display refugium buildout

[dulgee]

my sump is not big enough to host a viable refugium, so I was thinking about building an external fuge which would be suitable for display, but i really want to make it bullet proof, to avoid flooding etc...

I suppose i could just drill the fuge tank, and have it drain to the sump with gravity, but i wanted to keep the fuge on the ground level to act like a planter with mangroves etc growing out of it.

here is my thought. use small DC pump to move about 20gph from sump to fuge and a second pump in fuge, back to sump, and to prevent issues in case of failure of one of the pumps to use an ATO with high water and low water optical sensors in the fuge. I'd use needle valves to fine tune the flow to equalize it.

if the water surpasses the high water mark in the fuge, both pumps will stop, and likewise for the return back to the sump, if the water goes below the low water mark, it will also stop both pumps. I'd probably put the return pump in a shallow overflow box of some kind to minimize the water returning to the sump in case of issues.

this is the ATO i was thinking of using:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQYJM98/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I already use it for my freshwater ato and it is very reliable. it provides optical with float backup for high water, and an optical for the low water sensor in the fresh water reservoir. if I can get a 1/8 inch power adapter splitter, i should be able to add a second pump to the system.


thoughts?

 

[MichaelClark55]

I am doing the same thing as we speak. Mine is sitting next to the display tank. I'm going to have to plan away to block the full spectrum lighting from shining into the display tank. I plumbed with 1" PVC from a bulkhead in the back of the fuge display to the sump into a filter sock. I am simply teeing off the return line from the sump so that 2 lines will be pumped from the return pump. That pump is oversized a bit so I think that should work. I'll be adding sand and water tomorrow and plants should be delivered from ecosystems tomorrow as well. I got 10 different species of macros coming and I have a large cheto growing in my current sump I will add as well and the live rock that is in there. I'm also going to add several different star fish and a couple peppermint shrimp I had left over from a aptasia cleanup. Will be following your build closely, you have definetly taken a bit more cautionary approach which is a great idea IMHO. I like your idea of the ATO pumped to the fuge instead of the sump. I may take a look at that. Mine is currently in the sump.

 

[dulgee]

sounds good. putting it on the ground introduces a problem that I hope the ato will solve. i will update, but hoping for some more feedback to point out any flaws in my plan.

 

[MichaelClark55]

sounds good. putting it on the ground introduces a problem that I hope the ato will solve. i will update, but hoping for some more feedback to point out any flaws in my plan.

Yeah gravity drain would be more fail safe. What happens in power outage?

 

[dulgee]

as long as you have enough room in your sump for display overflow and fuge overflow, you should be OK. For me, no problem when power is out fuge stops sending and receiving... if one pump or the other fails, ato should cut power to both pumps till i get it sorted.

 

[MichaelClark55]

as long as you have enough room in your sump for display overflow and fuge overflow, you should be OK. For me, no problem when power is out fuge stops sending and receiving... if one pump or the other fails, ato should cut power to both pumps till i get it sorted.

Awesome. Besides mangroves what else are you going to use?

 

[dulgee]

Haven’t gotten that far yet, but nothing that tends to go sexual.

 

[MichaelClark55]

Got it up and running today. Nothing leaks thanks God! Have you given thought as to your lighting schedule? Are you going to run the convential opposite of display?