Who has their entire drain dump into a refugium?

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

How is this working out for you. I assume no socks?

 

[Cichlid Dad]

How is this working out for you. I assume no socks?

Hello, I'm not quite sure what you are asking, can you elaborate?

 

[Slocke]

If you mean who uses a giant Refugium as opposed to mechanical filtration then me! It works great and you may notice no algae or other nuisances in the display.

 

[biecacka]

Both my drains dump into a section of my sump with chaeto in it. I do use socks though to catch some of the debris. It’s worked well for me so far.


corey

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

Hello, I'm not quite sure what you are asking, can you elaborate?

The drain that goes from your display to your sump. Instead of it dumping into your sump then into some socks, does anyone have it dump into a refugium, then from there into a sump. I am thinking through having a "second" sump, that is a 5 gallon tank elevated within my sump with the drains dumping into the refugium and then from their into the sump.

 

[SanFernandoValleyAIOReef]

If you mean who uses a giant Refugium as opposed to mechanical filtration then me! It works great and you may notice no algae or other nuisances in the display.

Any negatives? Other than a dirtier sump?

 

[Slocke]

Any negatives? Other than a dirtier sump?

Nope. It has bio media below the cheato but that’s about it and that’s all the filtration. This tank is so easy. I hardly do anything and it just stays stable. Obviously have to remove large amounts of cheato every couple weeks but it just seems to work.

 

[twentyleagues]

I had the majority of my previous reefs 120 and 125 dump into a 90 nps in the basement and part t'd off to my 75 fuge then to socks, skimmer, frag tank, return/heater back upstairs to reefs. Worked well dendros and sun corals grew like weeds, as did the algaes in the fuge.

 

[MoMoTheMonster]

The sump I'm customizing out of a 40b, for my current tank upgrade has one of my corner overflows drain straight into a filter sock/cup in the refugium area of my sump which is on the left hand side. The other corner overflow drains into a another filter sock/cup then will pass through the skimmer section on the right hand side. Both sides then flow to the middle where the returns are.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

@twentyleagues @Slocke @biecacka So let me ask you this. I have 2 tanks I am wanting to do this to. One tank has a display of 120G and a sump of 16G and the other is 55G and the sump is 10G. Ironically Petco is having their 50% off sale this week. I can easily get a 5.5G tank situated in both sumps where if I dump directly into this auxiliary (refug) I can gravity feed it into the sump and the emergency drain would simply be that the tank could overflow into the sump as it will be 100% in the tank, supported above the highest water line. The question: is there a percent of display, total volume or sump that this stand alone refugium should be? Would 5.5G be too small on the larger tank yet too big on the smaller?

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

The sump I'm customizing out of a 40b, for my current tank upgrade has one of my corner overflows drain straight into a filter sock/cup in the refugium area of my sump which is on the left hand side. The other corner overflow drains into a another filter sock/cup then will pass through the skimmer section on the right hand side. Both sides then flow to the middle where the returns are.

@MoMoTheMonster I am thinking sock free though. Let the system regulate itself. Lots of rubble, etc. For me it would dump into a 5.5G refug, then from their route the water to the original drain spot that would be filled with rubble, as would the area that housed the socks.

 

[CoralB]

@twentyleagues @Slocke @biecacka So let me ask you this. I have 2 tanks I am wanting to do this to. One tank has a display of 120G and a sump of 16G and the other is 55G and the sump is 10G. Ironically Petco is having their 50% off sale this week. I can easily get a 5.5G tank situated in both sumps where if I dump directly into this auxiliary (refug) I can gravity feed it into the sump and the emergency drain would simply be that the tank could overflow into the sump as it will be 100% in the tank, supported above the highest water line. The question: is there a percent of display, total volume or sump that this stand alone refugium should be? Would 5.5G be too small on the larger tank yet too big on the smaller?

If I’m understanding you correctly your asking if a 5.5 gallon tank would be sufficient for a sump ? , if this is the question I’ll answer that that size tank would be on the small size as it might work depending on the flow until the pump stops , then I would worry as to how much water in the main tank would drain into that tank before the water level falls below the weir which may over fill the 5.5 gallon on to the floor . Usually in all the drilled tanks I’ve ever owned ,when the pump shuts off about 10 - 12 gallons fill back into the sump. My operating level usually keeps 7-8 gallons . Hope this helps

 

[Cichlid Dad]

The drain that goes from your display to your sump. Instead of it dumping into your sump then into some socks, does anyone have it dump into a refugium, then from there into a sump. I am thinking through having a "second" sump, that is a 5 gallon tank elevated within my sump with the drains dumping into the refugium and then from their into the sump.

I have thought about this at one time myself, I figured the refugium would get to messy so I chucked the idea

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

If I’m understanding you correctly your asking if a 5.5 gallon tank would be sufficient for a sump ? , if this is the question I’ll answer that that size tank would be on the small size as it might work depending on the flow until the pump stops , then I would worry as to how much water in the main tank would drain into that tank before the water level falls below the weir which may over fill the 5.5 gallon on to the floor . Usually in all the drilled tanks I’ve ever owned ,when the pump shuts off about 10 - 12 gallons fill back into the sump. My operating level usually keeps 7-8 gallons . Hope this helps

@CoralB - Not the main sump. For example, the larger tank is a Red Sea Max S 500. The sump is 14Gs. I can easily fit a 5.5G tank rested on supports within the 14 gallon sump in the proximity of where the drains are. The drains would drain into the 5.5G refug tank, from there I would plumb it do dump into the area where the drains go now. I would fill this area with rubble and remove the socks. I've been reading about it and in theory it sounds like it would work. I was asking who here has done that and what is their experience with it. So far it's been positive.

 

[CoralB]

@CoralB - Not the main sump. For example, the larger tank is a Red Sea Max S 500. The sump is 14Gs. I can easily fit a 5.5G tank rested on supports within the 14 gallon sump in the proximity of where the drains are. The drains would drain into the 5.5G refug tank, from there I would plumb it do dump into the area where the drains go now. I would fill this area with rubble and remove the socks. I've been reading about it and in theory it sounds like it would work. I was asking who here has done that and what is their experience with it. So far it's been positive.

Ok I see the picture a little better and as long as water is not spilling on the floor when the pump stops , then I have to ask what happens to the rock / pebbles when they get filled with detritus ( and they will ). I would run the water thru a mechanical medium. I can’t help but think that it’s easier to clean socks then to remove the rock and pebbles to clean them all the time would make it not worth it. Trust me depending on the load from fish and feeding I see all kinds of negatives not using some type of mechanical filtration prior to going into the refugium. You can do it this way but I would have to think at some point you’ll wind up with more problems at a later date from food and detritus build up not to mention adding more difficult maintenance rather than just cleaning a sock . Floss , sponge , etc.

 

[MoshJosh]

Both my sumps are just single chamber refugiums (sock is in the refugium):

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

My main tank drain dumped consecutively into two 44 gallon brute cans 7/8 filled with rock and topped with macroalgae. Water entered near the bottom and was removed from the top.

no socks anywhere. Detritus mud was allowed to accumulate for many years in the sump and these refugia. No problems with it.

 

[biecacka]

i believe some people do dump a drain into a 5 gallon bucket of chaeto then drain it into the sump. My only concern would be having the ability to adjust and control the drain flow. It would have to match the flow out of the 5 gallon fuge or it would overflow.


corey

 

[Dburr1014]

How is this working out for you. I assume no socks?

Me.
Everything dumps into a 5 gallon tank that is in my stock tank except the emergency drain.
I normally don't run socks unless I'm trying to accomplish something with them. (like Flux with hair algae, catches some of it)

 

[CoralB]

My main tank drain dumped consecutively into two 44 gallon brute cans 7/8 filled with rock and topped with macroalgae. Water entered near the bottom and was removed from the top.

no socks anywhere. Detritus mud was allowed to accumulate for many years in the sump and these refugia. No problems with it.

Randy did you experience at some point a spike in nitrates and phosphates that was hard to manage? If not do you believe that was because of the size of the containers ,skimming from the top of a second container, and or the amount of rock with bacteria ? .what was your waste load ? . I had a tank years ago with a direct dump into a 20 gallon refugium and after a while I experienced a rise in nitrate , phosphate. I at one point was having to put more effort into controlling nutrients. Ie: more Water changes , cleaning the refugium, etc. . since going back to a mechanical prefilter Pryor to going into the refugium I haven’t had that issue .