Ultimate sump/refugium design Help

[GrimReefer82]

Well I've kinda been brainstorming on how I wanted to build my sump/refugium. I want to be able to keep sps and lps along with an overstocked tank. Gotta have lots of fish! The DT is a 90 gallon and I plan to make the sump around 30 gallons. I don't have any experience with sps, just some lps and lots of softies experience. I want to make sure I can keep calcium levels stable but I also don't have any knowledge about calcium reactors. Currently I use a 2 part system and want to start using pickling lime instead.

The plan is to incorporate EVERYTHING I need in the sump. Like a heater, uv, calcium reactor, canister filter, algae scrubber, skimmer, refugium, maybe even a phosban reactor and/or a nitrate reductor.

Please look at my plans and see if it has any problems. WIDE OPEN for suggestions! Thanks

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg19/f15farley/sumprefugiumdesign.jpg

[GrimReefer82]

Anyone?

[GrimReefer82]

seriously nobody? it must be a really good or really stupid idea.

[luther1200]

It looks pretty good to me, but I don't know if you would want the CA reactor in the sump. Do you have 1 picked out yet?

[GrimReefer82]

I assumed they were supposed to be in the sump. Guess I was wrong. Do you know of a good diy calcium reactor or a nice cheap one?

[GrimReefer82]

OK, I changed some things that may be for the better. Input please.

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg19/f15farley/sumprefugiumdesign-1.jpg

[FranktheTankTx]

You don't need a bubble tower coming from the refugium. Plumb the drain in that section to skim the surface & set the baffle about 10 - 12" tall. You will control the flow with a ball valve - which will be about 25% of your drain. The water will cascade slowly down the baffle & won't create micro bubbles.

I'd put the heater in the return section.

I think I could live with everything else.

[GrimReefer82]

I would put the heater in the return section but I am bad about not topping off my water until it gets really low so the heater might be exposed to air. I don't have room for any type of reservoir for auto top off. I could put it in the skimmer section maybe, I don't know which is best. I agree that I can remove at least one of those baffles.

[arc eye]

I would not recommend having raw tank water enter the refugium.

I split the drains on my previous setup between the skimmer section and the refugium section (similar to your diagram) and I accumulated way too much sludge/sediment in the refugium.

I would recommend having the returns enter an area where crude can settle and easily be syphoned out (like in the skimmer chamber).

I would probably do something like this:

Large skimmer section (fed by both drain tubes)

Then return section,

And then refugium (fed by the return pump and allowed to drain back into the return section).


This way you can just syhpon the crude out of the skimmer section during water changes and be done with it.

[GrimReefer82]

Wouldn't you think that the algae scrubber would catch alot of the crud and would actually promote the growth? That's what I was thinking when I drew the diagram. It would also be easier to use the lighting for the refugium for the scrubber also. What about food for the pods and mysids I have, raw water might help right? I may be wrong since I have never used an algae scrubber.

[FranktheTankTx]

I just plumbed my new sump/refugium with the return feeding the refugium section. I wanted to keep most detritus out of the refugium.

Trust me - not all water is going to be skimmed - most passes right thru the skimmer section unskimmed by your skimmer. Which a portion is then pumped into your refugium section & drained right back into the return section.

In the end, you get a good result - but no crud piling up in your refugium section over time.

Take the (2) baffles out - and tie your drains together to feed the skimmer section - & feed your refugium with your return pump. That's pretty perfect - as you desire!

[das75]

I feed raw water to my fuge from my BB display. Little detritus but the fuge is also BB so no big deal to suck out the crud as part of the water change routine (usually do it about every 2nd one).

[arc eye]

I would follow das75's lead if you really want to feed the refugium via the tank (i.e. make sure you do barebottom and regularly syhpon.

I would personally scrap the scrubber plan. I did a bit of research on it when I was still new to reefing and the consensus was that a refugium alone should be more than adequate .......................i.e. the scrubber is more trouble than it is worth.