DIY refugium idea.. more ideas please

speg

speg

Active Member
Ok this is what i've come up with for a refugium that'll fit on a desk about 1 1/2 - 2 feet away from my 46 gallon tank.
I should mention before I go on that I came up with this idea due to limits on room and current tank status. In a perfect world I would have added a refugium to my sump, but there is no room in my current sump. Also there is very little room in the cabinet of my stand for a decent sized refugium.
That all being said this is what I came up with.. I decided to use a 10 gallon tank I already own and just convert it into a refugium instead of a idle saltwater tank. I plan on using two low GPH rios.. maybe 200's? Suggestions here are needed... I plan on using some acrilic I had left over to make two walls in the refugium on either side. One side is where a rio from my main tank will take water into the refugium (possibly considering letting gravity do the work here... but afraid of what will happen in a power outtage situation). Then the other pump will be inside the refugium on the other side to bring water back into the main tank.
The walls main purpose is to keep macroalgae/debris from getting into the rios and clogging them up.. this will probably happen a little anyways.. but hopefully I can prevent as much as possible.
Now some questions and cocerns I face...
1) During the event of a powerouttage.. do you think this setup I have planned will screw up in any way?
2) Will rios work fine? If so what size rio or how many GPH would be suggested?
3) I may want a dragonnet down the road.. am curious if I have this setup if any pods will survive the trip through the rio - through the water tube - and make it (alive) into my main tank.
4) Any other help/suggestions are MORE than welcomed.. I am dying to make a refugium but im just trying to figure out a perfect setup first :)
Here is the skillfully drawn pic... lol
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
You will be MUCH safer setting it up with one side pumping and the other gravity draining back, than trying to get two pumps "matched" in flow...(especially Rios) if one goes out...somethings gonna get wet...
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
I agree with Squidd. From the diagram it looks like you're trying to pump water both ways. The odds of that working long term are very slim.
Are the two tank at the same height? If not I suggest buying an overflow and using it on the higher tank and pumping water from the lower tank. If the height difference is a lot then you'll need a bigger water pump.
Your setup looks to me like an algae scrubber vs a refugium. Semantics I guess but they have different goals and setup is a little different for each as well.
 
speg

speg

Active Member
The two tanks are not the same height.. and the 10 gallon could in theory be placed anywhere.. even on the floor 2 and a half feet below the main tank. I have a overflow box for my bio filter as it is.. maybe if I just added another U tube in there and connected it directly to the refugium ?
Also whats this algae scrubber? I havent really heard of that before... my goal is to use a refugium to help remove phosphates/nitrates (nitrates more importantly) from my main tank... if this setup will not help accomplish that goal.. then I will have to consider a new plan.
Thanks for the help, any other suggestions you can give is fantastic. Just keep in mind this is already going into a crowded room.. and im VERY concerned with any sort of flooding... lots of powercords lying on the ground.
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
I agree with Squidd.... >>>
<<<
Your setup looks to me like an algae scrubber vs a refugium. Semantics I guess but they have different goals and setup is a little different for each as well.
It really is more than "semantics"...they really are two different processes and setups, while they "can" be combined (to a point) they are different and have different "goals"...and different setup needs...
It's that Dang "FUGE" word that get's everybody confused...
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
Originally Posted by Speg
Also whats this algae scrubber? I havent really heard of that before... my goal is to use a refugium to help remove phosphates/nitrates (nitrates more importantly) from my main tank... if this setup will not help accomplish that goal.. then I will have to consider a new plan.
I'll let someone "else" provide a definetion of "refugium"...but an "Algal Scrubber" type "fuge"...is set up for the forced growth of Macro Algae...
The growing of Macro Algae results in "mal-nutrient" absorbtion...(the Macros "suck it up"...)

THEN...and here's the Key....Malnutrients (nitrate, phosphate, heavy metals) are "REMOVED" from the water colum...through regular export or "Harvesting" of Macros.... :jumping:
Couple of key "setup" techniques for an "Algal Scrubber"are... slow flow (for effecient m/n absorbtion...being fed "raw" tank water (pre skimmer)... and HIGH lighting to force growth (24/7 and over 4 watts/gallon)...
>>> "Lights of America" fixtures... DON'T cut it ...Sorry...<<<
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If you can place the 10 right next to the side of the tank so the tops are touching and at the same level then we're in business.
If you set up 2 or 3 'U' tubes going from the display to the algae scrubber and then one of your pumps in the scrubber pumping water back from the far end of the tank it will work great and have very little chance of overflowing anywhere.
 
speg

speg

Active Member
Placing the two tanks at the same level is not likely gonna happen...
I am curious why you suggest 2-3 U tubes... I figured one U tube would do the trick?
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Originally Posted by Speg
Placing the two tanks at the same level is not likely gonna happen...
I am curious why you suggest 2-3 U tubes... I figured one U tube would do the trick?
The probability of a Snail wanting to clean the inside of a 'U' tube is directly proportional to the cost of a carpet.
Redundency in plumbing will save you a lot of floods.
 
speg

speg

Active Member
Didnt really understand the carpet comment... but I "think" you're trying to say that a snail will almost be sure to clog one of my U tubes?
I have already had this happen many times and it has woken me up in the middle of the night... since I have netted the end of my U tube to avoid having large snails go in there and clog things up.
 
salty tank

salty tank

Member
Speg that is alot like mine. I drained my 25 gal sump and siliconed two plex glass sides with little holes i drilled into it. Mine is a little different in a few ways though. I have an overflow in my maintank and so the water goes down into the sump through a hose, then the water from the hose pases through the plexy glass walls i made and in those walls will be algea and whatnot. Once the water passes through, it goes to the protein skimmer and then it goes back to the tank. Does the sound effective? I do not have any power heads making current in the sump. Do i need one? i think there is enough water movement allready.
 
tim_12

tim_12

Member
I'm in almost the exact same situation as you, tank sizes and all. And I sure know what you mean by limited space. I had to use a 5 1/2 gallon tank as my sump due to the lack of space. Putting a skimmer and pump, return pump, bubble diffuser and a float valve was an engeneering masterpiece if I do say so myself.
If you want your pods to make it to your display tank, I think your best bet would be to have your fuge a bit higher than your display. This way you can use an overflow rather than a pump to get water from your fuge to your display. Just divert a small amount of water from your return pump to your fuge and you're set. You would only need one pump for your whole system and you can save valuble room in your fuge without a pump in there. Let me know what you decide to do, I'd really like to know. FYI: If you dont want to spend big money on an overflow, I can give you plans for a DIY overflow made out of PVC that will run you at about $10. It wont loose its syphon from air being cought in it either.
 
gebrony

gebrony

Member
i am thinking of doing this same thing with my tank and was wondering about those $10 overflow diagrams
 
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