newbie sump/fug question

[wingsfan]

i have two 20gal longs, i am gonna set one up as the main and the other as a sump/fug. anyone have any suggestions as to weather i should have the sump or the fug first on the inlet side? andalso any suggestions on how you would devide the tank would be appreciated.The tanks are 12in high, 12in. front to back and 30 in. long

[Barney]

do a search here on fuge and there's a couple members here who have posted information on this. some of us have big fuge, little fuge and in betweens. you will get the idea.
let us know you found it.

Are you trying to divide the tank for the fuge?

[MR294]

I always put a sump/skimmer area first, that the water from the display drains into. I then place a couple baffles to help remove microbubbles from the drain water and skimmer. Next is the refugium area, followed by another baffle to help prevent macroalgaes from entering the intake of the return pump. IME it can be difficult preventing the substrate in the refugium from being stirred up if you empty the drain from the display directly into this section (especially if you are moving a large volume of water through your sump). For baffles I just use glass panes siliconed into place. Lowes and home depot will both cut glass to your exact dimensions, and it's quite cheap. HTH

[wingsfan]

thanks for the replies

[loganj]

Just a question...wouldn't it be better to have the fuge before the skimmer so that the macro in the fuge would get more nutrients?

[MR294]

Originally Posted by loganj

Just a question...wouldn't it be better to have the fuge before the skimmer so that the macro in the fuge would get more nutrients?

In my personal experience, its never been a problem, the macroalgaes still grow quite well. At the rate that water is moving past the skimmer and through the sump, they still get plenty of "dirty" water.