Help! Sump/Refugium

[ek9vboi]

Sorry once again, sounds like a played out song coming from me.

1) My overflow, why is it not siphoning quick enough? Drain in fine, it simply is not siphoning quick enough.

The external overflow is 2 boxes with a U tube. This is not a DIY overflow box, I bought it at Fish Collection. The guys told me it was good for 400gph. The pump I am using as a return is a ViaAqua 1300 rated at 370gph. From the pump to the return it should slow down to around 150-200gph which is about perfect because some of it will be going to the refuge.

Do I need to add a second U tube or adjust the overflow skimmer part?

2) Refugium. What should I put in it?

Other then plants and live rock. Should I have LS or forget about it? I have enough sand for a deep sand bed, but its not worth it from what I read, so I have about 2 inches of LS in it right now. Then I got to thinking about people and their problems with cyno, etc. So I am not thinking of LR and plants only. No LS or anything else.

What do you guys think?

 

[bckane]

1....can you lower the overflow box in your tank to take in more water.?
2. Refugium....I have 3" live sand bed about 8 lbs of live rock and tons of cheato........Chris was selling big bags of it for 2 bucks at this weeks meeting......My cheato grow fast have to trim each week

 

[thesaent14]

ek9vboy i don't want to sound like a brokent record but i told you give me a call or a pm with your number i guess i seeing you at fish colections bryan is a good freand of my send me a pm with your number and ill call you to help you out

 

[ek9vboi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7642724#post7642724 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by thesaent14
ek9vboy i don't want to sound like a brokent record but i told you give me a call or a pm with your number i guess i seeing you at fish colections bryan is a good freand of my send me a pm with your number and ill call you to help you out

I have your number somewhere, looks like I will be giving you a phone call soon.

 

[ek9vboi]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7642666#post7642666 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bckane
1....can you lower the overflow box in your tank to take in more water.?
2. Refugium....I have 3" live sand bed about 8 lbs of live rock and tons of cheato........Chris was selling big bags of it for 2 bucks at this weeks meeting......My cheato grow fast have to trim each week

I can lower the box into the tank, but that would defeat the surface skimmer... correct?

As for the refugium, I decided to use a thin layer of crush coral. Little or no sand is left in it. 8lbs of LR seems so little, I think I am going to add more then 8lbs and of course lots of cheato. I forgot who the member was on RC, but he is local and was giving it away for free. I'll have to look into that and find his number/name.

 

[bckane]

8lbs of live rock just covered the top of my sand.....my fuge is only 10x10 on my 15 gal sump/fuge

 

[ek9vboi]

My fuge is 8.5 x 12 x 16 high, so I have room to stack rocks on top of each other. Pods = good.

 

[bckane]

I guess you can add as much as you want........I just wanted to cover the sand layer...and add cheato with a good strong light.....This stuff grows like wild.......tons of pod and shrimp

 

[ek9vboi]

I'll have a good amount of rocks in there, but I really want live mysis shrimp to feed the clowns.

Would I have any problems if I cut the U tube on the siphon in order to get it to siphon quicker? Its just the same as if I were to lower the box correct?