Algae Turf Scrubber

I wouldn't get such a small sump for an 80. Remember when the power goes off, the display will drain some and that will be a huge percentage of a tote that size. I'd look on craigslist for an aquarium. You can always find 55s for cheap. They're also only $55 bucks at Peco during the dollar per gallon sales but one ended recently.

You won't need any kind of filter with a good size sump either, unless you completely overstock your tank. I personally just filled my 37 with dry rock and my nitrates are at 0 whenever I do the monthly 25-30% water change. You also could put walls in the sump for certain flow paths, especially if you have a skimmer.

 

The size of the overflow determines how much water drains into the sump but you definitely need a little wiggle room.I have run 10 gallon sumps on tanks larger then 120 with no issues.Adding an empty sump will just dilute nutrients.Not remove them.

 

I feed twice daily but my roomate feeds more often since she believes the fish are hungry, I have tried to tell her many time please don't feed them.

Here's the biggest piece of the problem. They will eat almost all the food you put in there. I have a number of fish I've had for about 2 years that I feed once a day. Sometimes I skip a day. Sometimes I over feed and they look a bit fat. I know it isn't ideal, especially for tangs, but it works for my schedule and they seem fine. I don't think you are overstocked, just overfeeding.

 

@Flaring Afro, there is no way I could fit a 55 under the tank, would be impossible to get it there with out dismantling the stand.

Also the sump would have the ATS on the top if that is okay to do.

 

If you are feeding 2x daily, plus room mate feeding on top of that, that's fine as long as the total amount of food per day is controlled. I have found that most marine fish can go on alternate day feedings, with the occasional 3-day stretch. So consider that.

But more importantly, how much are you feeding your tank, in total, on an average daily basis? Try to figure out amounts: cube from a cube tray, # of pellets (and size/brand of pellet), number of pinches of flake food, # of nori sheets, etc. Whatever fits best. This is important to know.

Yes, that's fine.

On the sump itself, got a pic of the area you have to work with? If you have an existing tank on a stand, might be tough to get anything in there.

 

Here is a pic for you.

Sorry it took so long and he pic is not the best.

 

good enough

looks like a very tight space for anything. Maybe you could fit a 30 long in there without tearing it down, but I would go measure one then mock one up from a cardboard box and see if you can get it in there. Otherwise I would say use a 20 gallon tank, there are a couple different sizes of that, maybe even a 15 gallon might do the job. You just have to figure up how much volume the sump will operate at, then how much will draw down out of the tank, and make sure it can't overflow.

I also asked about feeding, let me know on that...

 

Sorry haha, 2 pinches of flake a day, and every other day maybe a a quarter of a raw shrimp cut up.

 

That's not a ton of food. A pretty small scrubber should handle it. I usually recommend a 2 cube/day size as a minimum, just because going smaller doesn't really save you much on parts (and actually can be harder to make work). So a 4x6 screen, 5x5, 6x6, etc. The quick and dirty way is to us a couple of 23-25W CFL floodlights (no reflector needed), those can cover up to a 6x6 screen pretty decently enough, then you just need a slot pipe and a pump. Maybe some spray protection. should be able to fit one in a 20g tank no problem. But I guess first, find out what you can fit in there.

 

yeah, i second the advice to put as large of a sump that will fit under your tank. make it a refugium to run and you wont need to worry about any of those feedings.