sump and fuge question

[haus]

I've been doing a lot of reading on sw. I haven't stopped since I got my 55 gal in January. (WOW 6 months, I never looked at it that way) Any ways, I still don't really understand the difference between a sump and a refugium. Are they technically one in the same? If not, what is better for the tank? Right now I MAY have the funds to set one or the other up, but if they are not the same thing, I would want the better choice. Right now I am leaning towards a fuge. BTW I have noticed pods in my canister filter when I clean it. Is that wierd or normal for it being a canister???

 

[Fishboy-from-NY]

A sump can eventually be converted into a refugium, but it needs to meet certain requirements. for example, my refugium has a 6" sand bed and tons of Macro Algae and little critters, so the pump that pumps the water back into the tank is in a seperate comparment in the refugium that will not interfere with anything or get clogged up with macro Algae.

 

[quarryshark]

Agree, you can set up a sump and slowly turn it into a fuge.
A sump is just a vehicle that can be used to set up a fuge.

I have noticed pods in my canister filter when I clean it. Is that wierd or normal for it being a canister???

Thats great! I aign of good things happening in your system.

 

[haus]

What kind of pump would I need to make a sump. I just can't put this together in my head how one pump could take water from the main tank, put it into the sump, then take the water from the sump, and put it back into the main. It just seems to me that you would need 2, but I know you can't do that. Thanks for the help so far.

 

[haus]

Also would I need an overflow box, and if so what does the overflow box do?

 

[Fishboy-from-NY]

You only are going to have one pump to pump out water from the sump to the tank the water from your tank to the sump will be accomploshed by an overflow or pvc tubes that connect yuor tank to the sump.