This is my first attempt at a sump that will be partitioned to include a refugium. Lemme give you a little info to supplement the diagram (if the picture even posts correctly.) I have a drilled 75g will built in overflow, soon to be a reef tank. Water leaves the main tank via overflow and into the sump which is housed under the tank in the stand. The water will pass through a few tiers of live rock (This system of tiers will be built using egg crate and plexiglass. It should be fairly sturdy.) and out the bottom where the heaters sit. It will then pass through a sponge and under the first baffle into the skimmer chamber. It will then overflow onto a piece of plexiglass that has holes drilled in it to allow a small amount of water to fall into the refugium while still forcing the majority of water past or around those holes, bypassing the refugium, into the chamber where the return pump will push the water back into the tank. I figure this will allow for a high flow rate through the sump and a very low rate for the refugium, as needed. On the top couple of inches on the baffle separating the refugium and return pump chamber there will be a gap of a few inches between the baffle and the sloped piece of plexiglass over the refugium to allow the water to overflow freely from the refugium into the return pump chamber. There will be a series of three "pillars" cut into the refugium/return chamber baffle to support the sloped plexiglass... one on either side of tank and one in center (much like three pillars holding up the roof to a front porch on a house -- just for visual help.) I have a rio 3100 return pump but am thinking about upgrading to something with a higher flow rate? Yes? No? Please give me any and all input you have about this setup. I am open to suggestions and eager to learn. Thank you very much for your help.
Gray
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