refugium and sump flow design

i<3reefs

i<3reefs

Member
Ok, I successfully built a refugium doing exactly what your talking about a few years ago.
I would suggest
1st using an overflow box, that has a similar gph as your pump, solves all those water level issues for the siphon, and they are very easy to restart. Some require an air pump, and others use a U tube, and you just balloon both ends, removing one at a time starts the siphon.
2nd adding egg crate to the top to seperate your fuge, and live rock. This will help you keep your plants in the plant area.
3rd I would drop your inlet through a piece of plastic in the corner to hold it still, and have another piece of plastic guarding the area it is dropping in to, so the water flow does not disturb your fuge area directly.
few more things to consider.
 
saylor

saylor

New Member
some killer feedback there - thats what I need - many thanks.
i never thought about the inflow pipe moving around physically, or the flow disturbing the fuge inhabitants either.
There is a seperating wall between the rock and the fuge - it has like 2" teeth at the top, I plan on grinding them down more to a total of 4".
> edit: I re-read your post - you said "egg crate on top . .. " , , you mean like a cover?
I'll check out an overflow box as opposed to a siphon. I was studying a weir earlier,,, looked pretty cool, but kinda scary too...
Well, at least you didn't say " dude you're all wrong and you'll flood your house!!"
Thanks again -
- Saylor
 
saylor

saylor

New Member
this is it ! (borrowed from elsewhere - not my drawing)

I'll probably do that ^^ ^^ instead of depending on a hole in a tube that a snail can crawl on and cover up.
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
Your original design would have ended up flooding your house

Definetly use the overflow box you have pictured in your last post just skip the airline tubing at the top of the U-tube. U-tube are very reliable normally and when you add the airline tubing it takes a very reliable design and turns it into a somewhat reliable design.
Check out the Eshopps overflows they are well built and fairly inexpensive may be cheaper and easier than building your own.
Your fuge design is a little flawed, you don't want filters after your fuge because there will be no way for pods and other microfauna to make it from your fuge back to the DT. I would move the filters to before the fuge.
 
saylor

saylor

New Member
OK cool thanks for that feedback. But that gives me a question:
is it better to try to pump microfauna thru a pump up to DT ( I heard 90% die on the pump)?
- or -
is it better to feed the fuge DT water pre-filter, so the water flowing into the fuge is still all full of 'export' from the DT?
My rig is below stand, so gravity return is not possible for me.
Thanks for the comments - keep em coming !
- Saylor
 
natclanwy

natclanwy

Active Member
I don't think the impellor fatality rate is that high probably 90% make it through fine.
I prefer to feed the fuge raw water before it goes through the filtration, so I set my sump up to feed from both ends to the center where the return pump is and I spit the drain from my tank. One goes to my fuge on the left side and the other goes to my skimmer section on the right side and then both sections overflow into the center return section.
 
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