refugium ideas

[reeling reefer]

I dont have any room in my sump for a refugium section and was wondering if one can be rigged up out of a plastic bucket or tub? My sump is glass and I dont want to try and drill it. Can a powerhead or pump be put into sump filling water up into this bucket or container and then another one sending water back? Or is there any better ideas? There really isn't room for a hang on back type refugium.

[Dr.Nate]

why don't you just throw some chaeto in your sump and buy a cheap light to put over it? That's all my "refugium" really is, and my chaeto grows like mad

[reeling reefer]

I really dont have much room, I have a return pump in on area, an asm 3 skimmer with pump in the other . Will the cheato clog up the pump for the skimmer, or would putting a filter bag over it prevent this?

[austinsdad]

I've seen many use tubs like that for fuges or sump. Did see one post (forgot where) that said they had problems with the tub cracking one day after some age. Another said putting baffles in them was impossible. Maybe baffles wouldn't be needed anyway if the water flow going thru was slow - like 1 or 2x per hour.

Ideally, the fuge could be set higher than the sump. Pump up to the fuge and have gravity flow back into the sump. Of course you'd have to drill a hole in the sump to do that.

[20 20]

No need to drill the sump, but drill the fuge. Put the fuge higher than the sump, use a PH to pump water up to the fuge. Drill the fuge (or cut if using a rubbrmaid container), put in a bulkhead, and pipe the overflow from the fuge back into the sump.

[austinsdad]

Good catch 20 20!!! I did mean drill the fuge - to flow back to the sump.

I got daim bramage.

[Dr.Nate]

reeling reefer.....

To answer your question, I have the exact same setup....I have an ASM G1 skimmer and chaeto growing all around it--I've never had a problem, and it's been up and running for 6 or 8 months that way.

[reeling reefer]

Dr Nate , what type of light do you use?

[Dr.Nate]

I have very little space above my sump.....so, what I did was I went to Lowe's and bought one of those lights that mechanics use to hang on the inside of the hood. I bought the thinnest and most powerful one they had, and put it on a timer. It sounds funny, I'm sure, but it sure works well!

[reeling reefer]

How did you mount the light above the sump?

[ColdFish]

Take a look at the pic I posted in this thread. Pretty simple to set up. I drilled my sump though. My light just lays across the top of the fuge.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewto...hlight=#619693

[Dr.Nate]

Yeah, mine is similar to ColdFish's......I just put a piece of clear acrylic across the top of the sump and laid the light on top of it....pretty crude, but it works!