Refugium pics

[jdbassin]

I'm thinking of building a fuge but i need ideas. I was hoping I could get people to post oics of theirs and how they are hooked up. PICS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

[davidc]

I just finished building a custom one out of acrylic. Sorry, I don't have pics yet, but will update soon. Let me tell ya about it though!

It is 24X18, and 13" deep. It has a divider that creates a large compartment that is 14X18 for the refugium, and a 10X18 compartment for the sump/etc.

The sump area has 5 baffles that take up 4" of space, so it is has an inlet chamber that is 10X8 and an output chamber that is 10X6.

The refugium will be 9" deep and the sump will be 8" deep. The divider and the 'up baffles' are 10" high. The refugium has a corner input where water will overflow into the refugium - the overflow is also 10" high.

This means my setup will hold at least 4" of extra water just in case (power outage, etc), which equates to about 8 gallons extra.

The way I want to use it is to have the main tank drain into the inlet chamber in the sump, where it goes through baffles and into the outlet chamber (there will be a submerged return pump there for now). Meanwhile, the protein skimmer pump will take water from the inlet chamber and skim it, and then send it into an algae turf scrubber that will sit on top of the whole thing. This will drain into the refugium, and the refugium will overflow into the outlet chamber.
The heater, topoff, skimmer, and limewater drip will all be in the inlet chamber of the sump.

[yousuredo]

here is mine......

[davidc]

My tip to you is to make sure that you give enough linear overflow to get the flow rate you want. I had baffles in my previous one that were 4" wide. That was dumb, because that won't flow very much water. The new one is 10" wide + another 6" potentially from the refugium. That should easily flow 1000+gph.

Tip #2 is build room for error in case the power goes out! My previous one will simply dump about 1 gallon on the floor when the power goes out

[davidc]

Tip #3 - eliminate bubbles caused by water running down baffles. Make sure the last baffle before your pump is raised, so that the water flows under it into the pump. This will reduce large bubbles from the water falling into the pump area from the last baffle. Those large bubbles quickly get chopped up by the pump!


Also, you can put a piece of hose sliced length-wise on the top edge of your baffles to reduce bubbles. The water flows more smoothly this way.

[yardboy]

I have a real problem with refugiums in that they always become reef tanks. I have always put mine above the display to send food to my fish, and then they start getting frags, quarantined fish.........

[MiddletonMark]

Originally Posted by yardboy

I have a real problem with refugiums in that they always become reef tanks. I have always put mine above the display to send food to my fish, and then they start getting frags, quarantined fish.........

Yup, my experience as well. Nice to have a second, linked tank ... but yet it's easy to let them become something else.

Have xenia, zoanthids, mushrooms + chaeto and LR in mine. It's a great mini-tank

[jdbassin]

Thanks for the replys everyone. That's why I love this site, Everyone is so willing to help out. How about h.o.t. refugiums? pros? cons? pics?

jd

[yardboy]

Believe it or not, I have a h.o.t. (CPR auqafuge) the middle size, on my 70. It's biggest problem is lack of light. Reflection off the main canopy lights isn't enough, you have to provide it with it's own source. It is the only refugium I have that Hasn't become a reef tank. Frankly though, if you have the room, I'd just modify a 10 alon tank or something like that. The aquafuge is pretty pricey for a four gallon tank.

[jdbassin]

I was thinking of building on myself 18w 6d 18h that's about 8.4 gallons. I have an old aqua clear 500 that I was going to cut the last three inches of the pump side and attach it to the fuge as the intake water sounce. Just some ideas I'm kicking around



jd

[jdbassin]

Anybody every try anything like that?



jd

[yardboy]

I think if you'll look on nano-reef.com you'll see all sorts of plans for modifying exactly that filter. I've often thought of doing it myself, but haven't set up a real nano yet. All my small refugium/reefs are attached to my main display, which disqualifies them for nano status. There was once a discussion about what constitutes a nano and a 5 gallon display with 200 gallon sump didn't qualify!

[DaBear]

I have a specific question for yousuredo.
I have seen that image you posted on other threads and I always wanted to ask if you have ever had any problems with the pump that pulls from the over flow (i.e., not the return pump from the fudge). It seems to me that detritus and other particulate suspended in the water column could possibly clog that pump.

I ask because I really like your setup and have thought of doing something similar.

[yousuredo]

that pump(closed loop) is still in the plans for now, but hasent been set up yet, still workin on some other things......it might be though i haven't it much thought but now i will.......my main concern for the most part was : can my overflow box handle it so i am concidering several options.........

[DaBear]

Thanks for the answer yousuredo.
I didn't think about what might happen to the overflow, that's also a good point.
Either way i think your idea is a great way to add a closed loop into a reef ready without drilling (which is what i am thinking about now).

If you do find something out pls post it!