How to Refugium?

[aydemir]

Hey guys, I have a 5.5 gallon tank, I want to do a mini reef. I have the tank set up with LR, it has just finished cycling. I have another 5.5 tank sitting around doing nothing, and wanted to do a refugium setup so I could reduce nitrates and grow pods, etc. Im not sure how overflows and return pumps work, Im looking for a general explanation lol (like how to setup pump system, what happens when power goes out/pump fails, etc). The only possible setup is the DT above the refugium. I would rather not run a gravity drain line that involves me drilling a hole into the tank. Thanks in advance

 

[laugh]

You could just set them side by side and put a U tube between them and a small powerhead pumping from one to the other. Or lookup aquaclear mod. its what many pico guys use for a fuge.

 

[Orm Embar]

I'd vote for Aquaclear fuge - seems simpler.

 

[pledosophy]

More expensive but the cpr hob might be good for you. They even have one with a mini skimmer.

 

[laugh]

A skimmer is not recomended nor required for a 5.5 gallon tank. In a tank that small the only way to maintain water quality is by doing frequent small water changes.

 

[pledosophy]

I respectfully disagree, I find a skimmer is a great benefit to a nano tank IME.

Your entitled to your opinion, mine just differs.

 

[laugh]

In a nano tank yes but in a pico tank of only 5.5 gallons there simply is no way to keep your water quality stable without frequent water changes. It is the general concensus of the pico tank community. In fact many believe in a tank this small a skimmer can do more harm than good. To each his own.

 

[aydemir]

I was thinking nitrate coil, cuz it would be easy to make one myself, and it would probably be effective enough for a tank this small. Just wondering how Overflows, drain lines and return pumps work, and how to run them 'fail safe' The whole two tanks with the same water being moved in between them is complicated to me, lol