Plumbing Fuge

[Pufferpunk]

I have 2 choices:

A) T off the main tank overflow tube. 1/2 going to the sump & 1/2 going to the fuge (valves for each), which will be placed on the bottom half of a 20g stand, which I don't have. Gravity will feed the fuge back to the last chamber of the sump, by a drilled overflow in the back of the fuge.

B) T off the return, which means the fuge will dump back into the same chamber the water just came from. Then I can use the 10g stand I already have & put the fuge on top.

 

[ppurcell]

Are you going to stack the refugium on top of your sump somehow? What are the sizes of each of the tanks, pumps and overflows you are using?

If you are going to stack, what about putting the sump before the refugium, put your skimmer, heaters, etc. in there, gravity feed to the refugium then put your return pump in a seperate chamber of the fuge?

If you can't do that, I think I would go with option C. Feed all of your overflow water from the main tank into the refugium, then to the sump and back up to the display. This assumes a <= 600 gph overflow, if your flow rate is greater than 600, then I'd go with option A. High flow through the refugium isn't a bad thing.

I don't think I would use Option B since it will make it more difficult for pods to get up to the display intact and it will decrease flow through your display.

There are two things to keep in mind on your bulkhead overflow strategy. You need to use a larger bulkhead for the gravity feed than you are using to pump the water in. I use a gravity feed with two 3/4" bulkheads and it can't quite keep up with a 600 gph flow rate from the pump so I slow the output flow from the feed pump with a valve. If going this route, I would recommend a gate valve, rather than a ball valve so that you have better control of the flow.

The second problem is that it took a lot of trial and error before I was able figure out how to stop the overflow from sucking a lot of air with the water which was creating a lot of bubbles and spray from their popping. If the overflow is going back into your sump, you will probably just want to drop it in away from the return pump, preferably in a covered part of the sump.

 

[RHagemann]

Plumbing Fuge

My return was causing bubbles as well. Take a look at this design. I did it and it worked beautifully.....now nice and quiet and no splash/bubbles.

Good Luck....

http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l142/RHagemann05/minimising_gurgles_diagram.jpg[/IMG][/IMG]

 

[ppurcell]

interesting. I might try that.

This is how I solved my problem. But it created a different problem. Because I am taking my input water from below the surface I haven't found a way to get rid of surface water scum that accumulates in the refugium.

The Aqualifter is to break an airlock that prevents water from flowing down to the display when the piping is too long or exits too far under water.

 

[RHagemann]

Plumbing Fuge

If you're getting surface scum, it's from lack of surface agitation (circulation). Might try putting a small powerhead (maybe one that sweeps) on the surface of your fuge. There's differing opinions on flow in fuge's some say low is better, others say medium flow is best. Either way, I think it's safe to say you're surface scum issue is caused from a lack of flow...on the surface anyway.

Are you gravity feeding directly from your display tank, or from the sump?
If you're gravity feeding from your sump to your fuge the flow probably isn't strong enough to circulate the water.

Not sure I completely understand your entire drain and return system, sorry for the Q's rather that than make assumptions that are wrong and dont help you at all ya know?

Rob

 

[ppurcell]

Well, this is really Puffers thread. I added my comments to try and illustrate a potential problem.

However, to answer your questions. I am pushing 600 gph across a 20g refugium which gravity feeds into my display. You are correct that I have little surface agitation, but since my drain from the tank is below the surface more flow alone probably won't help. (however, I will pop a powerhead into the the fuge for a few days to see if things improve). My long term plan is to abandon the bulkhead gravity feed and just use a hang-on overflow. The relative height and position of my refugium to my display is accurate in the picture.

 

[RHagemann]

Plumbing Fuge

Yeah, I kinda realized that it's someone else's thread but it's all good info anyway, and has to do with plumbing a fuge. If you convert to a HOT overflow, and split that return say a 3/4" to your sump and 1/2" to your fuge, the gravity alone should be plenty to circulate. In the interim, try that powerhead, it should cure what ails ya.

Rob

 

[ppurcell]

I appreciate the suggestions.

Just to complete the story, here is a simplified version of my setup.

The setup on the left is what I have now, what is on the right is what I plan to migrate to.

The pump in the sump is a Mag12, the display is a 75g, the sump is a 20g, plumbing is 3/4" and rises about 6' from the sump to the fuge.