Fuge/Sump

[cichlidguy22]

He all im am looking to setup a fuge and sump. I am still very new to this and have no idea how to design it how to plumb. it so on and so forth. I have been doing searches but i have trouble just understanding words so if any and all pictures greatly appreciated. I also like the idea of useing the rubbermade tubs as it seems cheaper. This is also for a 125 gal tank. Please help me dont wanna but the lfs stuff ive spent to much there all ready

 

[fishman830]

use a smaller fish tank, like 20(long) and then get glass sheets that will fit in there and use 100% Silicone that fits in a calking gun.

 

[wyldgunz]

20 gallon long

 

[wyldgunz]

top view ( in a stand beside display tank with a flip up top)

 

[wyldgunz]

return going into tank acting as extra power head. you can use it as a spraybar if you wish too.

 

[overanalyzer]

I was planing on using two rubbermaids - do a search for my name OVERANALYZER and then check the thread on rubbermaid refugiums. Some good pictures there.
Is your tank drilled or will you be using an overflow??
Here is a picture of my sump/refugium. the sump is acrylic and was a gift from a local reefer tearing his stuff down. The refugium is an 18 gallon rubbermaid in a smaller rubbermaid for support.
Good luck!!

 

[fishman830]

wyldguns i love your refuge, how long did it take to make? or did you buy it

 

[the claw]

The one I built last weekend is similiar to Over analyzer's. If you have room, I always beleive bigger is better. The rubbermaid container makes an awesome refugium. They also come in a variety of sizes. I used an old ten gallon tank for a sump. I have a mag9.5 that pumps back tothe display tank. From the return line I have a T which takes water to the refugium. I put two bulkheads into the refugium, and gravity does the rest. I don't have pictures of it right now, but there are several designs on here that are very similiar. One of the tricks is to try to keep air bubbles to a minimium back to the main display. I did this by using plexiglass dividers in the sump. THese are call baffles. These allow the air bubbles to disipate, before they are suck up into the pump.
Wildgunz: nice set-up. I think I'm going to use that same design for my 55, which has less room in the cabinet.

 

[algaeeater]

Hey wyldgunz
Nice set up. I want to try and make one too. Do you get any bubbles in your return as the water exits the refugium area and enters the return pump section? Are you bubbles getting in to you main tank? Also I am worried some stray debris may clog up the pump because there is not strainer.
Thanks for sharing

 

[wyldgunz]

Built it all myself started out with a 20L.
The only bubbles i get are the ones i use for oxygenating when it comes in from the overlflow.. no bubbles into the fuge, or return, and the filter on the return does a great job of trapping anything so nothing gets pumped through into the main tank eccept water. the return kicks Zero bubbles out into the main.

 

[cichlidguy22]

wyld great looking sump.. do you have any lights over i???
how much did it cost you to build?? Where would you put your protien skimmer???
I also wa hoping for ideas on seperate fuge and sump but i am real woundering how you get water fom tank to fuge and sump and back.. i know by overflow and pump but how do you get the right amount to each especially since the fuge is suppossed to be a lesser flow rate.
Keep the pictures and all comminng
Wyld i really like yours but am woundering about protien skimmer

 

[wyldgunz]

I have a mount on tank skimmer in the fuge at the moment( you can see it on the right side in the inlet area), but i plan on getting something nicer and placing it inside the cab beside the tank down the road.
Construction wasn't too bad.
Fuge/sump construction : $30
magdrive7 : $75
Protien skimmer : $100
CPR hand on back overflow : $85
PVC material for hook up : $15
35W NO florecent from home improvment store : $8
Live rock/ livesand for refugium : $20
Heater : $40
Material to biuld a cabinet beside the display tank
for sump/fuge : $200
Depending on what you already have or if you go with something a little cheaer or more exspensive it should be close to this.

 

[wyldgunz]

Ohh .. also my main problem with getting water to and from fuge was the mag7 puts out more water than my overflow supplys.
I cured that easy by adding a ball valve and ajusting it till i was pretty close then adding extra water to the pump side and watching it for about a week dialing in the vall valve till it was near perfect.

 

[daniel411]

You can always try to just get a really long tank, and divide it into few sections. One for like a wet dry, one for an algae scrubber-refugium, one for sump stuff-heaters/skimmers/etc, and the return pump in that. Thats what I had done with my 90g tank.

 

[737mech]

WyldGunz:
This is a good thread! I'm planning on building a refugium/sump for my 38gal tank. I've got a 20gal tank (not a long) that I was gonna use. Are you happy with your setup the way it is? Or are there things that you would change if you had to make another one?
How is CPR hang on overflow working out and which model is it? I've heard people say not to buy them that it will loose suction in a power outage and you'll overfill your display when the power comes back on. I haven't gotten my overflow yet, so I'm still shopping. Did you look at other ones?
I really like your detailed plans. Thanks for sharing them with all of us.

 

[phil1964]

I have a wet/dry now and want to add a refugium using a 20 gal tank.
I would HATE to drill the 20 let alone my wet/dry.
So is it necessary to have the wet/dry connected to the refugium like Overanylizer?
I read a recent post by Broomer5 that said it was.
If I can quote:
Anytime you run two overflows to TWO different vessels underneath the tank - two different vessels that are NOT connected sharing the same waterlevel - you will have problems.
You can run them together - but you must connect them together.
Drilling a hole in the bottom of each and connecting the two together with a length of PVC pipe will allow water to move from one to the other horizontally. Their water levels will equalize then. Even with two different pumps in them - their water levels will try to stay the same naturally.
One pump in the wet/dry, returning water to the display tank, with it's overflow draining water back down to the wet/dry.
Another pump in the sump returning water to the display tank with it's overflow draining back down to the sump.
But the sump and the wet/dry MUST be connected somehow - allowing water to move from one to the other laterally.
Then it will work.
Otherwise .. you'll always risk one level being different from the other over a period of time ........... and having a wet floor.

 

[wyldgunz]

My set up has been working great . The only thing i would have changed was to have a predrilled tank instead of a hang on so there would be less eqquipment to mess with but overall its been no problem even with the 2 power outages ive had here so far.
I did add a small power head in the fuge and im planning on a better skimmer as well.

 

[737mech]

Thanks WyldGunz,
Well my 20 gal tank that I have will not fit under my stand unless I do some modifications to the stand itself. The tank is 1/2" too wide
I've been running the idea of making a acrylic tank instead thru my head, but that's about as far as it's gotten.
I've told myself that the next tank will be RR too

 

[wyldgunz]

on my new tank i had to do a little custom work on it as well to get the 20L under it but its all working fine now. i did away with the hand on overflow and went with a predrilled 75 gallon.