Wanting to build a refugium

[reefbound]

I want to build one out of a 20 gal long or high it dosent matter, but I need help with the design of it...I can read a blue print and build whatever is on it..just dont ask me to design it... With that said I dont need a skimmer in there because I have a HOB skimmer that wont fit under the main tank,I would however like to incorporate my trickle filter parts into it... This is what I came up with in a 20 gal long...Please rip this apart so I could build this Saturday...

[melosu58]

What size tank are you building this for

[reefbound]

Originally Posted by melosu58

What size tank are you building this for

I was going to put that down and forgot, Anyway its a 75gal with 80 to 90 lbs of liverock and the skimmer is rated for a 125gal,just in case...

[seaham358]

With that much LR toss those BB and make the fuge bigger. Push everything over to the left and just make the return to tank chamber large enough for the return lines and the media tray is a good idea. Having a larger fuge is more important then those waste trapping bioballs.

[melosu58]

Im getting ready to replace my bio balls with rubble

[reefbound]

Originally Posted by seaham358

With that much LR toss those BB and make the fuge bigger. Push everything over to the left and just make the return to tank chamber large enough for the return lines and the media tray is a good idea. Having a larger fuge is more important then those waste trapping bioballs.

Should I do away with the chamber on the left and do somthing like this?

[natman2]

I dont have any baffling in my 30 gallon fuge. Plumping is main tank then fuge then sump. In fact my sump right now is nothing more than a twenty gallon long that does nothing at this point but expand my water volume and house my protein skimmer. Where my overflows drain into fuge and sump I have layed some execrating across the tops of the tanks and then place some filter padding on top of that egg crate. On water change days it easy to take those filter pads and wring them out clean in the water I have removed from the tank. There is also an emperor 400 running on my main tank which is 75g.

My fuge has a DSB and some macros and some inexpensive lighting. I am in Florida so I have added a few crown conch to the fuge to keep the DSB stirred which do have to be fed a little bit of raw scallop but do an amazing job at keeping the DSB turning. Other than having to buy two overflow boxes rather than one it has been relatively inexpensive Its as simple as that IMO.

[reefbound]

Natman2 can you send/post a pic ? I going out in the morning to get a tank and I dont want to get somthing I dont need.

edit: or pm me....

[natman2]

You can see an older pic from before I added the sump here when I still had my skimmer right in the fuge

http://home.comcast.net/~martinmurphy1/INDEX.HTML

Thirty gallon tank say around 35 bucks

One piece of home depot egg crate 10 bucks

Overflow box 35 bucks

return pump ?? depends on how much flow you want for your fuge. 1 inch drains will allow 600 gallons per hour but some run there fuges at lower rates than this. Six hundred is a lot for a fuge IMO I run about 400

Home depot play sand 4 bucks

Miscelanous PVC plumbing part if you want to hard plum it. 2 bucks.

Some inexpensive fluorescent lighting. Wally world has lights of America daylight cfs that work well for me. Any old left over flourecents will do though

After its all set up you will have to get some macro from your LFS. IMO calurpa is the fastest growing and thus the fastest at nitrate export but it is also the most troublesome. I would suggest just using one type of macro also. One will out compete the other for nutrients and the loser will slowly start dieing off. Calurpa should be no problem as long as you light the fuge 24/7 and keep it pruned down. If you have a tang they love this stuff just use a clip and feed them the trimings just as you would dried algea sheets

[reefbound]

I have almost everything I need except the tank and baffles... So what your saying is have the main tank drain right into the refugium/baffles/return, What about a media tray? I heard there are many benefits this and where would it go.
What I am seeing is everyone has there own idea of what works best for them,I guess Im having a hard time giving up those bio balls.
To feed the fuge I would just leave all media out of my design

And the thing I like the most about the design in the top post, is it allows for the most water in case of a power outage which is quite numerous in my area.

[natman2]

Well like I said I run a emperor 400 on my main tank which suffices for pulling solids out of the water column in the main tank. At the outflow to your fuge you can place some egg crating and filter pad so that it runs through it before going into fuge.

A DSB in the fuge and your main tank sand be and sufficient lr should suffice for your bio filtration.

There is a lot of debate when it comes to the bio balls. Some say they are nitrate producers over time. If you have enough LR and a good live sand bed you could get by without them. I have never had them and Am and ites stay at zero even when adding a fish or two to the main tank.

If it where me I would add a sump at the same time to house protein skimmer and any other mechanical filtration you feel is needed. Remember water runs down hill only. Depending on your overflow box your fuge will need to be 14 inches or so below your main tank surface level and if adding a sump it will have to be below your fuge level. Pump goes in sump and returns everything back to your main tank. In this case the water level in the fuge can always be to top of fuge tank. Sump level will have to be a little low to provide for back flow in case of power outage and a small hole somewhere above water level in main tank return plumping will have to be drilled to break siphon in case of power outage.

Topic of the month over at Saltwater.com is fuges and is worth a read. The author has hers set up as part of the display like mine and has lots of different life in it other than just macros.

No matter what you do you will most likely wish to make changes to it once you get the idea of how to go about it so go ahead and jump into it. Worst case scenario you have expanded water volume which in and of itself is a very good thing.

[seaham358]

reefbound the second design would be fine and it should leave you plenty of room for drain down from the tank. Your looking to have a sump fuge combo more then just a fuge right? If so I would go with your second design. Plenty of room for a return pump, heater and fuge. Just leave enough room for a larger return pump in case you decide to upgrade in the future.
How are you getting the water from the main tank into the sump/fuge?

[reefbound]

Originally Posted by seaham358

How are you getting the water from the main tank into the sump/fuge?

I have an overflow box that came with my trickle filter... My ultimate goal is a pod factory for the Mandrin Im going to buy in the future(my favorite marine fish) any other benefits that come with having a fuge is a plus, so I guess the answer to your question is yes and no.I want both but if its truely not needed then it can be configure as such...

edit:

I guess I wanted a Trickle filter/Sump/Refugium in an All in one design.