Southern Boy
New member
Do I put skimmer or refugium in 1st compartment of sump
what 1st skimmer or refugium???
- Thread starter Southern Boy
- Start date
Southern Boy
New member
So do I put both of my 1" overflow hoses directly into the refugum and then add several baffels before I go to the skimmer section. Also do I put sveral baffels before I go to the supply section where my pump supplies the tank?
Reeses
New member
You could put both overflow hoses in the refugium, or you could put one in the fuge and one with the skimmer. I suppose it would depend on how turbulent you want your refugium. The reason for having the fuge first is so your macro will get raw unskimmed water. You will want baffles between your fuge and skimmer, and between skimmer and return. That way your skimmer will have a constant water level to operate correctly.
mosesbrown
New member
I found this suprising. I was told that it is better to have your skimmer before the refusium. That way you can remove additional proteins and junk from the water to keep the refusium cleaner so that the refusium has an easier time cleaning up the water. Is that really incorrect, because it seemed to make sense when I thought about it.
Southern Boy
New member
Reeses, can you grow pods in the macro?
mosesbrown
New member
I guess that makes sense as well. I was considering building a refusium that split the water coming into the sump into a refusium at one end and the protein skimmer in the other end. Then having both ends flow into the center where the return pump would be housed. I have found some great plans on RC, but have since lost the tread. Any thougts?
Reeses
New member
You can grow pods in the macro, they love it, but I think that having a sandbed down there and rubble is also important for a good healthy population. My cheato grows like crazy, plus I have a decent crop of turtle weed in my display and a frag of zenia. I can't imagine how dirty my water would be without them. :lol:
mosesbrown,
There is a thread on the reef discussion board right now set up like that:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1036744
Very handy if you have 2 overflows.
mosesbrown,
There is a thread on the reef discussion board right now set up like that:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1036744
Very handy if you have 2 overflows.
Skimmer 1st, then fuge. You want the source of bubbles such as the drain and skimmer to be as far away from the return as possible. There will be plenty of food for the fuge if it is after the skimmer.
I've also had the middle return design and liked it. A benefit is you are slowing down the water over the baffles since the flow is divided between the chambers instead of all flow going though the sump linearly.
I've also had the middle return design and liked it. A benefit is you are slowing down the water over the baffles since the flow is divided between the chambers instead of all flow going though the sump linearly.
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returnofsid
New member
Skimmer first!! That way you're skimming the water as soon as it comes from the tank. If you don't have the skimmer first, you'll be wasting your skimming action. You want to get the water when it's most concentrated in nutrients. The water coming directly from the tank is most concentrated. After that, it's diluted. THEN you want your bubble trap, then refugium, then I'd recommend a second bubble trap before your return pump.
Reeses
New member
Oh boy, here we go! :rollface:
If you have proper baffles, bubbles are not an issue. If you split your line, or have two overflows, you can feed your skimmer the good raw water and feed your fuge raw water, too. That is how mine is set up.
If your skimmer was fed direct tank water, the particulate matter would be skimmed out, not giving your fuge the best conditions to foster it's growth. However, if your sump is the "in sump" kind, it's very probable enough particulate matter would be able to flow through, and be fine.
So if don't want to split the line, or don't have a choice, then direct into the skimmer is the best way to go. If you have two lines or split, then I believe feed raw to both for maximum benefit. Slow flow through the fuge is also beneficial as this allows the macro time to uptake the nutrients.
So what I said earlier is only partially correct, pertaining to my MHO, and I apologize for not elaborating more. There are many professionals in the hobby who support feeding the fuge raw water, and that is why I set mine up the way I did.
If you have proper baffles, bubbles are not an issue. If you split your line, or have two overflows, you can feed your skimmer the good raw water and feed your fuge raw water, too. That is how mine is set up.
If your skimmer was fed direct tank water, the particulate matter would be skimmed out, not giving your fuge the best conditions to foster it's growth. However, if your sump is the "in sump" kind, it's very probable enough particulate matter would be able to flow through, and be fine.
So if don't want to split the line, or don't have a choice, then direct into the skimmer is the best way to go. If you have two lines or split, then I believe feed raw to both for maximum benefit. Slow flow through the fuge is also beneficial as this allows the macro time to uptake the nutrients.
So what I said earlier is only partially correct, pertaining to my MHO, and I apologize for not elaborating more. There are many professionals in the hobby who support feeding the fuge raw water, and that is why I set mine up the way I did.
Raineesman
New member
Your only going to be skimming a portion of the water going thru to the fuge. The fuge will still be getting raw water even if the skimmer is first.
If it is setup as Skimmer / return / fuge you can drain into the skimmer section, then put a tee and a ball valve on your drain line and run it over to the fuge then you can make sure the fuge gets raw water only and you can control the flow. Then have your bubble trap in between the skimmer and return section. IMO
If it is setup as Skimmer / return / fuge you can drain into the skimmer section, then put a tee and a ball valve on your drain line and run it over to the fuge then you can make sure the fuge gets raw water only and you can control the flow. Then have your bubble trap in between the skimmer and return section. IMO
Exactly. The way most sumps are set up, a skimmer doesn't skim all of the drain water anyway. I have a separate fuge from the sump which is fed off a T from the return pump. The water fed to the fuge is after the sump/skimmer and the chaeto is growing like crazy.
Reeses
New member
Just because you haven't seen it/researched it, does not mean that it does not exist, and that doesn't have the capability to work well. After all, there is more than one way to skin a cat!
What may work for one may not work for another. This hobby is a happy hobby (mostly) of trial and error on our own systems, and finding out what works and what does not. Researching is the fastest way to achieve that, and sources like Reef Central are important to get a variety of opinions on the matter(s).
There are many methods for reefkeeping (berlin, ecosystem, ZEOvit, to name a few) so why is it that oftentimes we get stuck thinking that there is only one "right" way to do it? Laddystar's question was about wether to skim his/her water first, or go through a refugium first. This question in itself leads to quite a few other topics that should also be researched, such as the reason for a refugium, what kind of tank he/she really wants (reef? FOWLR?), skimmer production (the why's and how's) and methods of creating the best possible environment to keep what he/she wants.
I think that a lot of people see the refugium as just another filtration method that has the benefit of helping to feed the tank inhabitants and lower nitrates. The refugium can be a very important part of reef system, and is in essence, it's own environment that requires care. There are different kinds of refugiums, ones with only macro, unlit with a DSB, just rubblerock, or lit with all the above. It depends on the owner's reason for wanting one to begin with. Have a DSB in your tank but want to grow macro? Just light a portion of your sump, and voila! Macro fuge.
Every new method of successful reefkeeping seems to take the best elements of the one before it, and then improves it. The Berlin Method with the lots of flow, no substrate, big skimmer, does it work for growing corals that require pristine conditions? Yes, it does and have read that it does very well. Does it work if you want to keep feather dusters or breed copepods? Nope, there isn't enough nutrients left in the water because of the skimmer. And this right here is my reason for feeding my fuge raw water. I feel the critters/macro need it, and if I skim that water first, I may inadvertently be shorting the needs of my fuge. My skimmer is still getting raw water too, so I have the best of both worlds IMHO.
rustybucket145
New member
One more log on the fire!
Both in the same chamber!!! Well, not really the same chamber but both getting raw water
How ya like me now?
Both in the same chamber!!! Well, not really the same chamber but both getting raw water
How ya like me now?
I like your thinking, Reeses, and will probably change my refugium. My setup is: overflow with sock to wet/dry to skimmer to refugium and back to tank.
If I change direction of the flow - from tank without sock to refugium to wet/dry, then skimmer and then back to tank, do you think my refugium will benefit? Won't that lead to too much dirt into the wet/dry?
If I change direction of the flow - from tank without sock to refugium to wet/dry, then skimmer and then back to tank, do you think my refugium will benefit? Won't that lead to too much dirt into the wet/dry?
