Help me make a sump/refugium for this situation!
- Thread starter seecrabrun
- Start date
seecrabrun
Active Member
Also when doing the turnover calculation. Are you going off volume or capacity?
I've determined my display is about 17-18 gallons and my refugium will be about 6-7 gallons.
So I've been using 25 as the volume for calculations. The pump I bought is the eheim compact 1000 which should give me about 200gph on my planned head height, but it is adjustable as well.
I've determined my display is about 17-18 gallons and my refugium will be about 6-7 gallons.
So I've been using 25 as the volume for calculations. The pump I bought is the eheim compact 1000 which should give me about 200gph on my planned head height, but it is adjustable as well.
seecrabrun
Active Member
Oh in the refugium alone. If the water is coming directly from the main tank, through the refugium, back to the tank with only 1 baffle for the return pump section.
That would be best at 50ish gallons per hour. Which for the main tank would be a 3x turnover.
Am I correct?
That would be best at 50ish gallons per hour. Which for the main tank would be a 3x turnover.
Am I correct?
seecrabrun
Active Member
How do you plumb for something so low flow?
Will 1/2" piping for the DIY overflow still work or will it be too big?
Will 1/2" piping for the DIY overflow still work or will it be too big?
bang guy
Moderator
That's an issue for integrated Sumps. With a separate refugium you can simply split the overflow and control the flow to the refugium independently.
The size of the plumbing will only limit the maximum flow, it doesn't control the minimum flow. The flow ratefor an integrated sump is 100% determined by the return pump so it can only be controlled by reducing the flow rate back to the display.
The size of the plumbing will only limit the maximum flow, it doesn't control the minimum flow. The flow ratefor an integrated sump is 100% determined by the return pump so it can only be controlled by reducing the flow rate back to the display.
seecrabrun
Active Member
That didn't quite make sense to me.
This will look like it should be a sump, but it'll be a refugium instead.
I have a 20g display tank and from it will be the DIY overflow that goes into a 10g under the stand. In the 10g will be just the refugium and then 1 small separate area for the return so it doesn't get clogged. Then directly back up to the display tank.
So how do I plumb for this situation?
This will look like it should be a sump, but it'll be a refugium instead.
I have a 20g display tank and from it will be the DIY overflow that goes into a 10g under the stand. In the 10g will be just the refugium and then 1 small separate area for the return so it doesn't get clogged. Then directly back up to the display tank.
So how do I plumb for this situation?
bang guy
Moderator
Oh, ok, that's good. You shouldn't need such a big pump, as you already know. The 1/2" plumbing should be fine. There would be no problem with going bigger. What I was saying is that if you increase the size of the overflow plumbing that's not going to increase the flow rate. The flow rate is set on the return side of your refugium, not the overflow.
seecrabrun
Active Member
OK so the 1/2" i was getting is still OK.
And yeah I'll trade in the pump for a smaller one.
And yeah I'll trade in the pump for a smaller one.
seecrabrun
Active Member
Or maybe I'll keep this one.
Is there a way to test how many gph you are running?
The pump I got runs at 267gph on 0 head. It has a max head height of 6'6".
It also has an adjuster so I can run it slower.
I'm not 100% sure but I'm looking at a head height of about 3 feet with about a foot of horizontal height and maybe 2 90° turns.
The other models of the same pump are quite a bit underpowered. So I'm wondering if I could get the right flow from this one.
Is there a way to test how many gph you are running?
The pump I got runs at 267gph on 0 head. It has a max head height of 6'6".
It also has an adjuster so I can run it slower.
I'm not 100% sure but I'm looking at a head height of about 3 feet with about a foot of horizontal height and maybe 2 90° turns.
The other models of the same pump are quite a bit underpowered. So I'm wondering if I could get the right flow from this one.
seecrabrun
Active Member
Thanks!
It wouldn't be harmful to put a ball valve on the pump, right?
I looked and the smaller models aren't much cheaper but are questionable at this head height, so I'm thinking of keeping this one and adjusting its flow accordingly.
It wouldn't be harmful to put a ball valve on the pump, right?
I looked and the smaller models aren't much cheaper but are questionable at this head height, so I'm thinking of keeping this one and adjusting its flow accordingly.
seecrabrun
Active Member
So I got the refugium up and plumbed. It took longer to work out the kinks than I thought it would and I'm still having trouble.
I built a PVC overflow but in the end the max flow I could get it to do was 20gph.
Instead of building another with bigger pipes, I just used the eshopps nano.
So now I have the rate at 50gph, but there is little to no movement in the tank. The algae in there isn't going to be happy with such little movement.
Should I add a power head? Or increase the flow?
I also realized I just removed all my filtration from the system... Before I had a HOB refugium powered by a 100gph power head. The real flow rate was probably more like 80gph, which in a half gallon refugium was apparently too high for pods but the algae loved it.
Then I had a canister filter that I really liked, it had the polishing pads so the water was always really clear.
Now the water is murky and I'm wondering what I should do.
Should I dedicate some area of the refugium to filtration? Like add a filter sock or something?
I built a PVC overflow but in the end the max flow I could get it to do was 20gph.
Instead of building another with bigger pipes, I just used the eshopps nano.
So now I have the rate at 50gph, but there is little to no movement in the tank. The algae in there isn't going to be happy with such little movement.
Should I add a power head? Or increase the flow?
I also realized I just removed all my filtration from the system... Before I had a HOB refugium powered by a 100gph power head. The real flow rate was probably more like 80gph, which in a half gallon refugium was apparently too high for pods but the algae loved it.
Then I had a canister filter that I really liked, it had the polishing pads so the water was always really clear.
Now the water is murky and I'm wondering what I should do.
Should I dedicate some area of the refugium to filtration? Like add a filter sock or something?
seecrabrun
Active Member
No it's the refugium I'm talking about. Inside the refugium the flow doesn't move the algae at all, they won't be happy with that. It's only getting the 50gph from the overflow.
In my display I have plenty of flow.
In my display I have plenty of flow.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
As long as you have an adequate overflow to carry the water from the tank to the refugium, you can control the flow through the refugium with the return pump. If the flow through the fuge is too low, turn up the pump until it flows the desired amount. 4 - 6 times the water volume is a good flow. If you're overflow is only allowing 50 GPH, then you'll never get the flow you want. You want at least 100 GPH though the fuge, and probably more if you want the algae to move.
"I built a PVC overflow but in the end the max flow I could get it to do was 20gph." Didn't you use 1/2" PVC? Must be a design flaw, because I built a 3/4" PVC overflow last week, and it drains roughly 300 GPH. Yours should be at least 150 GPH...
seecrabrun
Active Member
I used 1/2" and followed the directions to a T.
Bang guy says I should do 8x the volume of the refugium, which is about 50gph.
Bang guy says I should do 8x the volume of the refugium, which is about 50gph.
pegasus
Well-Known Member
Not trying to dispute BG, but everything I've gathered, for a refugium to work properly, you have to turn over the water in the tank 4-6 times per hour. This is not the flow in the tank. It's the flow out and back into the tank. 50 GPH is a trickle... lol!