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The Iwaki 100 draws 3.4 amps (bummer). I almost went with the Aerofoamer
skimmer to save power (smaller pump), but I had an ETS 600 skimmer for my 75
gallon tank, and it worked great, so I chose to stick with what works rather
than take a risk on such an expensive skimmer. In my sump I have a small amount of caulerpa growing, but not enough to claim significant filtration benefits on a system this size. Perhaps with time it will grow enough. I periodically use PhosGuard, as a preventative measure since thus far I have no algae problem. The bulk of the filtration of course comes from the biological processes in the live rock in the aquarium.
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There's not much to say
about the filtration. Basically, I have an ETSS 2500 running with an Iwaki
MD-100-RLT pump drawing from, and returning to, the sump. In the picture, note
the orange 5-gallon paint bucket (where the skimmer waste goes) for a sense of scale. The skimmer itself is
over 5 feet tall, and I have it mounted on a shelf slightly raised so that it is
above the water level of the sump. Thus, the top of the skimmer as I have it is
about 6.5 feet tall. This skimmer REALLY kicks butt. I also use a tiny bit
(about 20 mg/hr) of ozone. This is much less than recommended by most ozone
advocates. I find that higher ozone levels are appreciated by the corals, but
the fish don't like it; some fish will show signs of degrading fins. I picked
this setting on the first day, and my reef is running great, so I don't change
it.
My sump is two 50-gallon dark-green rubbermaid containers daisy-chained together. This
is the cheapest way to build a sump IMHO. The second sump container serves as a
refugium as well. It contains about a 4 inch deep sugar-sized sand bed with some
live rock on top. There is some caulerpa growing there, as well as some snails,
an urchin, a bunch of mushrooms and a cladiella soft coral. Everything except
the sand and rock floated in on its own or arrived with the rock apparently,
since I didn't put it there - it just showed up over time. Hard to believe the
coral could survive with so little light, but I guess there is enough ambient
light when the MH are on to keep it going.
