Powerheads and refuge

[macman7010]

I turned a 20 gallon long into a refuge last night but adding some glass dividers and baffles. What I was wondering is do you think I could use a Maxi Jet 1200 powerhead and tubing to pump water into the refuge, then use a Maxi Jet 1200 as the return pump back to the aquarium. I already have an overflow box going to my sump and wet-dry and didnt want to add another box since they take up so much space.

I was thinking since the 1200's have a flow of 295 gph they could handle the task and the fuge is not all the way under the tank, it will be on a stand about 36 inches off the ground mid way beside the tank.

 

[tripper]

That is a recipe for disaster. You only want one pump in that system and an overflow on the other side. Eventhough you are using two of the same pump, they will not pump at the same exact rate, especially since one is pumping back up to the tank. You will either end up overflowing the fuge or running it dry. If either of the two pumps fail, you're in trouble. HTH

tripper

 

[afilter]

Agree two pumps are a very bad idea. I did a lot of research on this as I prepared to set up my sump/fuge.

Because you already have an overflow box I assume you have a sump. What about the idea of placing the fuge higher than the current sump pumping water from the sump to the fuge and then overflowing back to the sump.

Another option would be to construct a combined sump/fuge. Here is the design I used:

http://aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=53046

With a 50g display the 20L might be big enough for both uses or even a 30g like I used. The benefit would be one pump and one overflow box. Cost wise it is a cheap project that would cost less than a new overflow box even if you have to buy a new tank for the fuge/sump.

Here are some pics of mine:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=62045&highlight=

HTH,

 

[Phyl]

I have a small PH in my sump and that pumps water (through my UV) into my fuge where it uses a two return holes to return to the main. In addition there is a high level float switch installed in the fuge so that if the water level gets too high it will shut off.