Thinking of starting a refugium.. Question/Help

seminolecpa

seminolecpa

Premium Member
So as the post says I am thinking of starting a refugium but unfortunatly my space is pretty limited. My 29 gal sump is pretty much stocked full of pumps and skimmers and the like.

Does anyone have a possible suggestion as to what I could use? For some reason I have this crazy idea to use my overflow as a small refugium but I am sure this probably isn't a good idea.

FYI, I have a old style Oceanic 58 with the overflow on the back left. The drain is pretty high up and it just seems like prime territory. it is pretty sizable and if I remove the self made cover gets good light exposure.

Am I crazy and just not thinking about something? I was thinking as long as I didn't let things grow out of control it wouldn't effect the drain.

Otherwise I may try to do it remotly though again space in my little SF apt is pretty scarce.

Help please. Has anyone though or tried this?
 
How about sitting a 10 gallon (to be used as the fuge) on top of the sump and having your drain go into the fuge first, then a bulk head at the bottom of the fuge that dumps into the sump?
 
I agree the 10gallon would be a good idea, but again space issues are a problem. The stand area below is pretty crammed already. Don't know if I could get it in there with my hulking Euro Reef RS 6-2 .

So I am guessing putting some sand and Cheato in the overflow with perhaps some sort of Eggcrate or large pored mesh covering to prevent the overflow drain from clogging is a bad idea?

The opening of the drain pipe sits near the top of the overflow so it seems like prime real estate for it.
 
I would probably advise against doing that. For one, you don’t want to open up the opportunity for a possible clog and thus flood. Second, given the limited amount of space in a overflow box, i doubt there would be any significant benefit to your tank. You could always get something custom made to fit under the stand, but if its anything less than 5 gallons, id prob advise against it. Not only because it might not have any affect on your tank, but also because of the costs and time involved.

You can always just make it easier on yourself and upgrade ;)
 
Well I have been told no upgrades are allowed until I buy my wife an upgrade (i.e.) a house first so it looks like I have to make due with what I have.

If any one is fairly saavy with this and is willing to help me figure it out and help set up I could throw in a very nice selection of zoa and SPS frags in.
 
what about making the fuge a "display" as well? A small stand next to the tank with a nice neat 10g fuge display? Put some cool macros in there, a few corals, and it'll be another tank to look at. Just plumb it inline with your drain / etc. and it'd look nice.

I also agree, anythign smaller than a 5g fuge may not help out that much =/
 
I have a 10-gallon TruVu acrylic tank with a 1-inch bulkhead drilled in the back left corner that I previously used as a fuge. Seminole, you can PM me about it if you're interested in Kinetic's suggestion.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8782893#post8782893 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Mr. Ugly
How about an AquaClear 500 hung off the back? Remove the filter media and fill with chaeto?
Click to expand...

An extension on this idea would be building a fuge from plexi glass that has the same length and width as your existing tank and is 5 - 6 inches deap. You could place this behind the existing tank on L brackets and clip it to the top of the back of your existing tank. You should be able to get enough volume from this and a single PC should be enough light for the Cheato.
 
Hey,

I'd be willing to come by and help you come up with a plan for your fuge tank. I met you a few months ago when we trade some zoo frags.
I would also be willing to help you make a custom tank out of acrylic so we could squeeze something into the limited space you have. Let me know, I'm free most days over the next few weeks.

Thanks,

Mark
 
Yep I have the table saw, router and all the other stuff needed for working with acrylic. We would just need to swing by tap plasctics and pick up some acrylic.
 
Mark,

Sounds like a plan. Probably even better as you have seen my setup and most of my livestock. Have plenty of free frags in it for you. I will shoot you a pm.

Bryan
 
Hello every one!

Hi Bryan,

I just saw this thread and just to make sure I pass on what I was told by Anthony Calfo and DR. Ron Sm....? when I was thinking about making my overflow box a refugium. They both told me that it would not be a good idea because it would simply become a nutrient trap, so not to go that rout.

The right flow sequense should be:
Water from the tank going straight into the skimmer.
From the skimmer's output through a refugium (mangroves, macroalgae).
From the refugium to a deep sand bed if desired.
From deep sand bed back to the tank.
Note: many of us use "filter socks" where our drains drop the water into our sumps, but for what the two gentlemen above told me, these socks should only be used for particular task during specific times or if left on all the time, they should be rinsed very often.

Since I had never done anything with acrylic before, I went to Tap Plastics a few weeks ago and bought a dollar worth of acrylic and a also both a can of the liquid that disolves the acrylic for it to attach to other pieces. That was a cool and cheap little experiment!

I don't have any tools to properly cut/form acrylic, so Mark will be of more help to you with that, but you are more than welcome to have my can of solvent. If this was to be of help to you, just drop me a PM, email or call and I'll take it to you.

I am planning on going to downtown, so your house would be on my way.

Regards!
 
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