Second Tank

[acura rsx star]

I currentlly have a 55 gal wet/dry tank which is doing great. It is a reef tank and filled with corals. I am looking into setting up my boyfriend's 75 gallon tank with a refugium. The problem is that I have NO idea how to set up a refugium. We have sand, bio balls, and mud. We have a refugium tank with three compartments. Does anyone have a link or maybe some pictures we can follow to be able to set this up?
I feel so lost!

 

[sly]

A refugium is really just a separate tank plumbed into your existing system. It shares the same water but that's about it. There are really no wrong ways to do it. You either want to place the refugium under your existing tank out of sight or somewhere beside it to kind of serve as a second display tank. I'm not sure why yours has three chambers in it. It sounds like a sump system. Does it have any writing on it?
What are you wanting a refugium for? For extra filtration or for housing coral frags or delicate animals?

 

[aquariumrookie]

She probably has a CPR Fuge like mine. There is an chamber for the inflow, then the main that houses the sand etc, then the chamber for the outflow. Be cautioned about hanging the Refugiums, I'm attributing a big leak that hit my tank tonight to CPR's Aquafuge.

 

[sly]

Hang on refugiums are very rough on a tank, IMO. Aquariumrookie just lost his 72 gallon bowfront because the weight of the fuge cracked his back glass. Tanks are designed to hold the water and nothing else... If this fuge is designed to be hung on the side of the tank then I would probably find another fuge unless you can find a way to completely support it and keep the weight off the tank.

 

[acura rsx star]

It's basically the main system of filtration. It's a seperate tank (about 10 gallons) that would go under the Main tank. I was told that instead of a wet/dry system you can do a refugium filter.. so that's what I'm trying out...
Any ideas?
Thanks

 

[sly]

Do you have any pictures of it or do you know what kind of tank it is? It would be easier to help set it up if we knew what exactly it was...
Normally you would put something like a deep sand bed and some macro algae in the fuge. I have chaetomorpha algae and some mangroves in mine. I have a fluorescent shop light mounted over it for lighting. Basically water from the tank flows into the fuge and then goes back into the tank...
I still use a wet/dry though. They are very effective at removing nitrite and ammonia. If you keep a filter pad over them and rinse it out often then it shouldn't cause any problem. I added a fuge as just a supplement to my system. The fuge helps reduce the nitrate in the system plus it serves as a breeding ground for the pods which help feed my mandarin goby...