need knowledge new setup

[jonas]

so im upgrading from my 35gal waterhome liteglo rena xp2 driven system to a 92 gal oceanic corner tank w/ oceanic model 1 sump/refug system. i have plenty of questions and i have been trying to find the answers on here but nothing pertaining to egsactly what im not understanding.

my major concern is my sump setup. i spent all last night trying to find pics of other sump setups. i have a 20gal oceanic model 1 sump.
- fitlration pad (white and blue cloth style)
- cotton
- charcol bag
- blue bio balls
- coarse foam brick
origionally i was trying to figure out what layout/ order these go in. but after reading im thinking of converting this into a refugeum. im not 100% clear on the advantages/ disadvantages of either or, but the main draw was i wanted my display tank to be clean and clear, just fish, rocks and a few corals (frog spawn and i guess an annemonie), so i could keep my spagetti string, bubble alge ect in the refugium w/ a base of aragonite all from my established tank. but i have seen in the pet stores they dont have a aragonite base is there a reason for that? i also have been reading that you need to be syphoning disterium (SP?) from the base of your sump, and i imagine you cant do that with an aragonite base? please giude me here.

in the mean time i need to cure/ cook my rocks as in my 35 my blenny died and the algea has really taken off, so im planning on transfrerring all my water and sand into the new tank with the addition of more sand and water obviously due to the size difference, and cooking my rocks for the next few weeks in a rubbermaid container. this algea war ive been having has been an increduous headache and of great concern, so i want to eleminate this and prevent it from happening in the new tank. to do this im just going to mix fresh batch of water, throw in the air stone and let it all sit. im unsure weather i should throw on a hang off the back style filter w/ charcoal media, is this a must or will the airstone be sufficient? also will my current aragonite base be of concern? do i need to do anything with it before i transfer?

now a tank specific question, i have the oceanic 92 gal reef ready corner tank. as i mentioned im pretty ignorant with these, but im concerned about overflow. the system supplied is as such;
behind the false wall in the rear corner there are the two holes in the base. the one is for the outlet pipe that comes up an over. the other is the inlet, but its not a solid pipe, its a perforated mesh thing with two cylindrical foam elemanets on it. my concern is due to the inlet ports at the top and bottom of the false wall, what stops the system from exhausting the tank contents into the sump and dumping potentially 80 gal of water on the floor should my pump fail or the power go out? what im thinking that its suppose to be a solid pipe (durso style?) that way there is only so much that can drain out and this was changed by the previous owner. or am i misunderstanding something?

another concern ive been having is my lighting i have a t5 enclosure, but im not sure on the timing cycle and length? i read so many different recommendations. i only have a damsel right now, but plan on adding a few more, some false pec, a blenny, pepper shrim, maybe tangs and as i said frog spawn and maybe an anemonie if i can do so without killing it! i am away for a couple days on end so i am planning on sticking with a system that is self sufficient that i dont need to babysit. but the lighting has always eluded me.

[fihsboy]

Okay, lets start off with your sump and Ill move on with the rest. Your going to get different answers.....but the truth is.....theres hundreds of ways to run your reef, its all personal preference. So personally..... I would

Sump: buy the biggest tank you can fit under your tank......and put a baffle in it to keep your main water steady for your skimmer and then after the baffle will run into your return pump. Its simple....but it works well. Your live rock in your main tank will do the majority of your filtering. You may want to add a filter sock to get particulate matter out........but thats about it. Your going to want a strong brisk protein skimmer. MSX Octopus ASM are all good brands that will be great for your tank.

Lighting: T5 HO bulbs are great! Normally your going to want to run them between 8-12 hours. Again thats something your going to have to figure out on your tank in particular. Its all dependent on what your corals need etc etc.

In general, I would run the sump bare bottom and keep brisk circulation in your main tank. Depending on coral selection. I have 60x turnover in my tank.....which is a lot but my LPS like it as much as my sps......so thats all i care.

[jonas]

any advise on the rest? i ght so i dont have the headaches i had with the last setup

[jonas]

how about cooking? im planning on a large rubbermaid, and airstone. do i need a filter system? a heater?

[Fat Tony]

Cooking, all you need is the rubbermaid, a powerhead to keep the water moving (point it at the surface of the water slightly) and a heater (the higher the temp the better, it really increases the metabolsm of the bacteria and speeds up the process), change the water weekly initially (say a month) then go to biweekly for a couple months and then monthly... do a search on cooking rock, you will find all sorts of info on it.