Precision Marine drop in refugium

[ellisz]

Hi all,

I have been planning on adding a refugium to my system and I found this product while searching the net.
http://www.marinedepot.com/a_mi_pm_refugium.asp?CartId=

This looks like it would drop in my 20 gal glass sump and still give me room for my Berlin Skimmer and the mag7 return pump. My water level in my sump is a bit higher than 10.5" but I wonder if I could raise the fuge up a bit to compensate? There would be water that bypasses the fuge underneath and around the sides. Is this ok?

Also if I use my existing water, could I just add some sand to the fuge and then add some plants and pods without disrupting my main tank too much?

Thanks

 

[reefrunner69]

but I wonder if I could raise the fuge up a bit to compensate? There would be water that bypasses the fuge underneath and around the sides. Is this ok?

It would more than likely be recommended , the flow through the fuge is generally recommended to be much less of that through a sump.

Also if I use my existing water, could I just add some sand to the fuge and then add some plants and pods without disrupting my main tank too much?

You may want to "cure" the sand first, or use LS. To cure it, put about 25 lbs in a bucket fill with SW and add a raw shrimp. This will coat the sand with bacteria and make it settle much easier. If you add dry sand, I think you can expect a cloudy tank.

 

[fishfreek]

sounds like a plan to me. Very interesting concept. a drop in fuge.

 

[ellisz]

It would more than likely be recommended , the flow through the fuge is generally recommended to be much less of that through a sump.

Would I still want to raise the fuge up so that no water is flowing over top of it or does it matter? This would give it more flow that just what the maxijet 400 is supplying. Might be a problem if I have floating macro algae or critters in there though. Maybe that is a bad idea ...

What about the skimmer output. Can I have the skimmer output dump into the fuge? It will be a tight fit.

Also, what about the prefilter on the return pump. I normally have one on 24/7. Would this trap pods from entering the main tank? I need them to travel freely

 

[reefrunner69]

Would I still want to raise the fuge up so that no water is flowing over top of it or does it matter? This would give it more flow that just what the maxijet 400 is supplying. Might be a problem if I have floating macro algae or critters in there though. Maybe that is a bad idea ...

No I'd raise it up

What about the skimmer output. Can I have the skimmer output dump into the fuge? It will be a tight fit.

More than likely this wouldn't be a problem, have it dump onto a stand of macro or something like that to minimize disturbance.

Also, what about the prefilter on the return pump. I normally have one on 24/7. Would this trap pods from entering the main tank? I need them to travel freely

I would remove it, but I would have removed it to begin with, they are detritus traps. If your having problems with eddys you can put a pvc elbow on the intake with the opening pointing down.