HOB refugium vs chamber cheato

[iamahab]

I currently have a 1 gallon hob refugium ( if you can call it that) hanging off the side of my evo 13.5. I'm getting beautiful results from it, there's no more gha in the tank and my nitrates finally came down. I know I shouldn't mess with things if they're not broken but I can't shake the feeling that I'm just moments away from disaster.The tank wasn't designed to have 10 lbs of extra weight hanging off the side. I've already had a turbo snail block the outpour spot that feeds back into the tank, luckily I was sitting close to the tank when this happened and the spill was minor. I'm thinking of converting the first chamber into a makeshift refuge. If I do do this what kind of changes should I expect from losing a gallon of water volume and the surface area for bacteria? Will it be drastic? I'm new to saltwater tanks and i'm under the impression that even slight changes can have big results.

 

[BoneDoc]

You probably can do it… but I think the safer option is to rest the fuge closer to the wall to support it or to add some support underneath it.

Also remove the turbo and change it for an astrea or trochus snail