Refugium/ Sump type thing. Please critique!

[tman23]

so perhaps taking the left rock chamber, sand, and "mechanical" filtration out, and doing something like this (left) rather than the one to the right?

Main purpose (hopefully): Filtration

[tman23]

hmmm... where did that poll option go?
Anyone mind putting up a poll?

Also, the tank for these designs is a 20 long.

[tman23]

no one has posted since this morning...

[Geoff]

i like the one on the left. though if it were me i would leave the entire thing empty so it would be easier to siphon detritus. since you are so hung up on the fuge and algae thing, then what you have drawn should work fine.

when designing sumps figure out the capacity of the sump when the power goes out of the system. the water from the display will drain into the sump to the level of the return line, or the bottom of the weirs in the overflow. you do not want to make the baffles so tall that when the power goes out the sump floods.

G~

[jenglish]

I would switch the chaeto and the other algaes. What other algaes are you thinking of using? If the first chamber is the chaeto one then it need not have anything in it but chaeto. The first chamber is likely to collect the most detritus and a chamber that contains only chaeto is really quite easy to siphon detritus from.

[tman23]

nice... good thinking!

[tman23]

since I don't plan on running all ~800 gallons through the refugium each hour, where should I run the other water to?
I think this was partially what the rock chamber was for.

How does this sound...
What about if I used a design similar to the on on the right... BUT, switch places with the chaeto chamber and main refugium, don't use sand (except for in the non-chaeto refugium), no "mechanical filtration," and have an additional chamber on the left before the LR with baffles in between it and the live rock chamber to make it easier to siphon out detritus that spills into that side of the sump?

shoot me down, if need be.
or pass along a better idea.

I could perhaps use the design on the left, but replace the LR with a skimmer. Though I don't really want to spend the money on a skimmer, right now.
Also don't want the added noise. This tank is in the living room (not the biggest living room), with hardwood floors, so the less noise, the better.

[tman23]

thoughts?

[tman23]

given up?

[jenglish]

A skimmer would do more than LR Skimmers can be quiet but they are pricey (because they are worth it). Honestly most tanks have enough LR in them that putting more in the sump doesn't help. I don't really know how to get the proper flow through on the sump vs flow through the fuge since both my skimmer and fuge are HOB at this point.

[tman23]

yeah, a skimmer would probably do more than the added live rock, but right now it's not the best option for me... lots of money. If I had the chamber there, I could perhaps take the LR out eventually and put a skimmer in.

so...
What about if I used a design similar to the on on the right... BUT, switch places with the chaeto chamber and main refugium, don't use sand (except for in the non-chaeto refugium), no "mechanical filtration," and have an additional chamber on the left before the LR with baffles in between it and the live rock chamber to make it easier to siphon out detritus that spills into that side of the sump?
Also maybe taking out the LR in "LR chamber" and putting in a skimmer, later on.

Any major problems with that?

Also... how tall should my baffles be if a 20 long is 12" high?

[jenglish]

Originally Posted by tman23

so...
What about if I used a design similar to the on on the right... BUT, switch places with the chaeto chamber and main refugium, don't use sand (except for in the non-chaeto refugium), no "mechanical filtration," and have an additional chamber on the left before the LR with baffles in between it and the live rock chamber to make it easier to siphon out detritus that spills into that side of the sump?
Also maybe taking out the LR in "LR chamber" and putting in a skimmer, later on.

Any major problems with that?

Also... how tall should my baffles be if a 20 long is 12" high?

Sounds like an OK plan. I can't really say how high the baffles should go. Not so high that the sump floods if the pump fails

[tman23]

haha, yeah that would be nice

[Geoff]

why 800gph? i would only run as much water through your sump as you can process through your skimmer. this is generally only in the 300gph range for most small skimmers.

G~