der_wille_zur_macht
Team RC
Being in a ghetto DIY mood, I then turned to the sump. I have a nearly complete light rig designed for an ATS, but no ATS (yet - it's probably a few weeks off). In the meantime, I have a wad of chaeto to use for nutrient export. Problem is, there's vastly too much flow in the sump for it, and there's no separate "refugium" compartment because that's not in my longterm plans.
So I needed a quick and effortless way to segment off some of the sump, while allowing for a low flow rate. Eggcrate might have worked but I didn't have any.
So I grabbed a tupperware bin I'd been storing supplies in and sunk it in the sump. Problem was, the lip of the bin was about a quarter inch above water level, so there was no flow.
I thought about drilling a bunch of holes in the bin, or even cutting slots, but I didn't want to "ruin" a bin for a temporary duty like this. I needed a way to get water in to the bin at a reasonable flow rate.
Then I remembered that I had a skimmer from a tank I had running years ago sitting right there in the stand next to the sump.
So, I present to you, the ghetto-DIY instant refugium:
The skimmer is inside the bin with the algae, but the skimmer's pump is OUTSIDE the bin. So the skimmers effluent basically fills the bin, which then overflows over that 1/4" height difference back in to the sump. I have the skimmer set so that it's not actually collecting anything, but it's aerating the water and providing flow where I need it.
So I needed a quick and effortless way to segment off some of the sump, while allowing for a low flow rate. Eggcrate might have worked but I didn't have any.
So I grabbed a tupperware bin I'd been storing supplies in and sunk it in the sump. Problem was, the lip of the bin was about a quarter inch above water level, so there was no flow.
I thought about drilling a bunch of holes in the bin, or even cutting slots, but I didn't want to "ruin" a bin for a temporary duty like this. I needed a way to get water in to the bin at a reasonable flow rate.Then I remembered that I had a skimmer from a tank I had running years ago sitting right there in the stand next to the sump.
So, I present to you, the ghetto-DIY instant refugium:
The skimmer is inside the bin with the algae, but the skimmer's pump is OUTSIDE the bin. So the skimmers effluent basically fills the bin, which then overflows over that 1/4" height difference back in to the sump. I have the skimmer set so that it's not actually collecting anything, but it's aerating the water and providing flow where I need it.
I got a kick out of you view box and a good laugh. I am curious though, what is your sump made of? It looks like its made of wood.
