Refugium//Protein skimmer

[sqrle]

I have a fairly basic question that just might boil down to different opinions. I have been noticing a lot of people use wet/dry refugiums, or protein skimmers. Do peopl use both?? What i am wondering is it worth it for me to try and build myself a DIY refugium with a protein skimmer inside. I was thinking of rigging up some kind of 4 compartment thingy that is square that the water flow just goes from one compartment and makes a full cirlce and get returned to the show tank. What do you all think.

1st gravity fed, compartment receives water, overflows to 2nd compartment
2nd compartment contains sand or mud with live rock, and whatever plant life is good for that, maybe some little critters in there, then overflows into 3rd compartment
3rd compartment contains the protein skimmer, then overflows into the 4th compartment
4th compartment contains the return pump, pumps water back to tank

[melosu58]

I use a refugium and a protien skimmer. They are both under my tank.

[ccCapt]

1st gravity fed, compartment receives water, overflows to 2nd compartment
2nd compartment contains sand or mud with live rock, and whatever plant life is good for that, maybe some little critters in there, then overflows into 3rd compartment
3rd compartment contains the protein skimmer, then overflows into the 4th compartment
4th compartment contains the return pump, pumps water back to tank

I would suggest putting the skimmer in the 1st section. Most skimmers work best when the water level stays constant, and with a proper baffle setup, it will stay constant in the 1st section.

Here's my sump. 1st sect is skimmer, 2nd is fuge with macro and lr rubble, 3rd is frag section and 4th is return area.

[sqrle]

Well that is a thing of beauty. I have a question or 2 regarding your set-up. First, are those some kind of ceiling lighting mesh seperating the sections, and do you ever get a clog becasue of the algae going into the return pipe. I will be having a submersable pump in the return chamber so I want as little as possible flowing around in there. And, what do you do when you algae gets too long?? Can you cut some off and feed it to your fish or do you chuck it or just let it go wild? I also notice that you have no sand in with the rock. Is it nescecary to have it in there? I have a nice deep sand bed in the tank, like 5-6 inches. Would the bubble trap idea still be needed with that set-up that you have because it still has far to go. But, I guess it is best to be cautious. Thanks


p.s. I was thinking to put the skimmer in the 3rd because by the time the water overflows the previous 2 baffles, it would have reached the 6-8 inches mark which is the suggested operating depth for my skimmer

[ccCapt]

It's egg crate light diffuser you can get in the lighting dept of HomeDepot or Lowes. The final piece on the left is 3 pieces zip tied together so the holes are really small. I haven't had any problems with the macro algae in the sump getting thru. I do trim the algae about every 2 weeks. I just rip a pile out and toss it. You can have sand, I just didn't use any...no particular reason.
The bubble trap/baffles ensure the water level in the 1st section will never change. When water evaporates, and I lose anywhere from 2g to 5g/day, the water level in the left side of the sump, AFTER the baffles, drops. Skimmmers perform best when the water level stays constant.

[sqrle]

You lose 2-5 galons of water a day, holy mergatroid batman. What exactly do you have going on in your frag section. Is that where you basicaly let new fragments of corals grow? is that right??

Yeah I am a , but have been researching my *** of and trying not to get too much over my head.

[ccCapt]

The frag section is where I put pieces of soft corals (zoa's and anthelia) attached to pieces of lr rubble. The flow in the sump is alot less than in the tank so they can attach themselves to the rock better.
Keep researching and keep asking questions. It will lead to success.