Finally found something thats helps me out with what I need to do when it comes to sump filters. The question that kept going through my mind was how do you stop the flow of water from the tank to the sump when the power goes out (which stops the return pump working), anyway this link answered more than that question for me hope it helps any other newbies that might want to do the sump thing.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-01/gt/

:omg: a reef forum with close to 100,000 members :omg:

They have 1460 users online at the mo and 230 odd guests :o

that's a cool link, and a huge ass web site.

The one question it dosent answer is how does one remove ones huge colony of jewel cichlids in ones metrodontis tigrinus sujmp filter without losin ones rag well and truly. Trust me on this one, one has attempted and one has failed, sorry i felt like saying one a lot!

Seriously is there like jewel cichlid trap or something daft, they went in there and bred and bred and bred. I occasionally scoop a few out for dinner for my oddballs but sometimes they just ignore them and so the colony spreads. my lfs wont take them off me anymore as he has six tanks with them in now lol, ive literally flooded the market in them