What is a..

[fishhugger]

refugium and sump. I dont know what they are, what they are for. I have no clue on what they are for. Are the necassary for a 10 gallon nano tank.:jumping: :jumping: :jumping:

 

[fishhugger]

please explain in detail

 

[moray345]

it is a smaller or larger tank under or over the tank where water gets pumped from the tank into it and that is where you put your protein skimmer and in the refugium part you grow macros to help filter the water and help the pod population

 

[fishhugger]

honestly, I still dont get it, what is the purpose of putting a protein skimmer or a heater (thats what I was told that goes in there) in there. Does the water go back in the tank. And with the pods, what are they, are they hard to grow and how do they get there:notsure:

:help:

 

[scubanoah]

you put all that stuff in there, so it is not cluttering up your display. yes the water goes back in your tank. plus with that much more water in the sump it is easier to keep your water stable.

 

[fishhugger]

Okay, I am beggining to comprehend it, but still more questions
How does the water get from the main tank to the other tank
Then how does it get back
Do you have to put anything besides matanence equipment
If I had an HOB filter, would I put that in it also, because wouldnt it not get all the crap out that it is supposed to?
And is a 20 gallon sump on a 10 gallon tank that much easier to keep than just a 10 gallon tank

 

[moray345]

ok yes you could put the filter on back there if it fit the way it gets down is either a built in overflow or a hang on overflow then you get a pump in the sump and it pumps thye water back up and with sumps/refugiums bigger is always better

 

[alohami]

In my opinion, if you were to use a 20 gal and a 10 gal, I would use the 20 for your main display and the 10 for the sump. That way you would have more room for livestock and corals if want them. Either way you would still have 30 gallons total so it would be easier to keep stable.

 

[fishhugger]

I would do that ,but I dont have enough money to fill a 20 gallon, only a 10

 

[fishhugger]

but since they are the same total size, it would be just as easy to keep one way as the other, I think
Can you put any creatures in the sump, Crabs ,snails?

 

[bigarn]

If you're going with a 10 gallon you won't need either. A HOB filter would be fine. It's up to you.

 

[fishhugger]

what I dont get though, if you have a sump and the filter is down there, how does the crap get to it, most filters suck water from the middle of the tank, so how does it get from the middle to the sump,
I guess I dont need one but how much easier is it to keep a 20 gallon stable than a 10, if it is about the same, Ill just go with the ten, if its a big diffrence, ill get another ten for a sump

 

[fishhugger]

I am really frustrated, because I just dont understand

 

[birdman143]

Your best bet is to do a search on this board for refugium or sump!
I'm sure you'll get at least a hundred hits.
Just start reading and in no time you'll be an expert!
This sight has all the info.

 

[new2u]

ok heres a go, you can drill your tank or get whats called an overflow box which is a box with a tube that sipons water contenuously down to the sump. The sump is where you put your heater (which keeps your tank warm) and your skimmer (which takes the nasties out of your tank) and then possibly a refugium which has whats called microalgea that grows by eating nitrates which is the last step of the nitrogen cycle (you know ammonia --> nitrate --> nitrate the whole cycle) Also, a sump adds more water to your tank which increases stability by keeping tempature steadier, disolving ammonia, nitrite and nitrate better and keeping SG more stable. A sump is a good investement as well as a refugium. They add to stability, asthetic quality of your tank and of course filtration. hope that helped
Your resident 9th grader (fish :happyfish )