How can i make a Refugium out of my setup?

[CEverii]

Ok sooooo.... I currently have my sweet sump setup. 33gal rubber miad bin with my 5gal bucket as a canister filter filled with pot scrubbers/bioballs, a rather large Reef Octopus skimmer, and my return pump. NOT a whole lot of room for anything else, and nothing is sectioned off (is that bad?) It's all just kind of one big mess in that bin lol. ANYWAY, I'm looking into setting up a small refugium so i can grow a better copeopd population for my current scooter blenny and future manderin. Most setups i've seen have the refugium inside the sump, which i have absolutely no room for. I saw another setup with just a small 10 gal tank setup next to the main tank. How exactly would the water flow to the refugium and the main tank work? Two different U tubes sihponing in opposite flow directions? Trying to figure it all out... lol thanks

 

[CEverii]

anyone able to help me out? Im doing a complete tank makeover tuesday for my new stand im getting and i'd like to get one of these set up at the same time.

 

[BigJim]

It sounds like your current sump is set up with two chambers, the 5g bucket full of media and the rest of the sump. If it's working well, I'd say there's nothing wrong with it.

If you're just looking to add a refugium and not mess with your sump, you have some options.

The easiest option would be to get a small tank and position it lower than your display tank, but higher than the sump. Split the flow from your current overflow and direct one outlet directly into the sump and the other into your refugium. Set up another overflow from the refugium into the return pump area of your sump.

You could also position your refugium tank above your display tank, pump water up to it, and overflow back to the display tank.

 

[ryshark]

It sounds like your current sump is set up with two chambers, the 5g bucket full of media and the rest of the sump. If it's working well, I'd say there's nothing wrong with it.

If you're just looking to add a refugium and not mess with your sump, you have some options.

The easiest option would be to get a small tank and position it lower than your display tank, but higher than the sump. Split the flow from your current overflow and direct one outlet directly into the sump and the other into your refugium. Set up another overflow from the refugium into the return pump area of your sump.

You could also position your refugium tank above your display tank, pump water up to it, and overflow back to the display tank.

Good advice. Although I could never do it in my house and even if I could I wouldn't anyway because I don't care to have a refugium.... but I really like the idea of the refugium being above the display tank. This way the copepod etc would not have to go through the impellars of a returm pump to get into the display tank.