Neebie needs some advice

[JAMR]

I have a 75gal tank (only fish right now) that I am wanting to and coral to. Right now I have a canister filter and T5s. I am wanting to switch over to a sump but the tank I have does not have a built in overflow.

So to get a sump running (DIY sump made out of old 27 gal tank with 3 baffles, a skimmer, and a return pump) how do I match up the skimmer to the retrun pump. The skimmer I am getting is an OCT NWB-110 with a OTP 1000 pump witha flow of 250gph. So what return pump (would like a in the sump return pump) would match this skimmer?

Also will a T5 light be ok for mushrooms and zoas? Right now the light is a four bulb set up running 2 10,000k whites and 2 460nm actinic blues. Should I upgrade to a MH or LED or could adding another T5 set up work with these corals?

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions.

[seapug]

The skimmer pump and return pump are two unrelated things. You just need to make sure your return pump is not too weak or two powerful for your overflow box. If it's too strong, you will overflow the display because water won't be able to drain as fast as it is pumped in. If it's too slow, you can lose siphon in a HOB overflow box. It's generally a good idea to buy a slightly overpowered return pump and install a ball valve on the output so you can increase or decrease the output as needed.

Your concern with the skimmer pump is just that it's powerful enough to effectively process the volume of the tank. The one you are looking it is adequate for a 75 gallon tank.

As for your light, it should be fine for what you want to keep, but an upgrade to MH or a larger T5 or high powered LED might be something to think about down the line.

[JAMR]

Thanks like I said I am new to this and I thought since the skimmer was pulling water I needed to match the gph to a return pump in order to keep it from flooding. But it makes sense that I match it to the overflow. Sorry for the dumb questions just trying to make sure I get the right stuff.

You said my light would be ok, but I was worried that it would not be enough for the zoas. Would running two 4 bulb 48" lights set up the samee work good or should I take away 1 white and add 1 more blue to help make the zoas standout?