DIY HOB fuge

[fyrfytr]

So in 43 pages of the DIY thread this may be somewhere, but I searched and didnt see it.

So with the 36gal bowfront stand I know I can fit a 10gal in it, but I know that is not enough for a sump/fuge setup. I think that a 20gal tall will fit, but I am not sure. That leaves me with 2 options. 1. TRY and make a 10 gal work. 2. HOB fuge and a 10gal sump. So I did a google image search and came up wit this:

Following the post on it, the return is hooked up to a maxijet. Is it feasable to say that I could modify this to be pumpless? Use the PVC on the intake side as a syphon and then have it overflow back into the tank like the commercial HOB filters

 

[M@!]

Sorry, I'm not sure exactly what you are trying to do. You want the HOB Fuge to be pumpless?

You could do HOB Fuge to sump -> sump back to tank.

 

[jgraz]

I think I understand what you want to do, but just dont see the point. If your gonna have a sump just keep the fuge down there. Even in a 10 gal tank, if you set up the baffles right you will have as much or more space in the fuge section the all but the biggest HOB aquafuge. I run a 10 gal sump on my nano and have a fuge section that is about 3.5gal I could have easily made that bigger by raising the baffles or making my return section smaller. In that section I had some rubble and cheato and it worked great.

 

[fyrfytr]

If possibe, yes I would like to be pumpless. I know that in sumps they are a required item, but like anything mechanical/electrical it is a failure point that I am trying to avoid. My concern is that with a 36 gal tank that 10gal isnt enough for a sump/fuge combination. Trying to fit a return pump, maybe my HOB skimmer and heater doesnt leave a lot of room for baffles and fuge area. Thought was that I could run a HOB fuge and make it the size that I want and just let it work off of a syphon and then spil out back into the tank. Additionally, I am sorta against the idea of a pod filled fuge running to a pump...how many get chopped up and are not able to be consumed

 

[jomatty]

When I was faced with a similar dilemma I opted for a hang on the back skimmer and a 10 gallon sump with only 2 sections in it. Basically the water emptied into the refugium section that took up almost the entire 10 gallon tank. Then there were one set of baffles and a very small section for the pump.

 

[GHill762]

not going to be possible, the siphon will only work until the water is the same height as the display. to overflow into the tank the water needs to be higher than the water in the display.

 

[GHill762]

but you could use a pump to draw the water into the fuge, then let it overflow (to keep pods from getting diced)

 

[jgraz]

Have you ever seen a pod? Go look at the impeller on what ever pump your gonna do. How many pods do you really think are gonna die going up. And even the few that do will still get eaten by the fish. The whole point of the sump is to get equipment out of the tank. You can see the sump I built in the pick.

The refugium section is about 3 gal of water. And was more then enough room for some macro and rubble. I had pods galore in my nano when it was running.