DIY Fuge Installed!

[stanleo]

I'm very excited about this. I was able to install the refugium that I made out of an old ten gallon tank today. I still need to get the algae and the micro fauna which I will get tomorrow. The only issue I have is with the pvc pipe that is supposed to drain down into the sump, the fuge isn't draining fast enough to keep up and the thing starts to overflow. Without the pipe connected to the bulk head, it drains fine but the bad thing about that is that it is noisy. I could get an adjustable pump to control the flow rate but that will put me over budget. Anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[stanleo]

I figured it out by clamping the hose from the pump to lesson the flow rate.

 

[Peace River]

If I understand your situation correctly the refugium is not draining fast enough and you risk an overflow. The apparent options would be to increase the outflow or decrease the inflow and the one limitation that you added was cost. In addition to looking for a used or low cost pump with a lower GPH rating you could also add a valve on the outflow side of the current pump. This will increase the head pressure and could shorten the life of the pump, but it is a medium term solution. Additionally, although the bulkhead is designed to have the drain pipe inserted into the bulkhead, because it is a simple drain with no pressure - is it possible to rig up a larger pipe to fit on the outside of the bulkhead? Thoughts?