Building a Refugium for my 30g reef

[dOobs24]

Hello everyone, my lfs told me about MR a couple of weeks back and I have been quietly enjoying all the info and discussion on here, but today is my first post.

*Disclaimer* I am a beginner at this.

I have a 30g reef tank with hand me down, mix and match, cheap hang on filters and old lighting i bought from my lfs. It has been running moderately well (just got over a red slime outbreak) for about 4 months and I'm thinking about converting an old 20g tank I had laying around into a refugium.

First and foremost, I have been searching on here and the internet in general for more info on DIY Refugium, but being a newbie, it appears that there are various ways to build one and I don't know what is best for my setup.

Ultimately, I would like to scrap the three filters I currently have running (Skilter, small fluval and an aquaclear) in exchange for my homemade 20g fuge, a skimmer(built in if possible) and a powerhead for flow in my tank. I'm hoping one of you out there could point me in the right direction.

There are tons of questions that come up, being a beginner and building it yourself but mainly:
1. How much water flow should I be shooting for through my fuge?
2. Should I use/do i need bio balls or rock rubble?
3. Will this 20g fuge work for a 90g tank if I upgrade in the future?
4. Suggestions on Pump and Sump(i think thats what its called, the piece that will hang on my main tank)?

Thanks in advance for your help or just taking the time to read my post.

 

[Killerdrgn]

1. How much water flow should I be shooting for through my fuge?
2. Should I use/do i need bio balls or rock rubble?
3. Will this 20g fuge work for a 90g tank if I upgrade in the future?
4. Suggestions on Pump and Sump(i think thats what its called, the piece that will hang on my main tank)?

Welcome!

1. Is your main tank drilled? if it is then use the tank as a sump and get a good skimmer.
2. No
3. Yes and no, You could use the 20 gallon tank as a sump/fuge for a 90 but it may be too small to support a 90.
4. Get an in sump skimmer instead of a hang on. But if you do get hang on, AquaC remoras are good.

 

[dOobs24]

Thanks Killerdrgn for the quick and helpful response.

My main tank is not drilled. I was told I could buy a "sump" hang-on piece for water exchange but I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what this equipment piece is called.

by any chance do you know what the water turnover rate is I should be shooting for with this setup?

thanks again for your help.

 

[dOobs24]

ah ha! quick correction...the hangon piece I keep referring to, is an Overflow unit...

 

[junglebase]

My main tank is not drilled. I was told I could buy a "sump" hang-on piece for water exchange but I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what this equipment piece is called.

you need an overflow box.. just like the one i just sold.. check one of my for sale threads for an example

by any chance do you know what the water turnover rate is I should be shooting for with this setup?

most "single" overflow boxes do 600 gph.. your system will be able to get by with that flow rate....

 

[Killerdrgn]

overflow box is what your thinking of. Not a good idea really, if the power goes off the siphon stops and when the power turns back on it could flood your tank area. Like this mortgage mess you have to weight the possibility of a catastrophic incident and then use that to weigh the risks/rewards.

The turnover of the entire tank depends on what livestock you have, somewhere between 300-1500 gph could be possible, though that is a combination of return pumps, powerheads, etc.

 

[dOobs24]

Thanks Killer and Jungle for your help.

Killer:

overflow box is what your thinking of. Not a good idea really, if the power goes off the siphon stops and when the power turns back on it could flood your tank area. Like this mortgage mess you have to weight the possibility of a catastrophic incident and then use that to weigh the risks/rewards.

What are my alternatives...just pulling water (with a sinlge tube) from my tank in the same fashion my current hangon filters do??

 

[Killerdrgn]

Drill baby drill!
Yeah basically turn your tank into a reef ready tank so it's passive draining.

 

[Pedro Nuno Ferreira]

....
1. How much water flow should I be shooting for through my fuge?
2. Should I use/do i need bio balls or rock rubble?
3. Will this 20g fuge work for a 90g tank if I upgrade in the future?
4. Suggestions on Pump and Sump(i think thats what its called, the piece that will hang on my main tank)?

Thanks in advance for your help or just taking the time to read my post.

Hi dOobs
Have a deep look into these articles as they will help you further

Best Plants and Algae for Refugia - Part I

Best Plants and Algae for Refugia - Part II: "Vegetable Filters"

Mangroves for the Marine Aquarium

also please read this

Deep Sand Beds

Hope this helps you further

Cheers
Pedro Nuno ;-)

 

[Breakin Newz]

overflow box is what your thinking of. Not a good idea really, if the power goes off the siphon stops and when the power turns back on it could flood your tank area. Like this mortgage mess you have to weight the possibility of a catastrophic incident and then use that to weigh the risks/rewards.

The turnover of the entire tank depends on what livestock you have, somewhere between 300-1500 gph could be possible, though that is a combination of return pumps, powerheads, etc.

For it too flood it would have to break siphon... Which is pretty hard to break imo..

If you are using the u-tube ones its pretty safe like the one junglebase sold....

The best/safest overflow design I have seen is the lifereef ones, Pretty much really impossible to break the siphon on that thing... The only way for it to break siphon is air bubbles (wont happen though if you have the right gph pump) and if a snail gets inside the U-Tube but you can easily prevent that...

http://www.lifereef.com/siphon.html

 

[ITALIANSAUSAGE]

A Few Months Back I Bought A Sweet Refugium On Ebay For 140 Bucks. I Added A Dsb, Some Sweet Live Rock And A Big Handful Of Chaetos And My Sump Problem Was Over. I Had Room For A Asm Mini Skimmer And A Phos Ban Reactor And A Calcium Reactor. There Was A Huge Noticeable Difference Within A Week. If You Dont Drill Just Get A Over Flow Box Setup And A Couple Of Check Valves And You Should Be Good. The Person Is Still Selling Them And With Everything You Need, Overflow Refugium Light And Retun Pump With All Plumbing For 189. Pretty Good For The Buck.good Luck