Combination Refugiums & Sump- What do you think?

[jasno999]

I have seen a lot of people with setups that combine the Refugium and the sump into one tank. I guess people do this to save space yet still get multipule benifits from having these items.

I knwo the general rule is that a Refugium is supposed to be a low flow environment and the sump is supposed to be a high flow enviroment. However whe nyou combine them how does it work?

Do you guys like these combo set-ups?

Waht are the pros and cons?

I eventually want to do a 70, 75 or 90 gallon tank. I am tryign to figure out what else I will need and want to minimze cost but not to the poitn where I do things the wrong way. If I go with the 70gallon setup I am thinking about jsut taking one of my 10gallon tanks and havign them drill some holes in it so I can make it into a fuge. Then I can use another 10 gallon as a sump. But let me know what you think abotu the combo setups.

 

[zuzecawi]

I have a refugium sump combo. Here's how mine works... I have the intake side, where the water comes in through a pile of live rock and gracilaria algae (my living filter sponge, in a sense). The protein skimmer is on this side, it skims all incoming water. Then, the water is forced through a series of baffles that go above and below the water line, one set high, one low, one high, with a good 4 inches of overlap, this acts as a bubble trap and also serves to slow the flow of the water before it enters the refugium. Then the water is drawn across the refugium, which I have bracketed by two pieces of acrylic so that if the sump is drained the refugium still holds its own water, protecting my pods, macros, snails, hermits, worms, etc. Then the water goes through one more baffle, and there is the empty pit where my return pump is. I run a 20 gallon sump under my 58 show tank with a Mag Drive 9.5 this way, with no problems at all. My next project tank, the 135, is going to have a 75 long sump under it, with two refugiums, one with DSB and macro, the other with miracle mud and mangroves. This, in theory, would make skimming superfluous, but I prefer to run the skimmer. I'll have the skimmer, a 600gallon rated high pressure skimmer, running on the intake, and I'll have a Gen-X 55 high pressure pump as my return. I like running my skimmer and return on opposite ends, it cleans the water up before it hits the refugiums, and then there is plenty of time in the refugiums for pods to migrate if they wish. I plan to leave my refugiums interconnected with a 2" drilled hole, to facilitate pod movement. This hole will be high enough that they won't drain entirely in case of water failure though. Of course, I like to look at my refugiums, so for me this choice is as much a matter of aesthetics as praticality... I have a small house and I like having little nanos under my big tank.

 

[jasno999]

I need soem pictures

 

[zuzecawi]

Check my gallery, there might still be some there. If not I'll get right on that when my batteries finish charging.

 

[afilter]

Check this link out to the DIY forum:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=53046

I built this using a 30g tank and it works great. Basiclaly the fuge is on the far end of the sump and water returning to the tank is diverted to it via a T in the line and a ball valve to turn down the flow rate. Very cost effective compared to many inferior pre-made products out there.

You can customize the measurements to fit your equipment. Use any size tank you desire to use as your sump/fuge. I went with a 30g because it was the biggest I could fit under my 90g.

Good luck,

Aaron

 

[MT79]

The design I used is very simple and very effective IMO. The water in the fuge area is very slow moving. It tends to just be fast moving along the surface of the fuge, b/c the baffles I used are 12.5" high. Lower in the fuge, where my macro's/LR are, the flow is very subtle. My cheato has tripled in size in about 3 weeks-to my own surprise! Simple and effective IME.
Note-All the "over" baffles are the same height in my final design. I used a 20gal high tank.

 

[jasno999]

Cool. I see what you are saying.

How do you keep the algae and stuff yo uhave in the fuge section from escaping over that baffle and into the section with the return pump?

 

[SkinnyPete]

Check this link out to the DIY forum:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=53046


Aaron

I'd recommend following this link design. I just finished one using a 50 gallon by following the instructions in that link and I'm very happy with it. Already, a week into running this thing, my tank has never looked better. This design also lets you control flow into the refugium - which I like a lot.

I'll post some pics if I get time tonight.

- Skins

 

[MT79]

How do you keep the algae and stuff yo uhave in the fuge section from escaping over that baffle and into the section with the return pump?

I don't. There is a very subtle flow at the bottom 3/4ths of the fuge section. Macros like Caulerpa will anchor themselves quite securely, while others like cheato will form tightly interconnected masses. It's not neccesary in my case, even though I'm running a Mag 9.5 close to wide open. Some people do use "eggcrate" on top of the final over as a precaution.
FWIW my tank water became so much clearer in the first week or so of adding the sump that my corals actually began to get alittle stressed b/c they were getting more light than their used too. I am extremely happy w/ this design-and so is my tank! HTH

 

[runway1]

The other option which I prefer is to have a sump/fuge with a slow moving flow and supplement the main tank flow with a closed loop system.

This gives the most control and offers the most flexibility, IMO.

 

[SkinnyPete]

Some people do use "eggcrate" on top of the final over as a precaution.

I'm one of those people. Some loose chaeto gets caught in the eggcrate, so I just pick it clean once a week - but, it stops anything from moving over the baffle to the return chamber.