Plumbing a fuge separate from your sump?

[DoctaReef]

Hi everyone-
So I have a RSR 425XL on order right now and I'm designing my system. I have the opportunity to put a refugium behind the wall of my tank, rather than cram it into the RSR sump. (Finished basement wall.) My plan is to T off my return, drill a 20 gal breeder for intake on one end, and drill and install an overflow on the opposite end. I'm using an overflow back to the sump for safety: If I try to plumb it back to the tank with a separate pump, that's one more mechanical to fail... and if the rate of the outflow slows down below the inflow rate... well you know what will happen.

I'll light it with a good grow light, like a Kessil H80 or H160, and run it on an opposite photoperiod.

Has anyone done something similar to this, and if so, how did you plumb the return?
Thanks in advance!
(build thread coming...)

 

[Potatohead]

It's pretty common, and definitely do it with an overflow. As you surmised you will never get the flow rate on two pumps to match long term.

 

[DoctaReef]

Exactly. More specifically, when plumbing the return, should it go into the filter socks, the skimmer chamber or the return chamber?

 

[garbled]

My feeling is that you want to think about the path the water takes.

"Dirty" water from the tank comes into the socks. Ideally, you want this dirty water, post-sock, to hit your fuge. (Maybe post-skim, up to you there).

Now if you return the water to the socks from your fuge, that means some of the fuge-cleaned water will go back into the fuge. You will be sending less-dirty water through the fuge to be cleaned. For this reason, I would dump the fuge water out downstream of where you pull it into the fuge. This way water never recycles into the fuge. You want optimum contact with dirty water.

 

[kennytze]

My feeling is that you want to think about the path the water takes.

"Dirty" water from the tank comes into the socks. Ideally, you want this dirty water, post-sock, to hit your fuge. (Maybe post-skim, up to you there).

Now if you return the water to the socks from your fuge, that means some of the fuge-cleaned water will go back into the fuge. You will be sending less-dirty water through the fuge to be cleaned. For this reason, I would dump the fuge water out downstream of where you pull it into the fuge. This way water never recycles into the fuge. You want optimum contact with dirty water.

Hi everyone-
So I have a RSR 425XL on order right now and I'm designing my system. I have the opportunity to put a refugium behind the wall of my tank, rather than cram it into the RSR sump. (Finished basement wall.) My plan is to T off my return, drill a 20 gal breeder for intake on one end, and drill and install an overflow on the opposite end. I'm using an overflow back to the sump for safety: If I try to plumb it back to the tank with a separate pump, that's one more mechanical to fail... and if the rate of the outflow slows down below the inflow rate... well you know what will happen.

I'll light it with a good grow light, like a Kessil H80 or H160, and run it on an opposite photoperiod.

Has anyone done something similar to this, and if so, how did you plumb the return?
Thanks in advance!
(build thread coming...)

 

[xaflatoonx]

I am setting up my sump and refugium exactly like that. My refugium is separate from the sump because I didn’t want fuge light to cause algae issues in the sump.

Anyway. So my fuge will get water from the sump return manifold. The flow of water from the fuge to sump is gravity fed. So to do that I raised the fuge about 6” from the sump. Also the fuge has an overflow box with two bulkheads in case one gets clogged.

Lastly. You want your fuge to drain into the return chaimber of your sump because that will help pods get to your DT better.

Hope that helps.

My stand. Fuge is in the far right.

 

[kennytze]

This, is the way I did my 180 gal. mixed reef. After water exits overflows, goes thru 2 7" filter socks, skimmer and from return pump to a ecosystem sump I used years ago. water goes thru refugium and returns to tank. You can't see return pipe but it is a 1 1/2" line going to tank and dropping into tank. I have elbows on both ends of pipe from fuge to display tank to prevent sucking air into lines. Both end of line have short nipples after elbows. one nice thing about this set-up is you can feed and dose from return section as you can see apex feeder and dosing lines.

 

[shred5]

I would gravity feed back by raising the fuge slightly higher, two pumps just does not work. I understand there is a precaution with a overflow if two much water gets to the fuge but what the output pumps too much out.
Your going to run the fuge dry and possibly fry the pump.

 

[lapin]

I have a separate 20 gallon fuge. The flow comes off my manifold instead of the drain. My N=4 and P =.1 Its getting plenty of nutrients. The macros grow very well. The exit goes back into the sumps return chamber so all the pods and stuff feed the tank. My only concern was if the fuge return was to slow down or get clogged, I would have water all over the place. I have a baffle and a strainer but was still worried. To fix this I plumbed in a solenoid on the feed line. I have a sensor in the fuge. If the water level get too high it trips the sensor telling the solenoid to close.

 

[garbled]

I feel like the right answer is gravity feed, but with a secondary hole drilled in the fuge, higher, to act as emergency drain.

 

[DoctaReef]

I am setting up my sump and refugium exactly like that. My refugium is separate from the sump because I didn’t want fuge light to cause algae issues in the sump.

Anyway. So my fuge will get water from the sump return manifold. The flow of water from the fuge to sump is gravity fed. So to do that I raised the fuge about 6” from the sump. Also the fuge has an overflow box with two bulkheads in case one gets clogged.

Lastly. You want your fuge to drain into the return chaimber of your sump because that will help pods get to your DT better.

Hope that helps.

My stand. Fuge is in the far right.

Awesome set up! I'm with you on the sump draining to the return to maximize the pods getting to the DT, but my concern mostly was with microbubbles. Trying to decide if thats more of an issue than pods getting sucked up into the skimmer or blocked by the baffles...

 

[xaflatoonx]

have the pipe come all the way down below the water line, since its gravity fed - it wont have a lot of pressure and very little to none micro bubbles.
once my system is live - i will see how it turns out. but for me - having the pods fed into the DT is a far bigger value than avoiding a few micro bubbles.

 

[DoctaReef]

I have a separate 20 gallon fuge. The flow comes off my manifold instead of the drain. My N=4 and P =.1 Its getting plenty of nutrients. The macros grow very well. The exit goes back into the sumps return chamber so all the pods and stuff feed the tank. My only concern was if the fuge return was to slow down or get clogged, I would have water all over the place. I have a baffle and a strainer but was still worried. To fix this I plumbed in a solenoid on the feed line. I have a sensor in the fuge. If the water level get too high it trips the sensor telling the solenoid to close.

Do you get microbubbles from the fuge draining into the return chamber?
My main concern is leakage too.... im going to drill an overflow with an emergency return, and I'm going to have my Apex monitor flow. Also I'm going to install float sensors in the fuge and return to monitor levels to shut it all down if things go south... which in my experience with this hobby they always do.

 

[DoctaReef]

have the pipe come all the way down below the water line, since its gravity fed - it wont have a lot of pressure and very little to none micro bubbles.
once my system is live - i will see how it turns out. but for me - having the pods fed into the DT is a far bigger value than avoiding a few micro bubbles.

Good to know! Thanks! I might not hard plumb it from the outset to test it too. I'd rather it go to the return.

 

[lapin]

Do you get microbubbles from the fuge draining into the return chamber?
My main concern is leakage too.... im going to drill an overflow with an emergency return, and I'm going to have my Apex monitor flow. Also I'm going to install float sensors in the fuge and return to monitor levels to shut it all down if things go south... which in my experience with this hobby they always do.

The tube actually drains into the blue spaghetti mat just before the return chamber.

 

[garbled]

The tube actually drains into the blue spaghetti mat just before the return chamber.

I do the same thing with my carbon/gfo filter. The only thing that drains directly into the return area is the cryptic sponge fuge. (Mostly for reasons of simplicity of plumbing)