help with designing a refugium

[mr_X]

i am attempting to create a refugium, and although i have seen some that functioned properly, without bulkheads, i would like to have some in mine. could someone help me with a design schematic, or some direction?
i am thinking of 2 partitions to make a total of 3 sections, the middle being the largest. and i was thinking about drilling holes in the first section down just above the sand line, and letting the water overflow over the second bulkhead into the third compartment with the return pump.

also i would like to inquire about GPH.
i have a 75 gallon primary, and will probably purchase a 40 gallon for the refugium.
keep in mind that i will be placing this tank right next to my primary tank.
thanks.

 

[mr_X]

well, i got my 40 gallon fuge-to-be.
i was told by a couple different folks that it's up to me how i want the bulkheads to be. i will choose the above mentioned style, except that i might choose a small corner to make a box to house bio balls controlled by eggcrate maybe, and let the incoming hose run into that. second compartment will contain the filtration media...calerpa, sand, rock....critters....
the third compartment will contain the return pump.
initially, i was thinking of placing my protein skimmer somewhere in this tank, but i'm not 100% sure. i might use a 3rd sump container. i'll probably make that decision judging the left over space in the compartments and placing it on the back of both tanks..then inside the 'fuge to see what looks best, unless some one here can shed some light on this for me.
thanks.

 

[Acrylics]

I claim no expertise in aquaria per se, but I'm not so sure you really need bio-balls in a refugium. To be efficient, they need a highly oxygenated environment like a wet/dry and not underwater. Your sandbed & algae in the fuge will do quite well without bioballs. Save the space and add more macros if desired.

My experience with fuges is to use very low flow, one baffle to separate the fuge and the return area and that's it, no other filtration media - that's what critters are for Don't make this baffle too high though as the return area is where the water will evaporate from. FWIW, I used somewhere around 500gph for a 90gal refugium and this may have been a little much.

Just my opinion,

James

 

[mr_X]

thanks for the insight.

 

[mr_X]

well..here is a pic of what i have so far-
note my crazy, but functional lighting system 8O

 

[mr_X]

40 gallon fuge container

 

[Acrylics]

Looks workable Do keep an eye on the water level in that return area as it will fluctuate due to evaporation.
How do you plan to have water enter and leave the 'fuge? This is kinda critical (esp w/o bulkheads in there) and should be well thought out with "worst case scenarios" in mind as we want to avoid floods and pumps running dry.

James

 

[bleedingthought]

Do keep an eye on the water level in that return area as it will fluctuate due to evaporation.

Couldn't have said it better than James.

How do you plan to feed the fuge, though? Is your display tank drilled? Also, do you have a sump already?

 

[mr_X]

i purchased an overflow tank and a return pump. nothing will overflow. worst case scenario is the overflow will pump out about an inch and a half of water into the fuge tank


no worries!

as far as the pump burning out....that is a possibility, but i am willing to take that risk for now.

 

[mr_X]

i just thought of something...the pump can't burn out. the power will be off, so the pump will be off. when the pump turns back on, so will my powerheads. the powerhead nearest the overflow box is connected to it. it will start the siphon again, so the return pump will only be without water for a very short time, if not at all.

 

[bleedingthought]

So, you've got a HOB overflow that is fed by a PH? Which then feeds the fuge and is pumped back to the tank by another pump? Am I picturing this right?

 

[mr_X]

yes. hang on the back overflow. but no, it's not fed by a powerhead. the siphon is started by the powerheads little airline. the little airline is connected to the bend in the overflow. when running, the powerhead sucks air, which makes a vacuum and starts the flow. the HOB overflow feeds the fuge and is returned by a pump.
8)

 

[Acrylics]

The reasoning for the "pumps running dry" comment was due to the small volume in the return area. This is the area where evaporation will show up and if this area is not monitored well, you could evaporate enough water so that the pump can run dry. That's all, just keep an eye on this area

James

 

[mr_X]

oooooooh. ok...gotcha. thanks

 

[mr_X]

anyone have an idea about gallons per hour? i ended up buying a 350 gph pump, mainly because i wanted real slow flow, just barely trickling through. actually, with 10 feet of hose on it and 3 feet higher, it's still a pretty strong flow. sound ok?

the LFS peeps told me to go 500 or better.

 

[bleedingthought]

I still seem to not understand your whole tank scheme... Diagram?

But either way, I have a good amount of flow in my fuge. I have sand in there, so I would not want little flow and lot of light. Nuisance algae loves that combination. I'd aim for 4X-8X turnover, personally. You want to make sure that the water coming through has enough time to be "filtered" of its impurities but you want enough flow to keep the the fuge "rolling." Also, if you're gonna use mud you should stay on the lower end since you can have a mess on your hands if otherwise.

HTH

 

[Christeon]

I wouldn't trust a powerhead to start after every power off. I would get a u-tube or weir for your overflow if your not drilling your tank. IME powerheads don't start enough to risk your floor.

 

[mr_X]

is this what you want?
here is the overflow box:
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem. ... uct=CR1511

 

[Acrylics]

I would bring the water in to the left hand side of the fuge and return water from the right. (or simply turn the thing arouond) You have a baffle set there which would get rid of most bubbles, this would be more beneficial for the return rather than the refugium feed. I see no real reason to have baffles prior to the fuge but you may have plans that I can't speak on

HTH,
James

 

[mr_X]

oh. ok.. i didn't think it mattered where the baffles were as long as the bubbles were blocked somewhere in the fuge.
this is what i was asking from the beginning.