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meterman 
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 Topic: Sump or refugium first
Posted: December 23 2005 at 11:57am |
I'm going to be setting up a 20 Gallon Tall display with a seperate 10 Gallon sump and a seperate 10 Gallon refugium. What are your thoughts about order of flow? Should I have water drain into the sump first and then into the refugium, or refugium first then sump?
I was thinking refugium first because of nutrient export. Opinions and thought s are appreciated.
Thanks!
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Alex
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RockStarFish
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Posted: December 23 2005 at 12:05pm |
I think that would work best but I am not a expert
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jcaulley
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Posted: December 23 2005 at 12:21pm |
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You sould consider not feeding them inline but seperately. Take the output of your 20 into a T, feed one side unrestricted into the sump. Use a ball valve to control flow into the refugium and ideally the refugium should overflow into the sump. Them pump from the sump back to the tank. Refugiums should have a low water flow to allow all the little critters you want to grow in it a safe non-turbulent place to thrive and I think (not sure) that macro algae does better nutrient export if it is given more contact time with the water. This is my understanding of it anways.
Edited by jcaulley
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Jared Caulley
West Haven, UT
16g Bowfront, mostly LPS
125g in progress
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j's55
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Posted: December 23 2005 at 2:23pm |
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I would do sump then refugium because any pods in the refugium can get
sucked up into the return and fed to your tank
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Josh Zorn
45G reef
lots of tropical plants
Cell it 910 3924
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Shane H
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Posted: December 23 2005 at 5:08pm |
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I would stack them (top to bottom) in this order:
Refugium
Display Tank
Sump
Pump the water from the sump into the refugium and allow it to gravity feed from there, through the display tank back to the sump.
If this isn't possible, I agree with Josh.
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jeffras
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Posted: December 23 2005 at 6:24pm |
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I would get a 20 long and do one large refugium with baffles and a
small section of it for sump iff needed. I had the dual setup (2X20g
tall) and have changed to 2 refugiums because the sump is really
meaningless. What is it's use? I have my skimmer carefully placed in my
refugium and everything is working great. I have twice the sandbed,
twice the macro, twice the live rock, and the additional water.
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Jeff Rasmussen
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meterman
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Posted: December 24 2005 at 2:01pm |
Thanks for everyone's input.
Jared C.
Not a bad idea... a little more plumbing.
Josh, Shane
I prefer the sump and refugium under the display.
In the display>refugium>sump configuration I was thinking that if any pods take the ride from the refugium they will also take the ride to the display from the sump. If I ever have to put fish in the sump temporarily, there may be pods in it from the refugium to eat.
Jeff
I'll have to check dimensions of a 20G Long. If I have to remove any livestock for any reason - it can go in the sump, rather than in the refugium. I don't want a pod or macro eating animal in the refugium.
How are your systems set-up? I assume the way you recommended.
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Alex
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smatney
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Posted: December 24 2005 at 4:47pm |
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Hey Mr. Alex - welcome back to the hobby!
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Susan Matney
Farmington, UT
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meterman
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Posted: December 24 2005 at 7:04pm |
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Thanks Susan, I coudn't stay away too long...
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Alex
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LostCauseZ06
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Posted: January 04 2006 at 10:39am |
i just plumbed mine the other day... ryan at aqautic recommended the following.. i have a 29 gallon tank that is seperated in half with sump on 1 side and fuge on other side. i have my sump overflow line running down into a T joint. one line going into sump and 1 into the fuge, the fuge then spills over the side into the sump side and is sucked up with the return pump. i run my skimmer, activated carbon, and the white mat thingys in white egg crate lighting stuff. im also running a 6" deep sand bed in the fuge (aragamud) with soon to have calurpa and some macro algae. i didnt have to run a ball joint on the fuge side.. the way i have my pipes set up diverts about 1/8 of the water into the fuge so its a nice slow steady drip past the teeth in the seperator that overflows into the sump. hope this helps 
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: January 04 2006 at 9:17pm |
Good suggestions above. 
Just a note, water can flow more quickly through a Refugium than most people have it flowing. And the quicker the flow, to a point, the faster algae will grow and the more easily pod larvae will be swept into the main tank.
Also, intense white light is best for a Refugium where macroalgae is to be grown and harvested as a way of exporting nutrients. 4000K - 10,000K but not blue/actinic. (The exception to this is a Sponge Refugium which should be left dark.)
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