be a DSB system, growing Chaeto in the sump, and getting an external Protein Skimmer for the basement sump. My questions are:

1. Do I need deep sand beds in both tanks since my sump will effectively be a refugarium?

2. Should I use bio balls in the drain and return chambers of the sump to eliminate the micro bubbles? What about adding on sock filter(s)? In te "500 Ways to Be a Better Saltwater Fishkeeper book, it suggests using bioballs for a refugarium sump but not for DSB sumps.

[marduc]

1) No

2) baffles just prior to the main tank return will alleviate the microbubbles, the foam is not too troublesome, this is effectively the same process as which your skimmer works, possibly try allowing your return to be below the sump water surface to alleviate it though. No bioballs, they will be a nitrate factory.

[CharAznable]

1. So should I limit the DSB to the display tank or the sump?

2. Do you have any more info about how I would set up the baffles?

[papagimp]

Agreed with marduc.

I keep a filter sock for my 75g, I'll get microbubbles without it, not bad, but only utilized half the baffles i need due to size restraints on the sump. Instead of bioballs in a sump, just use rubble rock or more live rock, will be far better and help the system a bit.

for your second set of questions:

1) I'd probably go with both myseflf, the more DSB the merrier IMO, but either or would work just fine. many prefer in the refugium or a remote located deep sand bed so their display doesn't have 4-6" of space taken up with just sand. I like the sandbed in the display though since i enjoy staring at worms as much as corals, go figure.

2) just look up making a bubble trap set of baffles in the DIY forums, pretty standard set of 3 baffles allowing the water to flow under one, over the next, and back under the 3rd. Allows for the microbubbles to escape without them traveling all the way back to the display. Somebody got a link to a nice photo of this?

[marduc]

The dsb will function better in the display due to more surface area, but if you consider that an eyesore (I dislike display dsb's), a remote one will still help some.

look here for sump/baffle details (http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html)