Which skimmer to use for my Oceanic sump

[brian_V]

I am trying to set up my 175 Oceanic RR tank that also features the Oceanic Model 3 RR sump. Here is a picture of what my sump look like (top part of the picture, the one with the pipes and sump accessories right above it)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v645/bqv1019/153oceanic_sumps.jpg

The Bioballs chamber with the filter pads is the black chamber right below the 2 bulkheads on the top lid where water from the tank will drain into. I am also planning to put sand and live rock in the middle part of the sump, and also thinking of maybe adding a skimmer in here too, not sure if this is a good idea or which is a good skimmer to place here...Water will goes from the bioball chamber into the middle part where I plan to put some live rock, sand and skimmer, then will pass by the separation wall (half the height of the sump) into an empty chamber with 2 bulkheads at the bottom of the side wall (with 2 round prefilter connected to the bulk heads). The 2 bulkheads are connected to the 2 intake pipes of my Seq 3600 pumps.
My question is where should the skimmer be placed properly, in sump or out of sump. I am thinking of maybe putting the skimmer ahead of the bioball chamber so that water drained from the tank will have to enter the skimmer first then will be pumped from the skimmer back over the top to the sump (2 bulkheads on top corner), but not sure how it can be done or if it's a good idea or not.
My next question is what kind of skimmer should be good for my sump. I am open to all suggestion here b/c I don't know too much about skimmers...
Thanks in advance for your help...

[brian_V]

bump...Please help me, any advice would be welcome...

[Zoom]

Is this a reef tank?

[Maxxumless]

An ASM G-4 for a regular FOWLR/Reef or an ASM G-4x if you plan on going full SPS in the future. If it is only going to be a fish only tank (better be sure) then you can probably get away with just a G-3.

As far adding live rock to the sump, in your case I do not believe it is necessary. The primary reason people do this is to add to the bio filtration in smaller tanks where a lot of rock will just not fit into the main display aquarium. The second is to silence (or take advantage of) wet/dry filters which would make a lot of noise otherwise. But in your case you will likely have more than 150 pounds of rock and if you choose to use a sand bed then you will have plenty of surface area for more bio filtration. Adding more to the sump IMO would just add to the complexity of upkeep. If you plan on keeping SPS down the road then you might also think about going with a bare bottom tank too.

As for the setup of the sump I do not have any personal experience with this sump nor do I know what may work best in your situation without a lot more details about the stand, what you want to accomplish and how much effort you are willing to put in on all the plumbing and electrical work – all of which play a large role in setting up a nice under tank filtration system.

[Reefologist]

I have this sump. I use a euro-reef cs12-1. It barely fits,but it does. I removed the black tower ,as it eats up too much real estate. My sump sits next to my tank for now. Honestly I wish I had bought a larger sump. Live and learn. Good luck & happy reefing....

[Reefologist]

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/583/42456CS12-1_Skimmer.jpg Here is a pic. I siliconed the top intake glass down. Then used identical hoses and extended the intake below the surface inside the sump(to silence it)It gets rid of the splashing sound.

[brian_V]

Thanks for the replies. So if the best option is to put the skimmer in the sump then there is no need for adding additional rocks or sand in the sump.
Reefologist, that skimmer is huge, must have cost you alot... Can you explained further the setup, plumbing for the skimmer, what are those plastic tubing, is it for air for the skimmer ? I have heard good things about EuroReef but the main draw back is the price. I am wondering if the ASM G3 or G4 is a cheaper and comparable alternative, even though the EuroReef will still be better in performance but not by too much I hope...

[Reefologist]

Yes the plastic tubes are for the skimmer air intake. I wouldn't put any rocks or sand in the sump. If you want to do a refugium, use a small drilled tank. The water level isn't very high in the oceanic sump and there is no way to adjust it, The water level is perfect for most skimmers(even your asm). Hope this helps....good luck

[brian_V]

Thanks a bunch, Reefologist and everyone. I will continue to do some more researching on the EuroReef and ASM skimmers...