My Design for a Refugium will it work?
- Thread starter JimmyJohn
- Start date
drparker
Premium Member
Couple of quick thoughts. Ditch the Bio balls and just use a filter sock if anything. Bio-balls will become nitrate factories.
Doesn't look like enough room for the skimmer so double check that.
If 34" is your outside measurement you need to take into account how much space the side walls use and the baffles. Using 1/4 baffles will eat up 1 inch. I would recommend a bigger spacing between baffles, if it's to small the water flow will be faster through them and not allow bubbles to rise out.
If the return area is too small your evaporation might drop it's water level too much, I'd make the fuge smaller and the return larger.
Doesn't look like enough room for the skimmer so double check that.
If 34" is your outside measurement you need to take into account how much space the side walls use and the baffles. Using 1/4 baffles will eat up 1 inch. I would recommend a bigger spacing between baffles, if it's to small the water flow will be faster through them and not allow bubbles to rise out.
If the return area is too small your evaporation might drop it's water level too much, I'd make the fuge smaller and the return larger.
hamiltonguy
New member
+1 To the above, get rid of the bio-balls. Filter socks work great but need to cleaned regularly. As stated, make sure you have enough room for the skimmer. Look at what skimmer you want to get BEFORE you finalize the sump. I would also, increase the size of the return chamber or (again as stated above) water may evaporate too quickly and if you don't have an ATO, it's a pain.
stricknine
New member
+2 for the above. I made my return too small and have to fill it twice daily. Would pull both sides in to leave room for evap and equipment (ATO, heaters, reactor pump, etc). Ever thought of teeing the intake, sump one side, fuge other, and return in the middle? I heard that is the way to go (after I built mine)
REEFFER MADNESS
New member
I agree bio-balls are not the best way to go especially submerged. Live rock and sand beds are the way to go for great filtration. Check out Melve's Reef for sump ideas. He has a great website. I would put the return in the middle of your sump so you have the filtered water of the fuge on one side and the skimmer on the other. That is how mine is set up and works well for me. Make sure you leave room for your heater and skimmer depending on what size you plan on using for your tank.
mutateddogbone
New member
for the intake to the sump just take some live rock and hit it with a clean hammer till u get it in chunks that will fit where the bioballs would go. and to save space for skimmer you could go with a hang on skimmer to hang on the outside of the sump and only the pump and return in the water. that is how my sump is setup, saves space for media reactor, ca reactor, etc.
thecoralreefer
New member
I would add another bubble trap at the right end to controll micro bubbles and it is kinda small ehh?
No room in stand I take it ?
No room in stand I take it ?
thecoralreefer
New member
Adding bio or any rock in a spot you can not clean regularly is a place for detris to collect. Keep a clean line of flow add some filter pad that you can remove easily. Change it regularly !!!
A sock is good to if you CLEAN IT REGULARLY !!!
As a service tech I see a lot of filters and they all get a good cleaning and I syphon out all the detris when I take over the service. filters get dirty !!! you need to clean them, Fuge W/D
and closed loops too.
A sock is good to if you CLEAN IT REGULARLY !!!
As a service tech I see a lot of filters and they all get a good cleaning and I syphon out all the detris when I take over the service. filters get dirty !!! you need to clean them, Fuge W/D
and closed loops too.
