Need Sump/Refugium Advice

[Brit’s Fish]

Hi All,

I'm working on a new build with a semi-hand-me-down system. I have a new 90 gallon MarineLand tank with a corner overflow & the rest of the equipment is used.
I'm taking my time on this build because it's my largest system yet (note: all my other systems are AIOs) & it is going in our office showroom. I want to make it something really spectacular & eye-catching. It will be a mixed reef - no SPS planned currently, but there may be some in the future.
The sump that was given to me is the Eshopps RS-200 which has two spaces for filter socks which overflow from two bulkheads, a skimmer compartment and a pump compartment. The dimensions are 30"x16"x16" and the cabinet housing it is 48" long. It's rated for a 125-225 gallon tank. I would like to have a refugium though & unless I DIY something, there is no room for one. Any suggestions on a DIY option are welcome!

The other sumps I'm looking at are also from Eshopps - the new AF-100 (rated for 75-125g) or the AF-200 (125-225g). Does anyone use either of these sumps? Is it better to oversize the sump? These sumps have a dedicated refugium compartment as well. I like the idea of having the fuge for a few reasons - the extra nutrient export, I can from macroalgae for a possible tang & I also have a place to put anyone who may not be welcome in my main DT.
I want to get opinions especially on whether it's worth it to upgrade the sump in this case?

 

[Jbell370]

Personally I would use an algae reactor, you don't really want to use up all the cabinet space, ie dosing containers, skimmer collector container etc. As for an unruly fish, I have 2 in my sump right now and they swim between the overflow/filter sock area and the return pump area.

 

[Subsea]

Your new sump looks like my 30G EcoSystem mud/macro refugium that’s been operating 25 years. The system operates without a protein skimmer.

The 75G display has a reverse flow undergravel filter, but was operated as a Jaubert Plenum for 20 years.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Your new sump looks like my 30G EcoSystem mud/macro refugium that’s been operating 25 years. The system operates without a protein skimmer.

The 75G display has a reverse flow undergravel filter.

Beautiful tank and congrats on keeping it going so long!! I would love to get away with not having a skimmer at all... a mud/macro refugium sounds like it would be a cool option.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Personally I would use an algae reactor, you don't really want to use up all the cabinet space, ie dosing containers, skimmer collector container etc. As for an unruly fish, I have 2 in my sump right now and they swim between the overflow/filter sock area and the return pump area.

Do you have a skimmer in your sump? That's the one thing with the sump I have right now... those two compartments don't have a ton of space. Could I put the skimmer in the third compartment instead of the middle one? I'm new to sumps so I don't know if there are real options for layouts... I just know that it makes sense to have the water go through the socks, into the skimmer and then into the pump.

 

[Subsea]

To my point, protein skimmers remove skimmate, which is food for the reef tank. There most important contribution is gas exchange. Oxygen & gas exchange are critical in Reefkeeping. I supply aggressive circulation at display tank surface. Surface film is skimmed off to go to refugium. As water cascades into first chamber filled with reef rubble or bioballs it promotes aggressive gas exchange. Any detritus is broken up and settles in second chamber on top of miracle mud which is crawling with pods, worms & things. After 25 years depth has increase from 1” to 1.5” and the mud is spongy to the touch.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

To my point, protein skimmers remove skimmate, which is food for the reef tank. There most important contribution is gas exchange. Oxygen & gas exchange are critical in Reefkeeping. I supply aggressive circulation at display tank surface. Surface film is skimmed off to go to refugium. As water cascades into first chamber filled with reef rubble or bioballs it promotes aggressive gas exchange. Any detritus is broken up and settles in second chamber on top of miracle mud which is crawling with pods, worms & things. After 25 years depth has increase from 1” to 1.5” and the mud is spongy to the touch.

I'm really liking this setup!! I think I'm going to give this a try & go without the skimmer. I'm not planning to use the skimmer right away anyways while the tank is new. To be honest, I don't use a skimmer in any of my other systems but they are much smaller so water changes are not that big of a deal. I'm a big fan of bio-blocks and definitely copepods!!
I can use your method and keep an eye on how it goes for a while. I'm certainly more into using a natural option whenever there is one. Worst case scenario - I section it off myself at some point and just maintain a very small or external fuge.
Does the miracle mud have any negative or positive effects on cycling? Do you recommend adding it after cycling?
I should mention that I'm doing a fishes cycle, building a custom NSA scape with Marco rocks and I plan to put some actual live rock in the sump from my other systems to help with the cycle. I will probably use FritzZyme 9 or Dr Tim's as well but I'm not trying to rush the cycle too much.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

accidentally posted that reply twice - oops!

 

[Subsea]

I'm really liking this setup!! I think I'm going to give this a try & go without the skimmer. I'm not planning to use the skimmer right away anyways while the tank is new. To be honest, I don't use a skimmer in any of my other systems but they are much smaller so water changes are not that big of a deal. I'm a big fan of bio-blocks and definitely copepods!!
I can use your method and keep an eye on how it goes for a while. I'm certainly more into using a natural option whenever there is one. Worst case scenario - I section it off myself at some point and just maintain a very small or external fuge.
Does the miracle mud have any negative or positive effects on cycling? Do you recommend adding it after cycling?
I should mention that I'm doing a fishes cycle, building a custom NSA scape with Marco rocks and I plan to put some actual live rock in the sump from my other systems to help with the cycle. I will probably use FritzZyme 9 or Dr Tim's as well but I'm not trying to rush the cycle too much.

The only miracle in the mud is iron. Today, iron addittion is a normal component of Reefing. The important part is grain size to be conducive to detrivores & worms. I used a miracle mud product on 2/3 and 1/3 was Seachem Flouride substrate. That was 25 years ago. I now use ChaetoGrow to balance out iron demand.

I don’t see miracle mud effecting cycle in any way. Only after it is colonized by the little people will it perform nutrient recycling. If you have macro above the mud, then nutrient export is an option.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

The only miracle in the mud is iron. Today, iron addittion is a normal component of Reefing. The important part is grain size to be conducive to detrivores & worms. I used a miracle mud product on 2/3 and 1/3 was Seachem Flouride substrate. That was 25 years ago. I now use ChaetoGrow to balance out iron demand.

I don’t see miracle mud effecting cycle in any way. Only after it is colonized by the little people will it perform nutrient recycling. If you have macro above the mud, then nutrient export is an option.

Thank you so much, @Subsea
I really appreciate all the help & tips!