How to add a Refugium to an existing sump

[msbreton]

I currently have a Eshopps RS-100 sump for my 75g tank and have a bit of macro algey in the return section but that section just isn't big enough. I'd like to add a proper Refugium. Rather than replace the whole sump, is there a way I can just add a Refugium? I'd rather buy vs. build. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

-Mike

[Palting]

You can buy a HOB ready made refugium, but they are usually expensive and have only a small volume. You can do better. It's all about plumbing. You can buy something like a 20 gallon tank, then decide where you want it. You can put it above your tank, pump water to it, then have it drain back to your tank. Or, you can put it beside your sump, inside the cabinet or outside, then either run some of the drain to it or some of the return to it, then have it drain back to the sump. You can keep it clean and good looking as a display tank, or cover the glass witth black paper and just let it get ugly. Lot's of ways. If the refugium flow is part of the sump flow, make sure the refugium outrput goes after the skimmer, otherwise the skimmer will skim off a lot of the pod production.

To give you an example of one way of doing it, here's my remote refugium. 20 gallon tank beside the sump, there's a pump in the sump downstream from the skimmer feeding the refugium, then the refugium drains to the return section of the sump.
http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab71/Kalawing/IMG_1329.jpg

[msbreton]

Thanks, that helps a lot. I don't want to do HOB as I already hate that I have a HOB overflow (tank grew in to a reef). I'm open to adding / building off my existing sump and I'm not afraid of plumbing but I don't know how / understand how the flow goes from Refugium back to sump. I'm not really in to buying a glass tank and drilling it myself. Does someone sell a acrylic Refugium with the overflow bulkhead already installed?

-Mike

[chrisfont23]

Here's how I have mine set up:

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd506/chrisfont23/90%20Gallon%20Reef/FBC6AA17-BB60-4B13-9BA2-927DA1BF4839-749-00000114DB44253A_zps6000e67b.jpg

http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd506/chrisfont23/90%20Gallon%20Reef/E2C2D129-54C4-4567-89D6-112B9CFA700D-749-00000114DDE9160E_zpsf79ac2d1.jpg