Need Help With Sump & Skimmer!

[zmazza]

I lucked out the other day and managed to get a used Tidepool 2 sump with the SOS prefilter and a Turboflotor 1000 skimmer. I also got what looks to be a return pump to be put in the sump, as well as an extra pump. Maybe that's for the skimmer? I'm not really sure. I've never set up a sump before. It even came with all the plumbing, or at least I think it did.

I'm hoping that one of you will be able to tell me how I should clean what looks like lime and rust off of it, as well as be able to plumb all this. It's going on a 40 gallon breeder.

The protein skimmer has what looks like 50 million holes coming out of it. Is it meant to hang on the outside? Or go on the inside?

The smaller pump that it came with, I believe hooks up to the skimmer from the pictures that I have seen, but I'm not sure.

Here's what I have...

And the Turboflotor 1000. I didn't include the little tiny pump, because I thought it was extra. It's inside the sump. The hoses coming out of the protein skimmer.. do I hook an air line up to that?

The SOS Prefilter looked a little hairy to set up also. It had an air line coming out of the little u shaped piece that goes in the middle. I hope that made sense. Should it be hooked up to something? I guess it's supposed to keep the suction, but not sure how to set it up.

It didn't have the media pads either... can I use the polyester fiber I use in my other filters?

Thanks a bunch for all the help. This is really confusing but I want to make good use of the sump!

The pump btw, the bigger one, is a Rio 1700. Is that a good pump?

 

[Teelie]

Cleaning is easy. Use vinegar to remove the lime and rust. Bleach may work as well but I don't know how it would react to the rust. It may take a little scrubbing but with vinegar it should go faster.

If this is a freshwater set up and not with hardwater cichlids, you don't need the protein skimmer, assuming it'll even work. I've maintained tanks with sumps before but never set one up so I don't know exactly how to do that. I am thinking of setting one up on my 55 in the future though. I'll have to keep an eye on this thread.

 

[zmazza]

It is going on a freshwater tank to begin with. I've heard that occassionally a skimmer will skim a LITTLE on a freshwater tank, so if you have one, you might as well use it, but you shouldn't rush out and buy one. I want to turn it into a saltwater tank now that I have the sump and skimmer.

You know, now that I think about it, is the needlewheel visible in the skimmer? I don't see one. I'm hoping that it didn't fall out or something. I bought this used if I didn't say so earlier. Can that be bought as a replacement part?

 

[zmazza]

Sorry for the double post..

I found a link on marineland's website to the Tidepool II and S.O.S. pre-filter manual. It includes step by step instructions and pictures, as well as replacement part's lists and schematics. But it still doesn't make ANY sense. =) Has anyone used the Tidepool II and SOS pre-filter and can give me a hand in setting this up?