Sump/refugium

[Iafrate]

I am making my sump/refugium out of two 10 gallon tanks as that is the only thing that will fit under my stand. i am wanted to use the first tank to house my skimmer and heaters and return pump and then the second tank to be a refugium. i plan on drilling and using bulkheads to attach the two together with flexible tubing and to use a gutted canister filter between the return pump area and the refugium to have water flow. if i drill near the top of the refugium and the bottom of the other tank will this allow for for more water in the refugium area. let me know what you think and any improvements i could make. I already have the tanks and that is why im not wanting to just get a better stand unless this just doesn't work at all.

 

[BHHOWARD]

That will work. Maybe you would want to not drill the sump portion so low so that you would remove it if you wanted and not have any issues with the water draining. It could even be even with the bulkhead in the refugium.

Any reason you are using an empty canister between the two? You really just need a pump to the refugium and let it gravity feed back. This could even be split off from your return pump and a valve controlling how much water goes into the refugium.

You could also raise the refugium a little and let it gravity feed back over the top of the sump. Pipe it straight out from the bulkhead and 90 into the sump.

 

[Iafrate]

That will work. Maybe you would want to not drill the sump portion so low so that you would remove it if you wanted and not have any issues with the water draining. It could even be even with the bulkhead in the refugium.

Any reason you are using an empty canister between the two? You really just need a pump to the refugium and let it gravity feed back. This could even be split off from your return pump and a valve controlling how much water goes into the refugium.

You could also raise the refugium a little and let it gravity feed back over the top of the sump. Pipe it straight out from the bulkhead and 90 into the sump.

the canister is so i don't have to split the return pump line and so it has some water movement. the intake would be near the return pump and the out would be in the refugium the bulk head is high on the refugium so i can have a higher water level than what is in the sump tank is that not needed?

 

[BHHOWARD]

No reason to have sump bulkhead low. Water level in the sump is a function of the amount of water total water volume. In your original design, the pipe between the sump and refugium (bulkhead to bulkhead) will have as much water as the height of water in the sump in your pump return area. Ideally you would want the water to drain from the refugium into the sump. That line will always have water in your initial thoughts. It would be better to have the sump bulkhead even or just a little lower than the bulkhead in the refugium.

 

[Iafrate]

No reason to have sump bulkhead low. Water level in the sump is a function of the amount of water total water volume. In your original design, the pipe between the sump and refugium (bulkhead to bulkhead) will have as much water as the height of water in the sump in your pump return area. Ideally you would want the water to drain from the refugium into the sump. That line will always have water in your initial thoughts. It would be better to have the sump bulkhead even or just a little lower than the bulkhead in the refugium.

Oh, that will make plumping a little easier thank you.

 

[LC8Sumi]

You do need it as per the picture though if you want to surface-skimm the fuge.