Refugium and Sump Seperated ?

[SPCLMANAGE]

Has anyone had experience plumbing and utilizing a separate sump and refugium. I'm looking for any ideas and pictures from existing or past systems.

I've got a closed loop and overflow in the new tank I'm building and would like a dedicated refugium in the 20 gallon range along with the sump I have already.

 

[bruce 1]

I am wanting to do the same thing. But I am not real sure how to do it. I think I am going to have the refugium on a stand so the return (outlet) will be higher than the sump, and just let it overflow into the sump.

 

[OneReef]

I did that on my tank. It was made easier since it was a 6 foot tank with 6 foot stand. I had one sump for a fuge, and one for a sump. They were connected at the ends with bulkheads, PVC and unions. Water drained from the main tank into the fuge side, and I had the return pump in the 2nd sump, so that it pulled water from the first (drain area) through the bulkheads and PVC Pipe to the second sump. Here are a few pics that may or may not show it very well.

 

[SPCLMANAGE]

That's exactly the kind of info and pictures I'm looking for. It it currently running yet? Do you get enough flow with one bulkhead connecting the two?

 

[drew930]

Im interested in this too ! Im curious on high high to put your bulkheads. Is it better to have our bulk heads at water level ? Or does below water level give you more flow ?

And sorry for the dumb question, just kind of confused .... is your drain going to the refugium then into your sump then the the skimmer then returned back into tank ? .... Or ... is the drain going to the sump , then skimmer, then over to the refugium, then returned to tank ?

 

[a.browning]

I have a separate 15g refugium from my 10g sump on my 55 gallon. I drilled for 2 1" bulkheads near the surface of the refugium, used 2 90 degree elbows, and have them draining back into my sump. The fuge is fed by the return pump T'd off. It has worked flawlessly for a year and a half. This is the best picture I have of it.

 

[Lanimret]

I don't have a pic of it running (it currently is, I just don't have one on hand) but mine are seperate but in a much different way. You can see them empty here (this is from right before I turned the system on).

The refugium is the one on the second shelf on the left, the one on the right is a quarantine tank. A pump pumps the water up from the sump (into a turf scrubber which wasn't built yet in this picture) into the refugium and then two drains feed back to the sump.

Only works if you can put one above the other though, but it works great

 

[slief]

I run a seperate sump and fuge.. It works great. Water goes from the tanks overflow into the main sump. From there to the fuge. At the end of the fuge is the return pump. I have it setup so I can shut onevalve, open another and bypass the fuge completely for maintenance. Here are some pics.

Connections between the sump and fuge as well as the fuge bypass line.

After the retrofit.

 

[OneReef]

:bum:

That's exactly the kind of info and pictures I'm looking for. It it currently running yet? Do you get enough flow with one bulkhead connecting the two?

That was on my last tank and I ran it like that for a couple of years. Worked great. The one bulkhead was not enough flow so I went back and added one more, and had the two side by side, each with their own union.

 

[OneReef]

Im interested in this too ! Im curious on high high to put your bulkheads. Is it better to have our bulk heads at water level ? Or does below water level give you more flow ?

And sorry for the dumb question, just kind of confused .... is your drain going to the refugium then into your sump then the the skimmer then returned back into tank ? .... Or ... is the drain going to the sump , then skimmer, then over to the refugium, then returned to tank ?

I put the bulkheads as low as I could so that they were under water entirely, I did not want them sucking air and creating bubbles.

The drain from my main tank went into a drain section, then overflowed into the Refugium, then over a baffle. On the other side of that baffle was the bulkhead that flowed into the second sump. That second sump had a skimmer section which overflowed over a baffle to the return section, which was then returned to the tank.

 

[SPCLMANAGE]

Onereef, what size bulkheads did you use on the new setup with two connections? Also, what type of pump did you use and do you feel that water is going to fast/slow through the refugium with your current setup? Any pics with the two connections. Thanks

 

[SWINGRRRR]

I'm fixing to do this as well. 2 20 gallons sitting beside each other in a 27X27 stand. I wanted the biggest fuge possible so I went with what fit. I plan to have the return T'd into the fuge, then gravity fed into the sump return area.
I toyed with the idea of custom making a sump/fuge/ATO in one, but cost was astronomical.
If I think about it, Ill post pics when Im done.

 

[ecupcar]

Holy cow, you guys are plumbing masters and very creative. I put my fuge above the tank and let it flow down into the display and sump below. My thought is that if i feed the fuge it would constantly feed the display.