Changing Wet/dry To Refugiums

[Nybillygoat]

How do i go about Changing my Pro Clear Aquatic 125 to a Refugium? any ideas? step by step instructions would be nice.... thank you!!!!!

 

[dskidmore]

I'm not real familiar with that model, but I can give you some basics.

A) Remove the bioballs, if the bioballs are submerged, you might replace them with live rock rubble.
B) Add a light
C) Fill the sump as full as you can while still leaving room for power-out backflow.
D) Add either live rock rubble, cheato, and/or xenia to the submerged portions depending on your goals.

 

[Nybillygoat]

if i take the bio balls out and put live rock in place... can i also put live sand in bottom, and some plants... with out baffles? and just hang pump high? this is my filter


http://www.globalpets.com/images/750-78125.jpg

thanks

 

[dskidmore]

Leave the pump where it is. You want it to continue working when evaporation lowers the water level.

Live sand is also a good idea.

Baffles serve two purposes: to keep the water level at a consistant height in earlier chambers, and to remove bubbles created by your drain line and skimmer. You could put a baffle in to keep the refugium seperate from the pump return chamber, but you'll have to be more regular about top-offs, as the smaller pump return chamber will show the effects of evaporation more quickly. If you do put one baffle in, you might as well do a bubble baffle set. (Force water over, under, over a set of three closely spaced baffles.) A space-saving measure that would keep sand out of your pump is a half-height baffle sourounding the pump. Sand should stay outside the baffle and not get into the pump.

Extensive write-up on sumps:
http://dslinux.dyndns.org/~denise/aquarium/DIYPlumbing/futureindex.html