Mike

 

Mike

Did you put reflectors in the hood? What lights are you running?Did you paint the underside of the hood white - Mikes suggestion will up your PAR considerably.

FYI, the union in the plumbing below will make for quite a bit of restriction depending on what type it is.

Definitely run a filter sock...I know this is a controversial subject, but this is where I stand.

As far as compartments in the sump, I prefer this order Input->Filtersock->(skimmer,carbon(if using reactor or canister))->(refugium)-(bubble trap)->(heater,top-off valve,return)

Keep the thread alive!

 

A agree with Terrance the return pump should be at the other end. If you put it in the same compartment as the skimmer you are going to loose the benefit of feeding your tank from the refugium. Pods and such will be collected by the skimmer before they reach your tank. Run your supply into the skimmer compartment. That way you will be removing the waste before it gets to the fuge. Then you could use either another divider on the far left to put the return pump in or just build a wall out of live rock between the refugium and the return pump, I believe Mark has a picture of a fuge set up this way. That will allow you to feed your tank with pods from the fuge when you stir it up and harvest your cheato.

 

Sorry to hear about the broken glass panel and the loss of skin.

 

If you use acrylic for the new panels just make sure to cut it 1/4" short as the acrylic will expand as it absorbs water. Also clean the edges of the acrylic well with MEK or alcohol to remove any oils or contaminants. Silicone doesn't stick well to acrylic if it has any oils on it at all.  If you use glass again just go for a slightly loose fit clean the glass and silicone it in.

 

Since the sump is empty I would use acrylic or glass panels instead of the tote for ease of cleaning and a cleaner appearance.

 

From the pictures it looks like now you have a large Fuge area with no center section. You also have a nice 3 panel bubble trap coming from the skimmer location to the fuge. A small center chamber isn't necessary but could make a good place to put some carbon or phosban if you want. If you opt to make a center chamber I wouldn't make it any larger than I needed to for occasional chemical filtration.

 

For the return section on the left I would make it just a little larger than the pump you're going to use for ease of access and just in case you decide to go with a bigger pump. I would also incorporate a 2 panel bubble trap to prevent air bubbles from getting into the return pump intake and making micro bubbles that could enter the display. Keep as much room for the Fuge section as you can and get that thing going.

 

Good Luck,

 

Now I'm tired just thinking about the work involved.

Hi Ben,

 

Here is an image that I hope will clear up the placement of the panels in the fuge.

 

Fuge 1 is your fuge as it sits. Panel C sets the height that must be overcome to allow water to flow. As you can see this leaves little room for additional water to return to the sump in case of a power failure. Panel A is nearly useless

 

Figure 2 is how the return panels should be set up. Panel A sets the height of the water in the fuge, Panel B creates the bubble trap and panel C directs water upward after passing through the trap.

 

Figure 3 is a complete fuge set up the way you described the fuge should work.

 

Panel a forces water to pass through the entire chamber. This helps if you want to place a bag of carbon or phosban in this section.

 

Panel b sets the water height in this section for the skimmer. Water will not flow until it raises higher than panel b

 

Panel c sets the height of the water in the fuge, water will not flow through the fuge until it passes over this panel.

 

Panel d creates the bubble trap.

 

Panel e directs any bubbles that might make it through the trap toward the surface so they are not sucked into the return pump. in this setup the top off level is set in the return chamber. as panels b and c create a constant level for the skimmer and fuge.

 

Supply should go into the far left chamber and the return is at the far right side. You can control flow through the fuge by putting a T and ball valve on the supply and directing flow directly to the return but this water directed here will likely create bubbles that would be sucked into the return pump so I wouldn't recommend that. I would recommend running all water through the fuge.

 

Hope this helps or at least gives you an idea how each panel in the sump will affect the flow of water through the sump.

 

 

 

I use 3 different ATO's, 1 is a JBJ ATO you can but at most any fish store or on-line, I also have a DIY setup that uses float valves and a relay that powers an Aqualifter pump to deliver Top Off water to my Clown Tank and the third unit is a DIY gravity fed unit that I made from a 7 Gallon Poultry Waterer. The one you will want to use will depend on where the Top Off water is coming from.

 

I get nervous about floods while I am away so I store my Top Off water in 5 Gallon buckets and pump it to the tank with aqualifter pumps. They are cheap and deliver a slow steady stream of water. Because I store the water in 5 gallon buckets I will never have more than 5 gallons pumped into the tanks should the pump stick in the on position for any reason.

 

Here is a link to a place you can order both types of float valve types http://www.aquahub.com/store/autotopoffcomp.html - http://www.aquahub.com/store/autotopoffcomp.html  . The DIY units are about $40.00 and the JBJ unit is about twice that but it is a much nicer unit.

 

You could use a simple float valve for RO Storage container in your sump. Essentially it will do the same thing as a toilet valve but it is designed to work with a RO unit. Here is a link to BRS Float Valve. It would also be much easier to mount than a toilet valve. http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/reverse-osmosis-filters-and-systems/ro-di-accessories/adjustable-float-valve-for-reverse-osmosis-systems.html - http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/products/reverse-osmosis-filters-and-systems/ro-di-accessories/adjustable-float-valve-for-reverse-osmosis-systems.html

 

All you need to do is get a piece of acrylic and drill a hole in it to mount the valve then position it in your sump at the appropriate level, Connect the 1/4" tubing to it and your done.

 

I agree with Fishoutawater, especially for float valves placed directly in the sump. I use one on my RO Reservoir but there are no critters to bother the valve and I have an overflow plumbed into a floor drain. That $40 - $100 for a ATO with additional safety features is cheap compared to dealing with a flood.

 

If your RO is upstairs then the aqualifter and electronic float switches isn't an option. The water will siphon through the aqualifter even after it shuts off. You would be better off with a unit like the Level-Loc that has a float valve and a solenoid to stop flow and make sure to clean and test the system frequently as part of regular tank maintenance.

 

Before I put in my overflow to the floor drain I had a piece of tubing that stopped the float valve from shutting completely. It flooded the basement for most of a day before I found it. Fortunately the basement isn't finished and the floor drain limited the flood to about 1/4" over a 100 square foot area but it would be a real mess in a finished office.

 

If you're going to go with the float valve only, I would recommend you create a box around it with small holes for the water to escape but that will keep snails and such out and consider a better ATO when you can afford it. Floods aren't fun.

 

Oh and I wouldn't connect the tubing straight to the RO unit. Use a 5 to 10 gallon container and an Aqualifter to start the siphon. Then if you do have a flood it will be small, in fact the sump may contain most of the water if the float valve fails. Not only will this contain the flood it will also prevent your water from being overly  diluted.