Refuge Ideas

[lion king]

I'm re=configuring my 90g and would like to add macro to the system. It will be low light, so no macro in the display. I've run a macro reactor on this system and just don't want the maintenance, forget about a scrubber, they are a royal pita. Any of you running a 90g you know there is just no room in the cabinet and I have no room in the sump.

Ideas: a hob on the end of the tank, I am not moving the tank., like this one: https://www.marinedepot.com/aquamax...IkcbI6rbJ6gIVghh9Ch28GgU3EAQYAyABEgIILvD_BwE&
What light would you use with this one and how would it attach?

A separate refuge outside the stand, a display quality set up. how would you go about plumbing it. Pump in the sump to feed it. How do you do return/overflow?, Backflow valves? Cut off switch?

Thanks.

 

[andrewey]

On my current setup, I went with a HOB refugium, similar to the one you listed (DIY). As far as lighting was concerned, I went with the flat ACKE 20w grow light as it had the thinnest profile and provided a sizeable footprint of light. The light comes with a hanging kit and self-adhesive strips, however I simply attached the self adhesive pads to one of the sides (clear acrylic) and I'm able to light the cheato from the side as opposed to from above. It works well (too well for my setup, so I had to dial down the photo period) and allows me to have a ton of pods tumble into the tank as the motor is behind the cheato, so no pods have to go through an impeller.

That being said, I'm a sucker for display refugiums if you decide to go that route. I never messed with one way valves or a cutoff switch (so I can't comment on those features), however on my 120, I simply drilled a 40 breeder with the overflow routing back to the sump and the return was via a manifold coming from my main return line. A dedicated pump would obviously work as well/better. The only real concern is to ensure the sump can hold the extra volume that drains in cases of a power failure and in situations like mine (using a manifold) that the overflow on the refugium is oversized/has a backup so that the overflow could handle the extra volume if the settings on the gate valve were ever changed.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Following. Debating about setting up an external fuge as well, but also don’t know how to go about the plumbing

 

[najer]

Along side shared sump display refugium.

 

[lion king]

As much as I was trying to sell myself on a hob, because it seemed much more simple. i know the volume achieved is just not going to do it for my application.

I need something between 10-20g volume of water. I'm really not in the mood to drill my own tank, anyone know where to get a drilled tank that size. I also don't want a 6=8" deep frag tank. the square dimensions and shallow appearance is not what I'm looking for.

A display refugium is the route I am considering.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

As much as I was trying to sell myself on a hob, because it seemed much more simple. i know the volume achieved is just not going to do it for my application.

I need something between 10-20g volume of water. I'm really not in the mood to drill my own tank, anyone know where to get a drilled tank that size. I also don't want a 6=8" deep frag tank. the square dimensions and shallow appearance is not what I'm looking for.

A display refugium is the route I am considering.

this is what I’ve decided to do as well. Either going with a 40b or maybe a 30g. Plan to have aroubd 20lbs of true lr in the display fuge and then plumb it into my sump. Also trying to decide if I want to scap the prefab sump I have and make a custom out of a 40b.

 

[Red Leader]

Something like that? Pump feeds it from the main tank and 2 drains. I also have a sensor that shuts off the pump in case the drains clog. Holes drilled above the waterline in both the pump line and the drain lines.

 

[lion king]

So this is what Im doing fornnow, I converted the sump. I took thebsock chamber of the Eshopps sump and put a Tunze 6500k l, Ive had good results with 6500k. Ive also had good results with red but they were out of the red, so Ill give this one a try. I raised the water level and put the skimmer on a riser. Im getting 3.7g of water volume, although less than I want, its double any hob thatbwould fit where I wanted it. I would have also needed to cut up the rim to make it fit. I just wasn't in the mood to spend the money and time to plumb an outside display.

I'll be running caulerpa, ulva, and gracillaria; which will also serve as food for angels and tangs. Once up an running Ill give updates.

 

[lion king]

Just an update: while I was planning to do an external build, this is actually working out for now. I've been running Caulerpa prolifera, I started with a very small amount, finally filled up so much it was starting to overflow, so I harvested half about a week ago. The tank is still under stocked; a rhino, a fuzzy, and a radiata; they are eating live and I do feed alot. Thing is nitrates and phosphates are undetectable; 3 months and no water changes and not a speck of algae in the dt, low light in dt also helps. So I'm calling this a success.

 

[Goodair]

What space does your cabinet have inside?
I got a 40 breeder sump under the 90g tank, though the cabinet and sump are custom.

I tend to use the space to hold excess macro from the display and eventually going to try breeding feeder mollies in the some day.

 

[lion king]

I forget the model of sump, but it's an Eshopps. I hate the space under the 90g. I've got an ato reservoir and the sump, and that's all the space I have.

 

[Goodair]

Yea its tight, I had to remove the hinges of the doors to get the breeder to slide in, ato sits on the side. How often are you swapping socks and emptying the skimmer cup?

 

[lion king]

No socks, that's the chamber I'm using for the refuge. I run my skimmer dark, about every 2 weeks. Macro does a bang up job all around. I've always had good results with caulerpa.