Sump vs. Refugium

[dacia]

What are the differences between a sump and a refugium in terms of plumbing, inhabitants, size, etc.?
Also, for those that use one or the other, which do you think is better for reef tanks?

 

[bdubbya]

A sump is a place to hold your equipment like protein skimmers, heaters, and some like to keep bio-balls. I feel that bio-balls aren't necassary in a reef tank. I prefer refugiums, because they provide a place for my pods to reproduce for my scooter blenny. It also is a place to put macro algea, or a deep sand bed to help reduce nitrates. Some people use both the sump and fuge, but just run the protein skimmer in the sump.
Good luck