Want to Add Refugium to My Solana

[jjf4]

Wanting to Add a Refugium to the Solana
I am wanting to add a refugium to my Solana. Here is what I am thinking:

1. I would benefit from a refugium

2. I do not want to drill holes

So here is my thoughts:

I could do it either in a 5 gallon or a 10 gallon. I think without drilling a hole, I would have to use a pump to "send" to the fuge and a pump to "return" to the solana. Since I would have to use two pumps I was thinking something slow, like maxi-jet 400 or 600's. I realize I would still have to partition the tank since I would have a "dump" and a return hose. So Iguess I just talked myself into a ten gallon with maybe two partitions where it recieves the incoming water, a center section which would be the fuge, with chaeto and rubblerock and critters, and another dual partition before the return pump?

Any advice here? I do not know how to draw and post but I think you guys get the idea of the dual partition idea one high and low on either side of the fuge to contain the chaeto and stuff..........

Will this work? In theory it sounds right to me but who knows? Also where would i have to drill holes so it would not flood in a power failure?

Thanks in advance!

oh yes, plumping would be simple flexible clear hose from Lowe's or some hardware store..........

[JustinReef]

I have been debating doing the same kind of thing. My only concern is when power goes out, how much extra water the solana can hold. If the return to the tank is gravity fed, then you would want the bulkhead as high as possible so less water drains.

[JustinReef]

Oh I read wrong. I would suggest the refugium be higher than the tank. Generally you want only one pump or its impossible to match flow rates. Either the feed or return from the fuge should be gravity fed like any overflow. Don't try two pumps. It will be messy :)

[vresor]

You'll never balance the flow of the two pumps. Remember, what goes up must come down. If you rely on a pump to bring the water back down, then the up must equal the down. Never happen. That's the magic of the overflow. Check out www.gl*******s.com (dig the domain name!). There are a ton of sites explaining the physics of tank overflows. Drilling offers a lot of advantages, but siphon overflows can work. Two pumps? Bad news.

[vijaym85]

If your setup allows for it then may i suggest a CPR Aquafuge (w/o skimmer model). I am using the medium size version on my 34g solana. Its really nicely built and I have mine fed via a micro tunze pump which sits inside the tank but its sotiny its not at all in the way and its feeds around 70gph which imo is a nice calm flow into the fuge. The output from the fuge drain directly into the back false filter section of the solana. Its very nicely built and it wont ever overflow into your tank if the power goes out as the cpr people placed acrylic sections within the fuge so it has to be at a certain height for water to enter the drainage compartment and so you will only get the remainder of what is in the drainage comp at the time of power loss to spill over but thats a very tiny amount. Only downside to the CPR fuge is that its not that large of a volume.

[hebygb]

If either pump fails, it will be disaster either to your floor or your refugium. Consider a HOB with a single pump to the fuge and gravity back in... perhaps a small CPR refugium (or similar).

[Felix1021]

I've seen this topic come up a lot
and this is what i ended up doing to my solana.

-Got rid of my skimmer and added a fuge light
-it's a linkable T5 4watt under cabinet light that I purchased
Walmart carries it. you can add as many as you want.
I found that just one does the job for me.

GO HERE TO SEE PICS (http://picasaweb.google.com/felixg.ramirez/Tank_UpdateJuly)
f.