How Do I Set Up This Sump? Many Questions!

HI all!
I recently bought my second fish tank and it has a sump setup - the tank itself has a black panel that sections off the read of the tank that acts as the sump. It has 3 sections in it.

This was a second hand tank and as such I got a mixture of second hand items along with it, so I'm not entirely sure how to set up this sump? I've never done a sump setup before either, so I'm not really sure what I'm doing

I believe the tank to be 67litres capacity or around there, it's about 16 inches all around and is a cube.seems to suggest its about that big in capacity at least. However, its an AquaNano from Aqua One, the biggest one they do that's square is the AquaNano 40, which they say is only 55Litres. [I suppose it might be, excluding the sump???]

The items I received with it are: 1 Aqua One heater, 1 Aqua One air pump, 1 AquaEL internal filter and an Aqua One clip on overhead light. Along with 1 giant sponge filter media and 2 bags of ceramic noodles.

It looks like the tank originally came with a power head, or a power head was purchased for it but I didn't receive this from the owners. [they gave me the instruction booklet for it though!] Instead I got the previously mentioned filter which is an AquaEL Fan Filter Mini, it's suitable for 60L max. AquaEl are apparently not in the US market just yet, or if so are very new.

My questions!:
Am I right in thinking this filter is perhaps too small? I feel like it might be better to have a bigger one than run the risk of not filtering enough?
Is it just the GPH/water movement that is necessary for a sump, considering it has its own filter media? Even if so, is the filter even big enough to move enough water?
Would it be better to replace this internal filter with a power head?
Do I need any sort of hosing for either the filter or the power head, should I get one?
My ceramic noodles/their bags are splattered in something dirty/red, should I wash them?
If I keep the internal filter, should I leave the small sponge in it or remove it?
If I CAN remove the internal filter sponge, can I replace it with filter floss?

Thank you all for any and all help!

for reference, here is a picture of the sump as shown in the Aqua One instruction booklet.

 

First, did you get what's labeled the 'pump' with the setup?

If you did and it's set up to move water through your sump then you're golden. Remember, the primary purpose of the filter isn't to 'scrub' the water, but to keep it moving through the sponge and over the ceramic noodles so your good bacteria can de-toxify the water, converting the ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate. You need a fairly large surface area for the bacteria to grow on, and the sponge and ceramic noodles will give you plenty.

If you didn't get the pump then you'll likely need a new one and some hoses to connect it all. I bet there's a video on You Tube showing you how to assemble that tank, so you'll be able to figure out exactly what you need.

Assuming the tank hasn't been running then it's OK to rinse the noodles, but don't use any kind of soap or detergent. Once the tank is running and the cycle has started you never want to do anything other than rinse the noodles and sponge in dechlorinated water.

 

First, did you get what's labeled the 'pump' with the setup?
....

Hii!
I didn't receive a pump with it, no. It should have come with a "powerhead pump", but instead they gave me an internal filter. I suppose the previous owners replaced the powerhead with the filter. I wasn't sure if this was suitable or if it was best to go and buy the replacement power head that should've come with it to begin with.

I haven't set it up or got it running yet, no I might give them a rinse just for my own peace of mind I'm not putting anything in there that doesn't belong. the noodles were just kept in a bag somewhere I think possibly outside their house.

 

Hii!
I didn't receive a pump with it, no. It should have come with a "powerhead pump", but instead they gave me an internal filter. I suppose the previous owners replaced the powerhead with the filter. I wasn't sure if this was suitable or if it was best to go and buy the replacement power head that should've come with it to begin with.

I haven't set it up or got it running yet, no I might give them a rinse just for my own peace of mind I'm not putting anything in there that doesn't belong. the noodles were just kept in a bag somewhere I think possibly outside their house.

Personally, I think it's a neater setup to use the internal filter, which will certainly be sufficient for the tank. My guess is you can get an exact replacement for the pump, though you'll probably have to contact the manufacturer. I doubt a LFS would have one in stock.

The internal filter should also work.

You don't need both.

If you choose to use the internal filter then you might want to put an air stone in the baffled sump area to keep a little water movement back there.

(My guess is the reason you got both is that the original pump broke and the previous owner didn't want to chase down replacement parts.)

 

Personally, I think it's a neater setup to use the internal filter, which will certainly be sufficient for the tank. My guess is you can get an exact replacement for the pump, though you'll probably have to contact the manufacturer. I doubt a LFS would have one in stock.

The internal filter should also work.

You don't need both.

If you choose to use the internal filter then you might want to put an air stone in the baffled sump area to keep a little water movement back there.

(My guess is the reason you got both is that the original pump broke and the previous owner didn't want to chase down replacement parts.)

Yeah, it wasn't hard at all to track down a replacement online and they're not crazy expensive or anything.

Well, the internal filter would be placed in the sump with the outflow pointing into the main tank area through a hole - would it be okay there or would you still recommend the air stone?
Knowing I can get a replacement pump I didn't want to sacrifice anything [water movement etc] for the sake of being lazy/cheap and using the internal filter.

that's what I'm thinking too, thanks for your help!

 

Yeah, it wasn't hard at all to track down a replacement online and they're not crazy expensive or anything.

Well, the internal filter would be placed in the sump with the outflow pointing into the main tank area through a hole - would it be okay there or would you still recommend the air stone?
Knowing I can get a replacement pump I didn't want to sacrifice anything [water movement etc] for the sake of being lazy/cheap and using the internal filter.

that's what I'm thinking too, thanks for your help!

If you put the pump back then there's no need for an air stone. You'll have plenty of water movement .

 

If you put the pump back then there's no need for an air stone. You'll have plenty of water movement .

Perfect, thanks so much for your help!