Really strange plumbing ...

[eshook]

I have a strange plumbing situation, here is a picture, below is the description of why and how ...

My original plan was to split the 20L as a sump/refugium for my 29G reef. Instead I would like to use the 20L as a low flow display tank. (i.e. Sea Horse/Madarin) If I do this I will add a 10G Refugium and a rubbermaid sump (preliminary) plumbed like above.

The refugium overflow will be T'ed between the low flow and the return section. (to be pumped to the 29G via Mag 7)

The pumps are 2 Mag 7's. One will pump water up to the 29G for circulation. The other will be T'ed for the 10G Refugium and the 20L low flow. I add valves to dial correct flow if a Mag 7 is too much

Is this plumbing going to be too much? Should I just stick with the 20L as a refugium/sump to make my life simpler? Or will I like the additional water from the rubbermaid sump/10G fuge?

Simpler alternative: Split the rubbermaid sump into a sump/refugium and remove the 10G refugium. This would reduce plumbing complexity but low flow tank would not be gravity fed pods.

*any* help would be appreciated. A vote for one of the choices or tell me to forget it and quit before I start ;o)

 

[ilango]

How about this??
Return from 29G to the 10G Fuge
Return from 10G T'ed to 20L and Rubber Maid
Return from Rubber maid to 29G

Simple to plumb and you save one pump and a lot of Power in the long run

 

[hahnmeister]

You could just use one Mag7... sump to 29g, 29g drains to the fuge, fuge has a split drain...one to the sump, one to the low-flow (and then the sump).

 

[eshook]

The only problem is you are dumping the overflow "dirtiest water" from the 29G to the refugium, which usually wants the "cleanest water" I suppose I could run the skimmer off the return of the 29G and then connect the skimmer output to the sump. That just might work! I could add another T and valve to control how much ater the skimmer gets and the rest will be dumped into the return section...

Good idea, but it should probably be thought out further because if I put all the return to the 10G there will be too much water flow through the fuge I think. If I T the return from the 29G not all the water will be skimmed. Decisions decisions.

Thanks everyone!

 

[hahnmeister]

Why would the refugium want the cleanest water? I would say it should get a crack at any nutrient removal before the skimmer gets to it, as those same proteins that the skimmer removes are what phyto and rotifers eat. You could run a bypass on the fuge so its flow isnt quite so high...but Ive never seen a fuge with too much flow before...the more the better...yet for plumbing's sake, I can understand. It would give you more control, just like the other sections.

 

[eshook]

good point hahnmeister. I always thought the fuge wanted clean water but I suppose that would remove nutrients from the phyto and rotifers... Excellent idea. I believe I will plumb it with a single pump in the orientation you described.

Thanks for the help everyone I will let you know how it turns out. Although it will take a little while to build everything.