Quick Help Please!?!

[lotsofgallons]

i just added a seperate 44g tank and 30g refugium to my current 110g tank/55g sump system. the 44g overflows into the fuge and the fuge overflows into the sump, and the 110 overflows into the same sump and seperate return pumps feed the 110 and the 44. i just added the live sand and saltwater to the new tank and fuge last night and the water is still very cloudy. my question is should i wait till it clears up before turning on the return pump that will mix that cloudy water into the sump, then eventually into the 110 display tank? or will it not affect the livestock? ive matched the salinity and temp to the rest of the system so that is not an issue. heres a visual of the layout:

New tank and fuge with cloudy water:

 

[newreef25]

in my opinion i would wait a little longer until the sand clears, looking at that picture its still very very cloudy, i wouldnt take any chances.

 

[alan214]

I would not have these tanks sharing any water at all until the 44G and fuge have fully cycled.

 

[Drewcipher]

I would wait too. Also, how much rock are you putting into the 44? If it isn't totally cured make sure you don't cause a cycle in the 110.

 

[mcox33]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9231843#post9231843 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by alan214
I would not have these tanks sharing any water at all until the 44G and fuge have fully cycled.

No way would I let them mix before the cycle completes.

 

[lotsofgallons]

ok...my theory is that by allowing the 60 gallons (tank+fuge-sand volume) to mix with the current system, which is approx 150 gallons total, it would be just like doing a 35 percent water change...on top of that there will be all of the new life added to the system from the 80lbs of live sand i just added...as far as the live rock culturing..im using plain old base rock in the new tank..am i still wrong for letting them mix?

 

[rustybucket145]

I think it will be fine, I would wait until it clears a little more before firing it up.

I assume you did your math on this before you put it together but I have one question....

What happens if the pump in the fuge fails or gets clogged?

Wouldn't it pump the sump dry into the 44gal cube and overflow the fuge itself?

55gals of water on the floor would not be fun

Anyways, hope you have a safeguard for this, or I'm reading the diagram wrong, just thought I'd point it out.

 

[lotsofgallons]

there is no pump in the fuge (it looks so in the diagram above but that was an early sketch)..this is how the system works..

the 110 overflows into the sump, and the first return pump kicks it back

the 44 overflows into the fuge, then the fuge overflows into the sump, and a second different return pump in the sump kicks it back to the 44

therefore if either pump failed, the tank in relation to the failed pump would stop oveflowing into the sump, but the other tank would still be running properly.

here is the drilled refugium:

 

[lotsofgallons]

well i turned the pump on last night around 6pm and everything went fine. none of the fish or corals in the big tank seemed stressed, they were all adhering to their normal behavior. this morning everything is clear and looking great! ill post some pics soon