What to do with this sump

[NickB]

Hey guys, I showed you the tank I bought about two months ago. I moved the fish over from my JBJ cube after the cycle seemed to even out. All the fish are doing well. The softie frags i have aren't dying, but aren't really thriving either.

Anyways my question is about this sump I have. Im not really sure how best to utilize it. I had the second section full of filter cloth but my water is still cloudy and has little floaties in it everywhere. It also seems hard to clean the cloth without all the bad stuff just draining back into the sump when I pull them out. I just added the skimmer yesterday, will that help the cloudiness?

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

You could add a filter sock to inlet which would clear anything out of tank as it filters. Also blow off rock and Sandbed to remove any settling debris to water column to in turn be pulled out by the socks. Water is funny, it takes the easiest path with least resistance. If you have a small gap on the floss it will find it and flow quicker through the gaps. With the sock it will guarantee water has to pass through the mechanical filter as well as trap anything in it when you lift from the overflow section of the sump. Hope this helps.