Filtration and sumps and lighting

[Kilich]

I'm trying to make This 30 gal bowfront a salt water tank.

I'm thinking about just running without a sump for the cycle. I have a few different questions.

What is the most basic way of doing a sump, like an over flow hang on the back one? I don't have any knowledge on sumps.

How often will I have to do water exchanges with sump and without one.

If I have a 30 gal tank can I have a 30 gal sump?

Can a sump be a refugium? if not what are the differences?

Finally what's some affordable lighting? The tank is prob 24 inches high ish

Thanks :p

[papagimp]

I'm trying to make This 30 gal bowfront a salt water tank.

I'm thinking about just running without a sump for the cycle. I have a few different questions.

What is the most basic way of doing a sump, like an over flow hang on the back one? I don't have any knowledge on sumps.

A HOB overflow or a drilled tank, they both accomplish the same thing. A drilled tank is "safer" but the concept is almost identical.Both gravity feed water to your sump, and a return pump in the sump pushes water back to your display, where it repeats the cycle all over.

How often will I have to do water exchanges with sump and without one.

Depends on how often it is needed, but i'd expect once a week to once every two weeks. Possibly more often if the water quality doesn't stay up to par. Each tank is different but as you progress you'll figure out soon enough how often you should be doing them.

If I have a 30 gal tank can I have a 30 gal sump?

The bigger the sump the better. More water volume is a massive benefit. It gives you a larger 'margin of error' with your water parameters. go as big as you can afford and maintain.

Can a sump be a refugium? if not what are the differences?

Most definatly yes. A sump is nothing more than added water volume giving you a place to put equipment so it's not in the display portion of your system. A refugium incorporates a separated portion of the system where you can do several things, the main you'll see is giving your tank a spot where micro-life, pods, creepy crawlers and the like can flourish and provide your tank with added food, better water quality through extra filtration, a place for macro algae to help with nutrient exportation. stuff like that. Refugium is top notch and will only benefit your system.

Finally what's some affordable lighting? The tank is prob 24 inches high ish

Get an idea of what type of livestock you want to keep first. Fish won't care about your lights but the corals (most of which will be photosynthetic) rely on the lighting to allow a parasitic type of algae in their tissues to flourish, and thus providing the coral with a food source. It's a symbiotic relationship. Some corals (softies) can handle very low lighting such as PC's, but then LPS will want higher lighting, and SPS will want even more. Then their are other photosythetic invertabrates such as anemones and clams and whatnot that also have specific lighting requirements. I like the t5 HO lights myself, as they suit my LPS/SPS tendencies.

Thanks :p

it's what we do :) your welcome

[joseatmc]

I have a follow up question on sumps...should the sump lighting be on a cycle like the DT? or should it be on 24/7?