What should I do with my sump?

[tebstan]

I’m wondering what I should do with my sump. My goal is to have some macro algae growing decent enough to keep my pod population growing once a dragonet is added to the tank. I started with a pretty good clump of chaeto, but it slowly disappeared. I assume it withered away because it didn’t get good flow. My sump won’t be able to support a rolling ball of chaeto, and I was worried about it getting sucked against the return pump, so I put it in an eggcrate box. The box was the death of most of my chaeto.

I have no sand in the sump either, again worried it would end up in the return, or the skimmer pump. I do have a bunch of live rock rubble instead.

I can’t replace any equipment I have, and I can’t move the skimmer anywhere else. So what are my options?

1) Should I wrap my skimmer intake in filter fiber to keep the chaeto out, and then let the chaeto go wild in there?

2) Do I really need to take out the bio balls? If so, what should I put there? I’m worried without them the waterfall sound will be outrageous. Would live rock rubble piled in there be of any use, if it’s exposed to that much air?

3) Is there something other than chaeto that might be better for my situation? I was thinking of switching to caulerpa prolifera.

4) I have an 18” 15w fluorescent bulb with 7% UV (meant for reptiles) haphazardly draped across the top of the sump, on a reverse photoperiod. I’m thinking of switching to submersible LEDs. How much wattage/how many LED bulbs would suffice?

This is the kind of sump I have:

http://www.petsolutions.com/images/100/15919000.jpg

It’s 25x13.5x17
The skimmer pump is in the main chamber in the middle, there’s really no where else to put it.

[allan]

The one thing I've learned fro my attempts at chaeto is that if it isn't bouncing around in a current (I don't like this method) or my way which is to run all the water through the mass as a filter. Grows like crazy.

Of course this probably doesn't help. Did u eggcrate the chaeto, or the pump? I would recommend the latter to give more space for the chaeto.

[Europhyllia]

My cheato doesn't tumble but it's growing really well. Two things: nutrients and light.
As for the pods: dosing a pod friendly phyto will help a great deal with pod population in the DT (and sump)
As for the dragonet: make sure it accepts frozen food before releasing it into the DT. You never know what may happen to your pod population. It's a little risky to depend on that alone.