Should I add LR to Sump!?!?!

I have a 120 DT with a 40BR as a sump. The sump is divided into three sections as shown in the picture. The middle section is large and unused. We plan on putting a calcium, carbon, and GFO reacter. Our skimmer will be external.
In the DT I have about 100 lbs of LR and 225 lbs live sand.

Would it be a good idea to add another 20-30lbs of BASE rock into the sump so it can become live rock eventually? Do I need to have a light on the LR or will it do the same job w/o the light in the sump?

I should also add that I intend on going with another 40BR for a display refugium which will be free of liverock and will have only sand and macro.


Thanks for any input!!

 

Fill that section with LR rubble. You will be able to get more in there. LR does not need light...

 

Rubble and pods will benefit your system.
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Great - that's what I had thought but now that reaffirms it!!!

 

The more rock the better. I say fill it with rubble as well. I like having a good supply of LR rubble around cause it gives me something to glue frags onto. I prefer to glue frags onto rubble than plugs.

 

awesome input on having LR frag rocks ready in the sump from the rubble!!!

K+!

 

Ditto, I hate plugs. One of my LFS uses slate squares-hate those unnatural looking things. k+

 

I thought LR Rubble in the sump served the same purpose as bioballs and was a breeding ground for nitrates?

 

Well LR rubble is much more porous then plastic balls. More homes for pods.

 

Hate to be the voice of dissent, but rubble or not in the sump has been a debate for some time. Some who use LR in the first compartment of the sump do so to help disperse micro bubbles. A filter sock does the job a lot better. Of course, there are those who don't use socks, and that's fine. Any material in the sump that could trap detritus--bioballs included--will eventually become gunked up to the point of polluting the entire system. This is a bad situation made worse because it's in the sump--and it's almost impossible to keep clean. If you like filter socks, I suppose you could place one before the LR rubble, but again, why? What purpose does it serve? Some say the rubble is a haven for pods and critters. Maybe this is the case if you don't have sand in your tank, but if you do, and your conditions are right for pods, they'll do OK in the DT without needing to provide a place for them in the sump.

LR is in our tanks to house bacteria and be a base for attachment of corals. If there's enough of it in the DT, IMO there's no need for more rubble in a sump.

So I'm going to disagree respectfully with everyone who's posted an opinion thus far--and suggest you keep live rock OUT of your sump. Maintenance on a reef tank is already tedious enough. Adding more drudgery to the maintenance list makes it more likely stuff will become overlooked--unintentionally or otherwise.