sump question

[Poor Boy]

im trying to work with what i have without spending any money... heh. what would be the best way to set up the sump?

what you cant see is around 7-8lbs of live rock. i also want to keep the sump livable for copepods.

San Antonio-20140418-00707.jpg

[Mr Cob]

You could convert that first chamber with the media to a macro algae fuge. I would remove the bio balls, egg crate and the black sponge and load it up with chaeto. You will need to keep that larger white sponge in place and add a pre filter to your return pump to keep organics from being sent back to the display or clogging your pump.

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[Mr Cob]

And add a ligjt over that section. The area with the return pump looks like a good place to add a skimmer but only one that does not produce a lot of micro bubbles since you don't have a bubble trap.
Also...If you have the ability to purchase a precut piece of glass/acrylic you could add a couple baffles to create a mini fuge in between the return pump and the bio ball section. I have done this before on an operating sump by adding silicone or some sort of rubber edging to create a snug fit....you don't have a lot of water pressure in that area so it could be easy to implement.

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