GPH??

[Modo]

Okay, I know it's out there somewhere but I can't for the life of me find it anywhere in my searches. Sooo, here it goes....

What is the recommended gph for a sump containing hardware (skimmer, heater, etc..) and for a "true" refugium (no hardware, macros, dsb, etc)?

Thanks guys.

 

[golfish]

Modo,
We need a lot more info from you. In my experience turning the tank over 5-8 times is more then enough for the sump. Now, some (myself included) turn the tank over more using a closed loop or powerheads or both. It depends on the corals, some need more flow.

The refugium needs a lot less flow. If it were say a 30 gal tank I would think something in the 100-150 GPH should be fine. I'm in the early stages of the refugium so I really shouldn't comment too much on that

 

[Hammer]

Personally, I go against the grain of normal.
I do not have a sump. I only use my refugium. And for the 29 gallon tank, I flow about 1200 gph though it.
I have a 3" or so DSB, and I keep dead acro's as the next level (got them from previous tank owner that had a FOWLR). Then I let the macro grow about that.
The mysid shrimp can swim around at leasure near the sand, and the high flow of water running through the macros works like a large filter. I get a LOT of detritus going to the sump with the high flow. And the critters never see the difference because they have their own zone.

 

[Modo]

Okay sorry that was a little vaque.

I'm running a 29 with mainly SPS,LPS and plan on setting up a sump with hardware and a refugium above that so it dumps into the return section of the sump. Still working on the details of the schematics but wanting to look for a pump/overflow at the sametime.

What I was looking for is how many times of turnover an hour is really recommended for a sump's hardware to work efficiently and how much turnover for a refugium. Flow is not a problem in the main tank. This will just enhance what I already have going on with PHs. Possibly allowing me to remove some from the main tank.

[ February 22, 2002: Message edited by: Modo ]</p>