sump or wet/dry?

[deejeff442]

i am running a wet/dry under my new 150 gallon now.i have read good and bad about these units.seems most people just have a sump.i have an empty 45 gallon up in the attic .my wet/dry is full with the pump and had to shoehorn in the octo skimmer.would i be better off putting the 45 under the tank?i know if i add all that more volume of water i could add a few more fish and it would be easier to maintain.is the wet/dry worth keeping.right now i have 110lbs of lr and added 60 lbs of live sand with the skimmer do i need the wet/dry?i plan to add another 50 lbs of live rock in the next few weeks.

 

[flame hawk]

make the 45 gal into a refuguim thats your best bet

 

[deejeff442]

you know i am not quite sure what a refugium is or does.
can i put my pump ,skimmer and maybe a top off pump in it?
how hard is it to maintain?
what goes in it?

 

[gatorwpb]

use the search function of this website and you will find lots of articles and designs for refugiums. I have one and would not set up my filtration system any other way.
Skimmer, heater, return pump, phosban reactor, etc. all can fit in it.
The main actor in a fuge is the macroalgae, usually Cheatomorpha, that removes nitrates and phosphates. Also, a deep sand bed helps as well. Plus, throw in some rubble rock and you have a breeding spot for pods.

 

[deejeff442]

i typed in refugium and only products popped up.how do i get to the articles?
seems to me it is just a 2nd tank under the dt.filled with macro alge i see i can buy cheap, some sand,and what kind of lighting does it require?
and how much macro alge?

 

[gatorwpb]

Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/2796415
i typed in refugium and only products popped up.how do i get to the articles?
seems to me it is just a 2nd tank under the dt.filled with macro alge i see i can buy cheap, some sand,and what kind of lighting does it require?
and how much macro alge?
Did you go to "Search" at the top of the forums? Not google. No products should pop up.
But for info on the lighting, google "Refugium lighting" and go to melev's website. Read about the home depot lights you can use. Also, melev has a lot of great info on refugiums in general.
a softball sized piece of cheato is all you need. It will then have to be trimmed back frequently.

 

[big]

Try a search for "fuge" too ......Many just call them that. For my system the refugium was the single best addition ever

 

[deejeff442]

sorry guys i typed in fuge and morish idol came up.
i typed it in the search in the black space next to swf.com not google

 

[big]

Originally Posted by deejeff442
http:///forum/post/2796912
sorry guys i typed in fuge and morish idol came up.
i typed it in the search in the black space next to swf.com not google
Try looking down the list more. Be sure to type it in the search Forums spot.

 

[deejeff442]

man i feel like a dumb ass.i finnally found the search box.i was going to the top left in the black bar not the header in blue.
i typed it in and i need to narrow down the search after work today.
i am hoping to find a simple drawing of what goes where.

 

[grue]

And to confuse you even more........ Turf Scrubber/Alge Scrubber. Currently building a stand with a new sump. It will have an alge Scrubber/referium and all my other equiptment. The boz is not hard. Basically water comes in one end, passes thru/pass your skimmer. Overflows into the referium (Area free of preditors) thru some live rock rubble, overflow into a return area. One of the things I feel is most important is the lighting. People try to use all kinds of things. Rember that the lights need to be STRONG and either natural daylight or 5500 to 6500 range. Also ensure you have enoulf ventalation. You dont want the sump to add more heat. (BIG FAN) I included a pic of my first one. Note Bio balls were replaced with live rock rubble. Oceanrunner replaced with a maxi 12. But I hope you get teh ideal of how simple or elabriate a sump/referium can be. This was done in a 29 tall with plexiglass dividers. Dividers help in place with aquarium sealant. Works good, but some people always gotta see if they can do better

And I really want to add a turf scrubber. I dont believe turf scrubbers could possibly do all they say. But I dont think they will hurt. So in addition to the scrubber, I will still ge using refurium and skimmer.
My 2 cents
Grue

 

[deejeff442]

well measured my 45 gallon sump and it is 2 foot tall leaving only a foot on top to spare to the bottem of the dt.is there a way i could put my skimmer in a 10 gallon tank next to the sump and move the water from there to the sump?
i could put one return line from the dt to the 10 gallon and the other to the return pump side of the sump and have a larger refugium.
what do you think
i went to the site on building the refugiums and saw basicly how they are built
but am still a little confused on water heights but i think i could figure it out.