Sorry to hijack the thread for a second but can some body explain the difference between this and a sump? I thought a refugium was a possible "part" to a sump, which was the actual filtration part..
I've been thinking of doing this in the future when I upgrade tanks, and looked around for info on it too, with the same results as you
What are the components required?
Components required i think has been covered, however I don't think anyone has mentioned an overflow. Like I said I haven't been able to find a lot of info either, so hopefully someone with more knowledge can help. Also how you'll get the water out you'd have to decide. By that I mean you can either drill the tank and have your outflow through there, or use HOB pipes.
How much will each size filter?
How many gal/hr pump is required?
Depends how much flow you get. Which probably depends on the size of the outflow from your tank.
What type of filtration media?
Someone else already covered this pretty well. Anything that would typically be in your normal filter - filter wool, ceramic rings/substrate, bio balls, activated carbon/Purigen etc for mechanical/biological filtration. Then in the refugium part, plants and shrimp take away detritus and nitrates. The plants suggested were good suggestions. Anything fast growing is a good idea, there's a few threads around on plant choice for this purpose.
Can I run two tanks off of one filter tank?
Yes, as said before many fish stores use this method. But it's a little bit of a different set up i think. And you'll want to hope neither tank gets a disease or both tanks are shot.
What are the pros/cons to this system?
Pros:
- Filtration!
- Increased water volume = more stable water params
- Refugium can be a grow out tank for small fish or plants (many people use it for plants before they sell them to their LFS)
- Can hide your equipment - eg heater can be placed in here
- High oxygenation
Cons:
- Fair bit of startup effort
- Ensure set up will allow for power outages otherwise all 55gal will end up on the floor
- I've heard it can be noisy from some people, so make your design accordingly (quiet pumps, minimum splashing, hood if possible)
- Can take up more space than a canister
- Many regard it as unnecessary for FW but I think it's a fun thing to be able to experiment with and a good learning experience if you ever wanted to go salty