System Setup

[apuhl20]

So about 6 months ago I added the frag tank to my system. I plumbed it in to the existing system to make maintenance easier. Since that time I have noticed that my skimmer hasn't been skimming as much. I cleaned the frag tank the other day(which had a crushed coral bottom), and it was insanely dirty. It turned into a complete draining of the frag tank and shop vac cleanup. I decided to go with a barebottom this time to make it easier to clean. I have noticed that it is catching material and getting dirty very quickly.

So my conclusion is this. Since my overflow from my dt goes to my frag tank then to the sump, the frag tank is acting as a catch-all for all the material and none is making it to the sump for the skimmer to remove it. I think I need to divert the main tank overflow back to the sump, and add another pump to send water to the frag tank.

Does this sound like a logical assumption to anyone else?

[seapug]

yes.
This is why you should have your skimmer set up in the first sump/refugium chamber that the display empties into. I have a similar sort of set up with the display draining into an inline 40 gal breeder "display fuge" that then empties into a sump below. The skimmer sits in the first baffle chamber of the refugium system so it catches the most nutrient rich surface water from the display and also serves as a settling chamber for detritus. I siphon the junk out once/month or so when I clean the skimmer. The actual "sump" is a 15 gallon acrylic cube under the refugium that only houses the return pump, ATO, media reactors and any probes/monitors, etc.