Help with filtration / Refugium

[oneflysi]

ok, did some searches and have read alot of posts about it and not sure whats going on.
right now i just have 2 large biowheel hang-on filters on my reef tank. but, i have an extra 25 gallon bowfront and 10 gallon tank sitting around. (well, the 10 at the moment is my hospital tank). i also have an extra rio2100 powerhead sitting around (i know, they are junk, but its brand new so i can't toss it). question is....is a refugium used as a filter? what are its advatages? what would i need to build one? can someone explain (or show me a diagram) of how a refugium works? would i have to buy a sump, or could higher quality powerheads do the trick.
sorry, but i think i have to equipment to make a refugium, but not sure on its advantages of how to make one. any help is appreciated!
thanks!
-One

 

[david s]

first a refuguim acts like a live protien skimmer among other things its a tank with slow water volume with plants and stuff in it if u had a sump all u would have to do is take a acrylic tank or a rubermaid container and put a hole in it and have it drain to sump and use a small powerhead for a pump u said u dont have a sump or a overflow box so a cheaper way out is a hang on the back one but i have no knowledge of them

 

[oneflysi]

thanks, a little confusing on the set-up, but helpful.
anyone else?
-One

 

[taku]

OneFlySi... hey mang!
Seems we've been thinking along the same lines lately... I'm wanting to DIY a refugium as well. Asside from some pvc piping... you have the basics you'll need for the refugium.
This site has some info on how to build one: <a href="http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fbobsreefermadness.homestead.com%2F300Refugium1.html" target="_blank">http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm ?site=http%3A%2F%2Fbobsreefermadness.homestead.com%2F300Refugium1.html</a>
But if you'll look at the very bottom of the page there are links to TONS of other people refugiums and their DIY plans
GOOD LUCK!
btw i still haven't found my digicam power cord! hehe... but I did buy an orange sponge coral yesterday which I want you to see
By the way <a href="http://www.ABOUT.com" target="_blank">www.ABOUT.com</a> has the BEST info on everything including saltwater tanks!
Check out this link for more DIY plans specific to your tank if you want a side-tank refugium / in tank refugium or under-main-tank refugium etc
<a href="http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/refugiumsetups/index.htm" target="_blank">http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/refugiumsetups/index.htm</a>

 

[reeferx]

Hey taku, I like that the tank in that link has bed foam in the stand, I did that too. It really keeps the sound down and it's way cheap.
Oneflysi, I have been seeing a lot of deep refugiums with not much caulerpa, to me, this defeats the purpose.
I like the old-school 'algae scrubber' style. They use shallow containers and have tons of caulerpa. They are usually placed over the sump and drain into it. Either the overflow, teed off, or a power head in the sump, feed it.
Shallow makes more sense to me because you get maximum light intensity with less wattage than deeper refugiums and maximum growth.
You can lightly quick-tie the caulerpa on to a removable piece of egg crate that sits in the refugium. This makes cleaning easy and prevents the calerpa from bunching at one end and gives it maximum exposure to light.
Caulerpa does a good job of lowering nitrates and phospates.
HTH

 

[tvan]

I just made one out of a 10 gallon for my 29 gallon tank(used ecosystems design.

 

[oneflysi]

nice! thanks mar for all the info
one more quick question: if i build the 10 gallon refugium under my 55, can i use a powerhead in the refugium to pump the water back up into the 55 or will i need a sump?
since i do not have an overflow box, i will just use a powerhead to put down to the refugium, and one to pump back up.
this will definetely take alot of planning for my setup.
-One

 

[reeferx]

Oneflysi,
If you don't have a sump going already then I would urge that you get an overflow. The problem with the two powerhead combo is the danger of the one in the refugium getting clogged or getting turned off.
If this happens, you are screwed and will have major water damage as the other powerhead continues to pump. Even if they are both turned off, there is a potential for the one in the main tank to continue siphoning.
It will continue to drain until the water level gets below that pump.
Even if you had the pump near the top of the main tank I would be nervous. Esp. if you filled the 10 gallon rather high to begin with.
Therefore, I recommend getting an overflow and not filling your ten gallon too high. You might want to not fill it at first, start the overflow and see how high it fills the 10 gal before the siphon stops. This will give you an idea of what the maximum water level should be in the refugium.
Another less common option would be to put the refugium above than the main tank. Then you can have a powerhead in the main tank feed the refugium and have a siphon in the refugium drain back into the tank. Wacky, esp. with a ten gallon tank, but it would work.