Simple D.I.Y. Refugium Plans & Pic

Here's a lousy pic. of the type of refugium I've been making from old aquariums. The last one I built was out of a 20 long. My next one will be out of a 50 long. Be sure you build the sump/refugium out of a tank large enough to give you a big safety margin (i.e. lots of gallons between the pumps running dry and the sump overflowing during power outages)... my 20L, for example, allows for ~5-8 gallons of error.
The main idea here is to build a middle chamber without too much turbulance. The water should really flow over the top, without disturbing the live sand and macro at the bottom. With this design, you can fill the sump almost to the brim without disturbung the live sand. *note: you'll not want to fill the sump to the top, as it will flood, during a power outage.
Also, I forgot to add a light in the graphic... the light gfoes, of course, on the top of the refugium. Most people report that poor, cheap NO lighting works best. My 20L refugium has 2 9W PCs and the Macro is thriving.
Enjoy
 
Right now, they're running 24x7. Once my Macro has filled out the refugium, I'll set it up with a timer come on and off at opposite times from my main tank. This is supposed to help stabilize PH swings. When the lights are on and photosynthesis is occuring, CO2 is taken up, oxygen is produced and pH rises. When the lights are off, respiration from all those photosynthetic organisms produces CO2 causing pH to decrease. This might help minimize PH swings a bit???
[ June 10, 2001: Message edited by: tangs_in_pacifica ]
 
There are really two purposes for having a refugium:
1. To improve water quality
2. To breed critters without predation
Some people have the luxury of placing refugiums above their skimmers and can, therefore, build skimmers for both purposes. I don't really have that luxury. I do, however, have a CPR Aquafuge for critters on one of my tanks. My purpose is primarily for water quality though I do get some fish food out of it in the forms of Amphipods and Caulerpa. This is also a true sump... i.e. a place for me to put heaters, additives, Kalk, etc. Another advantage of the refugium/sump being below the main tank is that the water level can fluctuate widely. This is great for those long trips, where I fill up the sump with lots of water and evap isn't a problem.
If you really want to improve the chances of succes for critters in a below the tanks refugium, you can use an external pump. External pumps don't tear up micros like small submersible.
As for my setup, I suspect I get ~30% of the critters living after they pass through. If you want to test your pump, see how many live brine shrimp will survive the trip.
[ June 10, 2001: Message edited by: tangs_in_pacifica ]
 

7up

Member
This is great! Couple of questions...
1) I have a 75 gal. Would a 20H be suffiecient for a refugia?
2) If my spare tank (20H) is glass, do I need to use glass as my dividers or will acrylic work? How do I seal to the glass?
3) What flow rate would you suggest?
4) Care to compare and contrast LS vs miracle mud in the refugia?
Do have a web site or a smaller diagram so I can print it on a page?
[ June 10, 2001: Message edited by: 7up ]
 
tangs in paficia i dont know if you knew this, (i learned this when i was in school) that plants do photosynthesis during the day, however theres a process that happens enduring the night that actually helps the plants as well, i would at least turn the lights off for 2 hrs a day just so it can do whatever that process is(i cant think of the name) but i think it has something to allowing the plant to strech and grow
 
Hey 7up,
Let me take a stab at your questions...
1)-For a 75, a 20 gal sump would be OK. Generally, IMOHO it's a good idea to go with as much sump as possible. The "H" in 20H might be a problem. As you'll need the two ends for drain line and return pump, you'll probably want the system to be as long as possible. Unfortunately, a 20H is uite short. So it will make an OK sump, but a mediocre refugium.
2)- You'll have to consult an expert on this one??? I added plexi to plexe and it was a snap.
3)- I guess this depends on who you talk to. This good news with this design is the the Macro-chamber is baffled... so it's hard to have too much flow. I think I'm turning over my systems ~4x in an hour.
4)- Hmmm... I've got one tank with Mud and one with Live Sand. I think it's too early to tell yet.
I think you can right click the image on this thread and hit copy or open in new browser to print.
Also, one oversight i made was to use clear plexi for the dividers. Clear plexi is fine, but black would've been better. This way you'll have less algae growing in the drainage and return areas. just a thought?
 
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