Interesting Herbie. I know I just kept racking my brain trying to get it to work, and could never get it quite there, I was close, but not enough to be completely comfortable. I am actually using a "Double Herbie". My display is restricted to sump #1 that contains Protien Skimmer, phosban, carbon, heater, calcium reactor, dosing pumps etc. Then That sump is restricted to the Refugium sump at the end of the run. I have not noticed this to be any more difficult to maintain than with a "Single Herbie".
For others who might be looking at this thread for the first time because of thread of the month I would like to expand on some other benefits I have noticed from this system.
1. It's quiet. Well duh. But we are talking silent!
2. What is a micro bubble? No air entering the lines means no air exiting the lines.
3. Salt spray. Where? Not in my tank! No splashing, no mess.
4. Flow. I can push way more water through my returns like this with out disrupting anything. Many say 3x-5x flow through the sump. But at the same time we are encourage to tumble cheato. My 28 gallon refugia has a 20x turn over rate. If my skimmer misses something on the first pass, well thats why I have such a large macro area, or it will get it on the next pass.
5. It's easy. I have looked at many differant solutions that people come up with to control some of the above listed problems, and this you slap a gate valve on your return, and drape a emergency line above the sump so you can hear if something is not right.
6. It is safe! There are 25 pages here. Find a post where something went wrong when the simple directions were followed.... This is RC you would for sure find a FLAME if mass flooding occured....you wont.
Again Thank you Herbie, and VOTE!