Sump Question?

Here is an update:

I've been removing the bio balls little by little for the past 3 weeks. I've been removing about 15%-20% of bio balls per week and just added a handful of live rock rubble submerged in there. I'm hoping maybe by the end of this month, I will have all the bio balls removed from the wet/dry system. I added a 4" X 8" media bag that I filled with Matrix & Phosguard and place it in the middle of wet/dry on top of the bio balls. There is a plate off egg crate that sits about 1" to 2" above the bottom of wet/dry so I can place rubble rock on there and maybe be able to syphon bottom during water change. I still have the drip tray with filter on top to remove whatever junk is still going in, BUT I'm thinking of adding a filter sock at the front of the wet/dry and removing the drip tray? I made a filter sock holder out of plexiglass and cut out a 4" circle in middle that maybe I can place at front off wet/dry and placing it on the edge of drip trey edge holder. Then redirecting the hose from the wet/dry cover to that spot of filter sock and adding a PVC pipe to go down about 1/2 way down the filter sock. Then sealing the old hole from previous spot or just removing the cover all together?

I currently have an external skimmer with pump that is sharing the in same compartment as the return pump that is causing micro bubbles at the end of wet/dry. I'm thinking of moving skimmer pump in the compartment where the filter sock is so this way the return pump can be by itself in the compartment to maybe cut down the micro bubbles.

I have no idea what I'm doing, but trying to create my sump with my old wet/dry by going on feedback that you gave me here and research.

Do you think I'm on right track or should do something different? I wish I had more room in bottom of cabinet but only thing that fits is a 10 gallon tank that I purchased. I purchased a 20 Gallon Long tank that doesn't fit so now I have a 20 L & 10 G tank that is sitting in garage that might be another project tank????

 

Here`s another suggestion, how about using the wet/dry and modifying it into a ats (algae turf scrubber). you could modify your wet/dry it to a waterfall ats probably very easy.that way you could reduce the need chemical filtration and if the bioload if on the light side,eventually the use of the skimmer. and talk about ease of maintenance, scrapping the algae off the scrubber once every two to three weeks.

 

OH ATS? Totally agree.

It has taken mine several months to really get going- amd all the while my whole system is doing/looking better than when I had enough chaeto macro to stuff full a 30g tank!
My only regret on my ATS- is not building one years sooner!