DIY standard 10G Refugium Questions

[mokujin22]

hey all,

i have a 26 gallon bowfront reef tank and want to add a refugium underneath in the cabinet. have room for a 10G standard tank and ordered a cpr overflow (rated 300 gph) that i got off ebay really cheap. after searching around a good bit, here's the compartment/baffle design i was considering:

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sump ... del_a.html

i probably will enlarge the intake section to place my hob cpr protein skimmer there. following that (prior to the center fuge section), i will put in an extra set of baffles to kill bubbles from the skimmer. thoughts?

so i have a really basic question: does a syphon overflow unit automatically match flow with the return pump or does it have a "set syphon flowrate?" ie: it will suck at 300 gph no matter where the water level is, etc.

if it doesn't match, are you supposed to (by use of a ball valve in the return line after the return pump) get the pump to match exactly? i find this extremely unlikely that you would be able to match it exactly.

i was thinking of using a rio 1700 (642 gph) as a return pump. i need to push the water approximately 4' up to the top of the tank. is this the right pump for the job? will i end up with too much flow?

sorry for all the long post. :roll:

i've learned a whole lot over the last few days of being on the forum!

thanks a bunch,
tony.

 

[mokujin22]

bump...

ok answered a few of my own questions over the last week by poking around. still have a couple of questions though...

-pump selection: after reading about a million threads, everyone seems to have different opinions, but the consensus is that rios are crap. i'll either get a MAG 7 or a quietone 3000. which of these runs cooler? heat is my #1 concern - should i try an external pump?

-return flow control: i'll plumb a tee in the return line pvc and use a ball valve to control flow to a bypass line going back into the return section or the fuge section. this'll allow me to match flowrates out of and back into the tank.

-i am thinking of installing a SCWD device at the top of my return line, which will tee-off to two lines at opposite corners of the back of the tank. has anyone done this, or should it be used only in closed-loop systems where a clog will not kill/flood your system?

thanks,
tony