Sump equipment recommendations

[abagail]

Hello! So I have had my tank up and running for a year and a half now and im finally deciding I want to dip my toes in the water of upgrading the equipment for my sump. For context I bought this tank used and the guy didnt give a ton of information on anything besides how to filter and such. I have already decided im getting new bio balls because he had a giant bag of those and what im assuming is crushed coral (??) mixed into it and it is by far the biggest pain to clean as it weighs a ton. With that being said I am going to attach a photo of what the setup looks like now (its dirty I know). All suggestions of things I should add / change are welcome. Also feel free to explain why I should add / or change said things thank you!

 

[dedragon]

The guy I got the tank off of said he had it running for 8 or 9 years I believe so who knows really how long the UV sterilizer has been in use.

I dont run UV but i think the bulbs need to be changed out about every year, so i dont know if it is doing much if it hasnt been changed

 

[dedragon]

It is literally just bio balls mixed with crushed coral

That is a nitrate factory, I would dispose of all of it especially if you have a good amount of live rock and sand in the display. You could pull the whole sump out for a couple of days (as long as you have good water flow inside of the display) and silicone some baffles in place. Super cheap and pretty easy to do. There is also the option of buying a new sump like those from trigger systems or bashsea. Sumps with baffles are pretty much a necessity for a protein skimmer unless you have a very good ato that keeps the level absolutely stable in the sump (most will fluctuate a bit). If you want a refugium you will need something to block the macroalgae from going into the return pump.

If you want to do an easy mod and just add in a refugium you can use a hang on filter sock holder (linked below ) and lifeguard progressive filter mesh as a false wall/screen to make sure the pumps dont get clogged

Amazon product

Aquamesh Green 2 - Coarse - Lifegard

Progressive density mesh mechanical filtration system can be used as a system or separately. Aquamesh #2 is great for almost all filtration applications from capturing free floating detritus to removing microbubbles. Aquamesh #2 and #3 are the most common used. Dimensions:19.5" x 24" x 1.5"...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[abagail]

That is a nitrate factory, I would dispose of all of it especially if you have a good amount of live rock and sand in the display. You could pull the whole sump out for a couple of days (as long as you have good water flow inside of the display) and silicone some baffles in place. Super cheap and pretty easy to do. There is also the option of buying a new sump like those from trigger systems or bashsea. Sumps with baffles are pretty much a necessity for a protein skimmer unless you have a very good ato that keeps the level absolutely stable in the sump (most will fluctuate a bit). If you want a refugium you will need something to block the macroalgae from going into the return pump.

If you want to do an easy mod and just add in a refugium you can use a hang on filter sock holder (linked below ) and lifeguard progressive filter mesh as a false wall/screen to make sure the pumps dont get clogged

Amazon product

Aquamesh Green 2 - Coarse - Lifegard

Progressive density mesh mechanical filtration system can be used as a system or separately. Aquamesh #2 is great for almost all filtration applications from capturing free floating detritus to removing microbubbles. Aquamesh #2 and #3 are the most common used. Dimensions:19.5" x 24" x 1.5"...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I have no idea why I was so confused what a baffle was, but my sump does have one that is right before you get to the return pump. I really do appreciate the help is there a protein skimmer in particular you would recommend? because everyone ive seen talk about them says red sea, but I like getting opinions so its always nice to ask before blowing money on something just because its "better" according to certain people

 

[Trickman2]

I have no idea why I was so confused what a baffle was, but my sump does have one that is right before you get to the return pump. I really do appreciate the help is there a protein skimmer in particular you would recommend? because everyone ive seen talk about them says red sea, but I like getting opinions so its always nice to ask before blowing money on something just because its "better" according to certain people

As another user said if the UV bulb hasn’t been changed…might as well not run it.

 

[X-37B]

The guy I got the tank off of said he had it running for 8 or 9 years I believe so who knows really how long the UV sterilizer has been in use. I currently have been doing two small water changes a month that probably add up to about 10% or a little more. Ive had no issues with my parameters luckily since starting up. I just recently (about a month or so ago) added half the rocks I have in there. Do you have any recommendations as for equipment you personally like in terms of the things you suggested?

Skimmer Tunze 9410dc
Media filter Lifegaurd Aquatics
Tunze ATO
Rox Carbon
Phosgaurd Po4 Remover

 

[dedragon]

I have no idea why I was so confused what a baffle was, but my sump does have one that is right before you get to the return pump. I really do appreciate the help is there a protein skimmer in particular you would recommend?

Awesome, you wont have to change much in the sump. You can just take out the bioball part completely and run the hoses straight into a hang on sock if you want. There are more fancy ones as well to reduce splashing noise like this from fijicube

Fiji Cube Double 4" Quiet Filter Sock Holder 2nd Gen

New Product. Available now. Fiji Cube’s 2nd Generation Quiet Filter Sock Holders are easy-to-install filter bag holders for any sump filtration system. This innovative filter sock holder design allows water to flow through the designed chamber to reduce the noise from the drain. This sock...

www.fijicube.com

there are a lot of really good protein skimmers out there and i dont think red sea is bad, just not the best price to performace. I would go deltec or reef octopus for mid end, dc skimmers if you want the extra controllability. Tunze is great if you have room for it. If you wanted an ac pump and a little bit less expensive aquamaxx has a few options with sicce pumps, eshopps is good if you can find a deal (I have found them deeply discounted at times ). There is also much more expensive and overall best build quality like ultra reef and bubble king.
Too many good options out there. What do you want to spend on a skimmer and what footprint are you working with? Also what is the height of the sump baffles?