Need help setting up first marine aquarium

[jaimeedwards]

I just got a used marine tank setup and need some advice getting it all set up. I received a Oceanic 58G tank and stand, Berlin Protein Skimmer, Wet/dry filter, Fluval 3 pump, 2 Rio 2100 pumps and vented light hood with 2 ultralight bulbs (FR20T12) and 1 Super Actinic VH01 bulb. I would like to get this setup and start a reef. The tank/equipment is disassembled and I wanted some advice plumbing and getting everything setup correctly to start the tank cycling.

1) The tank has a built in wall/overflow skimmer in the back corner. The separation wall has skimmer groves in the top as well as 3 horizontal grooves about 3 inches up from the bottom. The intake standpipe is perforated with cylindrical foam pieces over it for simple mech. filtration. I assume I plumb the intake standpipe to the top of the bio chamber in the trickle filter. My concern is that with the the slits so far down in the separator wall and the perforated standpipe, it would seem that a power loss would result in a draining of the tank down to the last 3 inches. Am I missing something. I was considering changing the standpipe to a solid pipe with the intake further up. Is this a good idea, is there a better solution, or am I wrong?

2) The trickle filter has the bio chamber. Then the other chamber is separated into 3 sections separated by egg crate. The 3rd and last section is larger and I assume would house any pumps. What goes into the first 2 sections (they are about 2 inches wide?) Would I put filter material here?

Also I have not used a trickle filter before, how do you keep the gravity feed inflow rate and pumped outflow rate the same?

3) Where is the best place to install the protein skimmer. Should I draw out of and flow back into the last chamber (where the pump back to the tank is?)

4) One of these Rio pumps looks unused. However, I assume this setup would have had to have 2 pumps (1 for the protein skimmer and 1 for the tank return.) The rio is a submersible pump and it makes sense this set in the wet/dry sump. Would it make sense to run a submersible pump (2100)to the throughhead and up to the tank or maybe there was an external pump to go back to the tank that I did not get. What would you recommend.

Would you expect the Fluval filter to sit within the tank to cycle water? Is there any reason you would put this in the sump?

I know this is a lot of information with very little info but I really appreciate any help you can offer!

Thanks in advance.

Jaime

[hobogato]

1. yes, you may want to change to a different standpipe or block the grooves at the bottom by gluing an acrylic patch on the inside of the overflow.

2. the water will only flow back to the sump as the level in the tank rises from the return pump, so you should not have to worry about the drain outpacing the return pump.

3. if you have the skimmer output in the return area, and the allows any microbubbles to leave in the drain water they will get pumped right into the display, so i would put the skimmer intake in the return area and the skimmer drain into the first so the filter material you put in the small sections will help take out the microbubbles.

4. from what you have described, you could use one rio for the skimmer and one for the return, just be aware that people (including me) have had issues with older rio pumps burning up and contaminating their tanks or shocking them. not sure what kind of fluval filter you are talking about, but if it is a canister filter, you could run it in a loop in the tank or the sump.

[jaimeedwards]

Thanks for the quick reply!!!

1) I was considering both of these. Thanks for the suggestion
2) I think I understand this but only after you make the change suggested in #1, agreed. As it is today, you would have this problem, agree? (Which makes me more confused on why this was originally setup this way with the slits cut down low.)
3) Great point! Thanks.
4) That was my default thought with the Rio pumps. What pump do you recommend for better reliability?

Sorry about not being clear. The Fluval is a Fluval 3 underwater cannister filter. Not sure if this was permanently installed in the tank or not.

[erikharrison]

Jaime, WELCOMEEEEEEEEEEEE TO MAAST!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ace, you forgot your manners! :rofl: