Akida17th
Well-Known Member
your bioballs don't need to be replaced by anything since you have already live rock so once you purchase your sump just get rid of that wet dry system, they are utilized for aquariums that DO NOT have live rock so you can cultivate a biological filtration using the bio balls. Your live rock is your primary source for biological filtration. In your sump is where you want mechanical filtration to take over such as a skimmer and filter socks plus you can add a refugium partition if you desire and/or media reactors also. I wouldn't run a saltwater tank without a protein skimmer ever. Look into buying a new sump and protein skimmer as this will make your experience so much better trust me, it's worth it. Without a skimmer and with bio balls you are going to run into nutrient problems which are going to cause all kinds of algae issues plus a skimmer gives you some extra o2 in the tank from the air exchange. If you want a really nice built custom sump contact custom king on Manhattan Reefs if interested. For your size tank I'd go with a decent skimmer such as a reef octopus 6" which won't break your pocket as much as the higher end skimmers will or you can find a nice used skimmer such as a Vertex Omega or whatever you prefer. Read some articles because the skimmer is the most important piece of equipment on a saltwater tank in my opinion, excluding live rock which is THE most important imo. Good luck and hope this helps you.
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