Should drain line empty right into refugium?

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TylerS

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I am planning a build closely resembling the triton method. I know the "manual" says not to use filter socks, but I don't quite understand all of the reasoning.

Is the idea that the detritus and food particles actually land on the algae and rocks in the refugium which serves a particular purpose, or could I have a detritus settling area in front of the refugium where the heavier detritus mostly settles out of the water and then release neutrients into the water to feed the refugium?

I think I saw a post saying that the idea is to actually have the detritus land on the algae and into the actual refugium section, but why?

Isn't it a huge pain to have to clean out the detritus after it builds up, or does the refugium never really need cleaned for some reason?
 

Tim@Triton

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The reasoning behind it all is to provide the algae first crack at all of the nutrients from the system, we do not want to restrict the algae access.

Filter socks can be used for occasional polishing but we do not recommend long term use.

If you have sufficient flow through the sump you will not have detritus collecting, if flow is lower then you can occasionally clean it out ever 6 months or so...
 
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TylerS

TylerS

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If I have lower flow through the refugium would a power head be a good idea to keep particles suspended?
 

d2mini

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If I have lower flow through the refugium would a power head be a good idea to keep particles suspended?
Technically it should be higher flow. Shooting for around 10x.
You can always add powerhead, but this might require more maintenance as far as keeping macros trimmed.
Many who do the Triton Method like to just leave it be and let the macros do their own thing.
 

d2mini

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BTW, here's my week old fuge. You can see the drain (white elbow) and it's pretty high flow.
It's currently keeping the macro tumbling. Although that should cease once it grows too big which will probably be another week. lol

 
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TylerS

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I should clarify that I'm planning a basement sump and 325 gallon or so display tank. So there's a huge cost increase to go from my current plan of 4x turnover to 10x. If I really need more flow in the sump to keep particles suspended it would be a lot cheaper to run a power head. 4x is still 1300 gallons per hour so maybe that's ok.
 

saltyfilmfolks

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I run my tank at. 10x return. I have a settling section before the fuge. I still get lots of detritus stuck in the Chato and algae and the flow is so fast it doesn't settle in the first chamber. It's so bad I'm finally going with filter socks and slowing the flow because if I trim the Chato it flows right back into the DT. Algae doesn't eat large food and detritus it absorbs dissolved particles and chemical minerals and nutrients so I'm confused as to why this would be Reccomended. Seems like the macros would become a filter sock.
 
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TylerS

TylerS

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I run my tank at. 10x return. I have a settling section before the fuge. I still get lots of detritus stuck in the Chato and algae and the flow is so fast it doesn't settle in the first chamber. It's so bad I'm finally going with filter socks and slowing the flow because if I trim the Chato it flows right back into the DT. Algae doesn't eat large food and detritus it absorbs dissolved particles and chemical minerals and nutrients so I'm confused as to why this would be Reccomended. Seems like the macros would become a filter sock.

That's good info. Your thinking aligns with mine, I don't understand why it's necessary (what's the mechanism at play) for the detritus to actually contact the algae or go into the fuge section, and any insight into this would be appreciated. I read a post somewhere that said the little critters, amphipods and copepods, living in the fuge might eat it? Maybe @Tim@Triton can reply again.

I found this after a quick google from about.com "Copepods and Amphipods are microscopic crustaceans that form an essential link in the marine food chain. These tiny organisms are a natural part of the plankton food chain in the ocean(there are Freshwater copepods, too). They graze on phytoplankton, bacteria, and in some cases, detritus. They incorporate the protein and fatty acids from these food sources and concentrate it into a highly nutritious package for consumption by marine animals." So that's the best guess I have.

One thing I was curious about, when you say you have 10x turnover is that an estimate including head loss from elevation changes and friction losses, or just your pumps rating at 0 head?
 

saltyfilmfolks

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With head loss. That's only a couple feet in my case.

Pods are clean up crew and will live anywhere. (Isopoda Copepods and amphipods). Bristle worms and other micro fauna also live in a refugium and Chato. Their digestion of solids is just one link in the chain of decomposition that return the nutrients back throug the system. But pods are cockroaches and will and do live anywhere (like on my rw8). Plus my refugium an in the DT where they make great snacks for fish and coral and do clean up.

Seems to me by letting the return drain into a bare bottom sump with Chato it'll catch on the Chato and yea pods will eat it but mostly it will collect big time in the sump and at that high a return rate go back to the DT. . Another Eason folks use a low turnover , to take advantage of the gravity filter effect of the sump below the DT. Thus keeping tha majority of the digestion and export out of the tank and in the sump and fuge rather than in the tank, like a sump less system.

Interesting.
 

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