Sump / Refugium question

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So here's what we look like the night of the change. I think the aquascaping looks better. You can tell I still have my old lights off of my 55gal. They are 4x65 Coralife lunar aqualights. I obviously need to upgrade, but it's all I can do until I can afford to upgrade to T5's or LED's. I'd love LED's, but I think I can only do T5's (an 8-bulb fixture, or a 6-bulb fixture).

By the way, these are all photos with my phone, so the quality won't be there.

img_1576995_0_edab053dd2900d90e120e40051060a06.jpg
 
Sump is looking good. So your chambers go from right to left in the picture? overflow line ===> refugium ==. skimmer\return pump?

Hi Rick. They go from left to right. So it would go like this:

overflow line ===> skimmer chamber ===> refugium ===> 2 inch chamber with filter media (just a sponge-like thing) ===> to return pump chamber (with heater in it).
 
Ok great! Was going to suggest to make sure the skimmer comes in before the refugium.... In case you ever want to grow some pods in the fuge for a mandarin or anything.

Also, do you have any filters\ socks comming in after your overflow line before it hits the skimmer?
 
So here's what we look like the night of the change. I think the aquascaping looks better. You can tell I still have my old lights off of my 55gal. They are 4x65 Coralife lunar aqualights. I obviously need to upgrade, but it's all I can do until I can afford to upgrade to T5's or LED's. I'd love LED's, but I think I can only do T5's (an 8-bulb fixture, or a 6-bulb fixture).

By the way, these are all photos with my phone, so the quality won't be there.

It's looking good! Loving all that coraline on the rock!
 
No, I don't have any socks or filters coming in from the return lines. Should I? I guess that will help in filtration, but will it also help with bubbles?

Also- you mention pods. Yes, I want to get LR in there and some chaeto. Should I get LR rubble, or a few 4" pieces?
 
Yes, I'd definitely get some filters and/or socks on the lines/compartments comming from your overflow lines. It will help to trap the larger pieces of detritus/junk before it hits your skimmer. Depending on the socks/filters, and overflow lines, this may help to reduce micro bubbles. The best method for reducing bubbles that i've seen seems to place a bubble trap right before your last compartment with the return pump.

As for growing pods\filtering, rubble seems to work great. You really can't go wrong with the rock in your fuge since there won't be anything there eating them. :)
 
filter socks will clog up pretty quickly, so you might want to buy a bunch of them and swap them out every couple/few days. i turned mine inside out and tossed them in the washing machine (without soap of course), and they would come out nice.
 
Yikes! My sump is leaking where I plugged the hole!

It is dripping out at probably 1 drip every 60 seconds. Do you think I should empty it out and attempt another plugging- or will it eventually stop leaking?

My thoughts are this: If the leak is this small, where it's only leaking 1 drop every minute- it might plug itself via sediment, or salt creep. I've had this happen before and it cured itself. But you know what they say about "shortcuts".

Anyone have an opinion?
 
A leak is no good. How easy would it be to remove your sump for a bit and go crazy with some silicone around the plug?

Do you know if the leak is around the threads (if any) in the plug? If so you can use plumber's thread seal tape around the threads to stop the leak.

Might as well fix the leak now instead of waiting for something to go wrong.
 
Good point. Now that I look at it, I'll just need to drain the return pump chamber (so it's dry), and do it right. No sense in always worrying about it.
 
i'm surprised that you opted for an internal return pump in the first place. external pumps benefits outweigh leaks, plus, you have the leak anyway.
 
What kind of benefits do you see doing the external pump? I was thinking having it in the sump would be beneficial in case the pump itself would start leaking.
 
Sorry to change the subject but what is the normal evap rate for a 220 gallon tank? I'm adding water every two days (like 3 gallons). Is that normal cause it's kind of annoying?
 
Triggerman said:
Sorry to change the subject but what is the normal evap rate for a 220 gallon tank? I'm adding water every two days (like 3 gallons). Is that normal cause it's kind of annoying?

If you're running an open top that seems about right.
 
there is no normal evap rate. it depends on how much humidity is in the room, the temp, surface area...etc. get an auto top off.
 
Another question: For my return lines, I have two flexible return lines to the sump. Would you guys recommend using pvc instead of flexible tubing?
 
Both work well. I use pvc for most of the lines in my tank. The ends are coupled to flex lines for easier bending etc.
 
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