Need some advice on setting up sump and skimmer

[1bullet1]

I am setting up a 90gal mixed reef system. The sump tank I have is a 36 inch Oceanic factory built sump. The way it is configured right now there are two compartments. One large chamber that is the inlet end and it is about 24 in long. Then there is a black plastic divider/foam filter media holder. Then another chamber about 8 inches long with a 1 inch bulkhead for the return pump to pull from. Whew...

Ok, here is what I want to do... I want to divide the first chamber so as to create a fuge in the middle. I went to the glass shop in town and had some peices cut and all I have to do is silicone them in.

But here is what is throwing me a curve. I have two 4 inch CPR hang on filter sock kits I want the overflow to run into. But I "think" the skimmer should go in the first chamber too...??? It is a coralife 125 SS. If I put it in there the first chamber will be using up a lot of the space I was hoping to use as refugium.

Does it really matter which chamber I skim in?

What would happen if I were to put the skimmer in the return compartment and skim there?

Could I extend the plastic tube on the power head, put the skimmer in the return, the powerhead in the first compartment, and return the water from the skimmer into the black plastic divider/foam filter media holder or would the extra head of tube reduce the performance of the powerhead and make the skimmer not work right?

[iamwrasseman]

usually you want the skimmer to get the first chance to "filter" the water which means it should go in the first chamber with the socks in it . if you put it in the return chamber it will still function and clean the water except the larger stuff will have a chance to settle instead of being removed . that being said it still will work fine in the return compartment but some others may "argue" the point . you could pull the water out of the first chamber and put the skimmer in the third but it may overflow the return compartment and it also may effect the performance of the pump and skimmer . also you may actually end up bypassing the refuge area if the skimmer flow is more than the total return flow . i would reconfigure the sump as many times we start out making a large center compartment so we can grow tons of cheato in it ans once the system gets cleaned up in a few months the cheato ball gets very small and then you have a large space in the middle compartment and a tiny ball of cheato in it thus waisting that room .