Fuge question

montecarlo97

montecarlo97

New member
Ok, this is probably a stupid question ,but here goes.
I have a standard 30g reef tank and I want to set up a 5 or 10g fuge beneath it. My question is how do you do the plumbing? Do you pump the water down to it, or just let it siphon down, and how do you keep the water that's going to and from the tank the same flow so as to not over flow one or the other.
I've had this tank set up for about 6 years with FOWLR and thought I would try some soft corals and later on maybe SPS and clams.
Thanks in advance.
 
You need an overflow box, or a drilled tank with internal overflow. Then it works like this: The return pump pushes water from the sump/fuge up to the display tank. As the display tank water level rises, the water rushes into the overflow box, where it is either gravity fed down (internal boxes) or siphon fed (external boxes) down to the sump/fuge. The only water going into the overflow is what the return pump pushes upwards. So it's even coming and going. The overflow just needs a large enough tube running down to the sump to match what the return pump is pushing out. Did that help at all?

Trying to match flow rates using anything other than an overflow and you're asking for alot of water to be dumped on your floor.
 
Here's how my tank is set up:

Water flows into a Calfo overflow box, through a bulkhead, down a pipe and into my sump. A return pump then pumps the water past a ball valve, past a check valve, through a bulkhead and into my tank.

The amount of water returned can be controlled through the ball valve, but matching everything up exactly isn't really a big deal. As long as your drain is big enough to cover the maximum amount of water returnable by your pump, your tank will not overflow.
 
That's exactly what I was wanting to know.
So I could, in effect, buy a small aquarium kit(minibow 5 for instance), an overflow box and powerhead, and make it a fuge under my tank?
Thanks guys.
 
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yeah, but i would be careful with a 5 gallon. just make sure the think doesn't over flow when the power goes out and things like that.
 
I think I've got the idea of how everything works except, the return pump. You're never going to match the flow exactly, and you want a pump that's flow will be more than the flow from your overflow box. You control the flow in the return line with a ball valve and tee, but sooner or later the sump chamber is going to get low and the powerhead is going to start to suck air, which make a lot of noise until the until the overflow box can catch back up.
Am I missing something? I trying to talk the wife into letting me do this, and the last thing I need is a big mess.

Thanks.
 
I'm doing this right now as an experiment, using a 5.5 gallon tank. Add one baffle to keep the chaeto out of the pump. HOB overflow, Rio 1100 return pump. The trick is the tee with a ball valve to control the flow. The distance from display tank to fuge is 4 feet. I can post a pic if you like ?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9531610#post9531610 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by agsansoo
I'm doing this right now as an experiment, using a 5.5 gallon tank. Add one baffle to keep the chaeto out of the pump. HOB overflow, Rio 1100 return pump. The trick is the tee with a ball valve to control the flow. The distance from display tank to fuge is 4 feet. I can post a pic if you like ?
Click to expand...

I'd appreciate pics even if the OP doesn't. :)
 
Sorry it took so long ... Lost the thread. OK pictures. Trying up upload ..but photos too big. Check back later today. (I need photobucket account )
 
maybe this will help. A pics worth a thousand words.

agsansoo:>> Use an image hosting service like photobucket (it's free)

sump.jpg
 
This is the macro Algae !

refuge_02.jpg


Sorry about the dirty glass. It started out the size of a hard baseball ... Now it's a small basketball ... I need a better light, I think this one is only @ 2600K.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9531423#post9531423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by montecarlo97
I think I've got the idea of how everything works except, the return pump. You're never going to match the flow exactly, and you want a pump that's flow will be more than the flow from your overflow box. You control the flow in the return line with a ball valve and tee, but sooner or later the sump chamber is going to get low and the powerhead is going to start to suck air, which make a lot of noise until the until the overflow box can catch back up.
Am I missing something? I trying to talk the wife into letting me do this, and the last thing I need is a big mess.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Yes the flow through the overflow box will match the pump's flow. You don't want a pump that will pump more than your overflow box can handle. You don't need a valve on the return either, some people use them just to adjust the flow back into their tank. When the power shuts off you have to be careful though to have enough free space in your sump to allow for some of the water from your tank to drain into your sump.
 
Totally agree with jer77 !!
On a sump this small, not much room for error. The return line must be drilled just below the water, to break the siphon. The sump will overflow without it. Tank overflowing should not be a problem, since the sump is so small.
 
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Monte, I spent about $50 in all, tools included, to get everything from home depot that I needed to turn a 10g glass tank into a refugium, baffles, lighting, (already had a pump though and overflow) and the pvc, fitting, silcone, ect. It's not very hard to make yourself and you really don't need a kit. But that price isn't bad. Home depot and Lowes both sell acrylic sheets, small enough to use. I actually just used small glass panes for my baffles though.
 
Monte, IMO I wouldn't buy that. The protein skimmer should be before the refugium. Else it will skim out the good stuff that the fuge provides. I like the protein skimmer section / return section / refugium section layout. Please read melevsreef's web site.
 
My fuge have a rio 400 that takes the water to the fuge and then the water returns to my sump by gravity, I make a 2" hole the other side of the fuge so the waters goes down to the sump. The fuge have to be higher.
 
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