Starting from scratch, Brand new tank set up. Sump questions...

[Ellie91]

I need help solving nitrate issue in current tank and setting up a new tank/sump to switch everyone to.

I currently have a 5 month old tank. It is a 20 gallon set up with established water, 1/2-1 inch deep live sand,15lb live rock, heater&therm,single blue strip led, with penguin combo filter skimmer for a 75 gal (this was the biggest mistake, i listened to lfs clerk and didnt do my own homework) I currently have a tomato clown,turbo snail,2 tiny baby hermits. I test water 2x a week and do 20% water change once a week parameters are High range ph 8.2,ammonia 0ppm,nitrite oppm, nitrate 160ppm.... cant get thoughs nitrates down, I also have cyano iv been battling for 2 months, I am using salt and ro water from a lfs(i have tested there water for nitrates). Used chemiclean and it looked like it worked for a week, but nope.... I am trying to lower nitrates and kick the cyano, tanks getting gross and no sand cleaners have survived with nitrate levels...the snails not very smart & he loves the powerhead.

I am switching to a 29 gal previously terrarium for iguana, im resiliconing it and building a strong stand. I am making a sump, however i am complelty confused by the skimmer. I was planning on using a 20 gallon aquarium drilled, sponge & carbon, mangroves& live rock & dry sand substrate, 1000 gph pump. I have no idea what to do with skimmer.. inside sump,outside sump, how big?I know absolutly nothing, iv been trying to research but its over my head...

Any advice on current tank or especially my work in progress tank/sump is highly appreciated.

** Also how do i keep water in pump area from getting stagnit, our FW cichlid tank sump in output area if filmy and gross i usually use the net to skim off the top of it.

[Bedlamer]

First off, welcome to the Box. Secondly this should have gone into the salt water section of the forum--mods could you move it maybe?
Thirdly, I'm sorry you did not get a response in over 3 weeks. My initial tips are these...

If you are referring to a return pump a 1000 gph pump is way way to big for your proposed set up. You want to give the water in your sump some dwell time. Two rules of thumb are to match it to your skimmer capacity or in the range of 3 to 5 turn overs of tank volume per hour. When selecting a pump I would look for one that was rated quiet by reviewers.

As a general rule you tend to see in sump skimmers on small to medium tanks. As the tanks get to the large to huge size you see more outside the sump skimmers. The advantage of outside the sump is that the heat from the motor doesn't heat your water. The disadvantage is if it overflows, it can cause a mess. You should try to get a skimmer one size bigger in capacity than the rated capacity for your tank. You'll have to choose between a regular skimmer and a re-circulating skimmer--I used to know the pros and cons off of the top of my head but I've forgotten--I guess you can google that up as well as me--lol. Look for a skimmer that is well reviewed, easy to clean and quiet.

I would skip the sponge and carbon, and use filter socks and purigen for the same purpose if you needed a media to take color out of the water for some reason. The socks are easy to swap out a couple of times a week, and it exports waste from the system, so it may reduce your nitrate levels. I would also consider getting some SeaChem Matrix or Pond Matrix, pour it in a mesh bag and throw it in your sump. Some people have had good success with it lowering nitrates over time. Instead of mangroves which don't grow all that fast I would go with either Caulerpa in the center section of your tank, or if you are a little handy you can do a DIY algal scrubber. --I would probably wait and see if the regular sock changes and Matrix don't knock your nitrate numbers first.

What are you using for in tank propeller pumps? Having a decent amount of flow keeps detritus in suspension, off of your rocks sand beds, and hopefully into your filter socks.

By stagnant in your return area of your FW set up--do you mean an oily film occurs there maybe? On your SW set up the skimmer should be exporting a lot of that crud for you. If it was a problem in either setup a small air stone, should break that up for you. Please post a note in the thread if you have actually read this. When I answer questions in these old threads I wonder sometimes if I'm just talking to myself. lol Anyways, I hope this helps you.

[Bedlamer]

With the cyano out break it is common in young tanks. Your live rock may have not been fully cured or maybe you have low flow in the tank. The most likely explanation may be lack of effective skimming. Here is a link to an article from 1997, but is well written http://netclub.athiel.com/cyano/cyanos2.htm .

[Bedlamer]

If you have been doing weekly 20% water changes and have a low bio-load as you describe--my next question is what test kit are you using? They are all not created equal. I would take a sample at home, test it, and then bring a water sample to a LFS that uses a different kit and compare the results. The Salifert test kit is considered one of the optimum test kits for nitrates available to hobbyists.

http://www.marinedepot.com/Salifert_Nitrate_Test_Kit_Nitrate_Test_Kits_for_Saltwater_Aquariums-Salifert-SF1129-FITKNA-vi.html