want to add a sump/Refugium

[JoshsReef]

I am considering adding a sump and refungium to my 75 gallon tank, i was thinking maybe using a 30 gallon tank and placing it below my main. I didnt know anything about sumps and refugiums before buying this tank so I am not sure if adding a sump is possible at this point. I was considering using my hob filter as a refungium since i recently purchased a cannister (fluval fx5) which on a side note is a great filter if anyone out there is considering it. But if it is possible for me to add a sump/refungium I would much rather do it this way. How would I go about this? is there a site online somewhere that would give me good solid directions for this? when looking at posts online I noticed people talking about power outages causing flooding, is there anyway to avoid this poweroutage problem?

Thanks for the help guys, it is really appreciated.

 

[lReef lKeeper]

http://www.melevsreef.com/allmysumps.html

to keep a flood from happening all you have to do is NOT over fill the sump and it will contain the water that drains from the tank until it gets below the overflow.

 

[Ziggy953]

IMO adding a sump/fuge is the best thing you can do! Using natural sources for filtration is far better then any canister or HOB you could buy. Do some reading on the site that IReef posted it is a great source for information. If you need help please let me know I would be more then happy to help you along. I have added sumps to several tank configurations, there is always a way!

 

[JoshsReef]

would I still keep my cannister filter if I set up a sump?

 

[Ziggy953]

Well I'm not a fan of any of those kinds of filters. They tend to trap junk and harbor nitrates. I don't use any of them to filter my tank. I have about 140lbs of LR between my main and sumps. I have a 20gal fuge that is full to the brim with Macro for nutirent export and I have a very large reciculating skimmer to take care of the DOCs. I don't use carbon unless I absolutely have to and I have only had to use it one time. I think that mother nature has the best ideas and that is to let nature take care of things.

My tank is almost 3 years old and my coals and fish are doing amazing. I do PWCs every other week without fail (about 25-30gal) and that helps keep things balanced.

 

[JoshsReef]

where can I buy an overflowbox, return pump and hoses?
Also my plan was to only use flow of around 300 gph here, I was going to leave my cannister filter running with lr rubble in it and no carbon eventually, but I plan on keep it running on the main. The hob filter I have i was going to use for a qt tank or leave it on for flow with lr rubble.
I want to add a 30 gallon sump using an old tank if I can find one. I want to split it half with a refugium on side and my heaters and skimmer on the other.

 

[Ziggy953]

You can find everything you need on Ebay or online stores. An LFS is giong to want a lot of money for those items. When you calculate your flow rate remember that your pump needs to move 300gph at the hight of the back of your tank. So a 300gph pump would not accomplish what you want. You will probably need a 500 or even a 600gph pump if you are pumping up 4' to the top of your tank.

I have a dual sump set up. I have a 20g tall that is my fuge. It has LR LR rubble about 4" of sand and a ton of Macro in it. I have a dual overflow (external) one side of it is plumbed to the sump and the other side is plumbed into my skimmer. Both the Fuge and skimmer dump into a 10gal tank that has my return pumps in it along with more LR.

I'm not sure how large your HOB is but using it as a QT doesn't sound like a great idea, unless it is very large. A 10gal tank from Wal-mart is about $10.

 

[JoshsReef]

lol, I meant using it as a filter for a qt tank not as the qt itself

 

[Ziggy953]

Oh...LOL yeah well that would be fine!

 

[JoshsReef]

is this what I should be looking for?

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Produ...hallpartial&Ntk=All&N=2004&Ntt=overflows&Np=1


I assume I buy this and then run pvc pipe from it into my sump and back into my tank?

 

[beachbumin]

I started with a 24" HOB Fuge but it was smaller than what I wanted so I ran a 20 gallon in my stand and its great. Good luck!

 

[lReef lKeeper]

yup, thats an overflow box. your return pump size will depend on the size of overflow box that you get. i would also add the aqualifter pump to the order. an $8 pump is well worth your piece of mind. what it does is ... when the power goes out, the water drains into the sump. when the power comes back on, the tank starts to fill. the pump re starts the siphon in the overflow box so that your tank does not overflow. make sense ??

 

[JoshsReef]

makes sense, where do i find the returm pump?

Thanks guys , the help is extremely appreciated

 

[lReef lKeeper]

the return pump will be dictated by your overflow box size, and that is dictated by your tank size. here is my recommendation for a 75 ...

600 gph overflow box
mag7 return pump (unless head is over 4 feet).

 

[JoshsReef]

head over 4 feet?

 

[neilanh]

Head is the height between where the pump is (down in your sump) to how high it's pumping the water back into your tank.