Sump / refugium space issues

[pkstylez]

Hey guys I'm racking my brain and getting stuck. I have a 120 gal and a 20 gallon sump. Initially I grabbed a 2nd 20 gallon drilled holes and attached 1 inch tube between the two tanks.

Drain tank had skimmer and live rock. 2nd tank had 9inch baffle at entry then into sand with chaeto then back up to DT.

Sounds great right...well I cracked the glass and tried fixing even with new tank but not working due to space under the DT in my Stand. I have 2 doors 16 inches wide and a 24 inch depth under main tank.

Has anyone ever built an acrylic or glass tank that was custom or plumbed two together so I can have refugium separate from drain? Even thought about making an L shaped tank since I can't take the center support out of stand..

Any ideas would be helpful. Here is a pic of situation
Thanks guys

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[JohnZena]

Hey guys I'm racking my brain and getting stuck. I have a 120 gal and a 20 gallon sump. Initially I grabbed a 2nd 20 gallon drilled holes and attached 1 inch tube between the two tanks.

Drain tank had skimmer and live rock. 2nd tank had 9inch baffle at entry then into sand with chaeto then back up to DT.

Sounds great right...well I cracked the glass and tried fixing even with new tank but not working due to space under the DT in my Stand. I have 2 doors 16 inches wide and a 24 inch depth under main tank.

Has anyone ever built an acrylic or glass tank that was custom or plumbed two together so I can have refugium separate from drain? Even thought about making an L shaped tank since I can't take the center support out of stand..

Any ideas would be helpful. Here is a pic of situation
Thanks guys

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By all means you can use multiple tanks. A friend of mine has 2-40 gallon breeders plumbed together. It works great. I have a 180 with a 55 gallon sump and a 75 gallon display refugium. Whatever shape or size you use doesnt matter as long as you have ample sized compartments. You may have 2 or 3 one inch between the tanks to have propee flow.

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[Salty Waffles]

How long of space do you have? Have you considered a 33 long? They are 48"x13"x13". That's what I'm using under my 125g (6ft). I had plenty of room to set up a skimmer chamber, fuge, and return chamber.

 

[pkstylez]

How long of space do you have? Have you considered a 33 long? They are 48"x13"x13". That's what I'm using under my 125g (6ft). I had plenty of room to set up a skimmer chamber, fuge, and return chamber.

The space is in the stand under the tank. Limited to door width. 48inch won't make it.

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[pkstylez]

By all means you can use multiple tanks. A friend of mine has 2-40 gallon breeders plumbed together. It works great. I have a 180 with a 55 gallon sump and a 75 gallon display refugium. Whatever shape or size you use doesnt matter as long as you have ample sized compartments. You may have 2 or 3 one inch between the tanks to have propee flow.

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What are the tanks plumbed together with? Pvc? See if you can get a pic of his plumbing between tanks. Having a difficult.time finding tubing, and seals around glass to keep from leaking

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[mcgyvr]

Of course you can have a custom acrylic sump made or make one.. many people have done that..
and of course you can have multiple tanks plumbed together and you simply use bulkheads and pipe to connect them..
Its done all the time..
Easy enough to just have unions so that you can easily separate the 2 tanks for installation/removal..

Tubing/barb fittings are really the wrong direction to go.. 1" tube is really too small for such a setup due to the way that the barbs really reduce the size down (choke point)

 

[JohnZena]

What are the tanks plumbed together with? Pvc? See if you can get a pic of his plumbing between tanks. Having a difficult.time finding tubing, and seals around glass to keep from leaking

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It is pretty simple. You need, depending on the size, 4 one inch slip bulkheads. Install the bulkhead, install a short nipple (pvc), install a union, another nipple and into the 2nd tanks bulkhead.

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[JohnZena]

It is pretty simple. You need, depending on the size, 4 one inch slip bulkheads. Install the bulkhead, install a short nipple (pvc), install a union, another nipple and into the 2nd tanks bulkhead.

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If he were to use only 2 bulkheads, what size would you recommend McGyver?

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[Lsufan]

What are the tanks plumbed together with? Pvc? See if you can get a pic of his plumbing between tanks. Having a difficult.time finding tubing, and seals around glass to keep from leaking

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I have something similar. I have a 40 breeder sump & a 20 gallon refugium. I feed the refugium from my manifold on my return pump & it gravity feeds back to the sump. How u are explaining your setup it would pretty much be the opposite. It would gravity feed from the sump to the refugium & pump from the fuge to the dt.

I just installed bulkheads on both tanks & connected them with pvc & a Union.

 

[pkstylez]

I have something similar. I have a 40 breeder sump & a 20 gallon refugium. I feed the refugium from my manifold on my return pump & it gravity feeds back to the sump. How u are explaining your setup it would pretty much be the opposite. It would gravity feed from the sump to the refugium & pump from the fuge to the dt.

I just installed bulkheads on both tanks & connected them with pvc & a Union.

Mine is similar but yes a little different. I let gravity take it from sump into refuge then return to DT from refugium.

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