Sump layout

[mchammer]

Does it matter where you put your refugium in your sump? I would like to setup my sump as follows (Skimmer, return section, refugium) I see people set them up as skimmer, refugium, return. Which is the right way, if there is one. Is there a benefit to setting up your refugium before your return?

Thank you in advance

[96slowbra]

i set mine up skimmer, refugium, return. and i did it that way because my cal reactor in my first section also. i have read that running the fuge after the cal reactor can help export the co2, and i might not need to run lime drip to maintain ph..

[mchammer]

Thank you for the quick response. I will be using two part dosing with pumps so I don't know if it matters.

[96slowbra]

i see plenty of awesome tanks set up that way.

[madean]

I have read that if you have the skimmer dump into the fug section than its not as efficient as putting a t and have one side of the tee feed the skimmer and other side feed the fug section. Im not sure if one is more efficient as the other. I have thought about using four chambers in a sump. Assuming that you have space to do this.
Basically you will tee the incoming water to the sump. One side of the tee is going to the skimmer, the water gets skimmed and sent to the return pump. The other side of the tee feeds the fug section. The fug section then dumps into another section that has nothing but water and this section feeds into the return pump section. The idea of this empty section that only has water is to do water changes with. You close a valve to the fuge section which stops the flow to the fug but not to the skimmer section. Maybe put a air bubbler in the fuge section to ripple the water a little so the water is not stagnant during this water shut off, or not. When the water settles in the chamber with nothing in it but water, syphon it out and replace the water and then open the fuge valve to run the water through both sides of the sump. You could get creative and plumb two pipes from the fuge to the empty (4th chamber) chamber and the other to the return section. So that when you isolate the 4th chamber the water runs to the return section with out interuption. This would allow you to use the 4th chamber for longer periods of time than just doing water changes. Maybe to use as a quarantine tank or fish isolation chamber, or maybe a place to acclimate corals with a light over it. Of course this can work if you have the room to do so. If you do not have a lot of space, I would not even think about it. Im sure there is a breaking point at which if there is not enough space for a chamber, then its not worth having that chamber for a specific sized tank.
Hope this makes sense.

[cap032]

I have mine set up skimmer, return, fuge. My tank has two drain lines. The first one is plumbed into a small section with filter socks just before the skimmer. The second drain has a T with one line and a ball valve running to the fuge and the other line running to a filter sock in the small section just before the skimmer. I desided on a design using a small baffle and eggcrate between the return and fuge sections that will prevent algae from getting into the pump section, yet let me utilize much of the water in the fuge section for the return section. Essentially, my return section has about a 12g volume. I dont use an auto top off so this allows me to easily go a week (if need be) without having to add top off water.

[mchammer]

Cap032 I like the sound of your sump design, do you have any pictures? I have a RR tank with two overflow boxes so my set up might be similar to yours.