so i’m thinking of starting a refugium for my 30 gallon uni tank (built in sump) and i want to make sure my train of thought is making sense so far as i study refugiums. my plan is to use a 5 gallon tank and store it inside the cabinet my tank is on top of since i have no space elsewhere and the cabinet has built in sockets where i can insert tubing/cables. i’m thinking i need tubing that takes water from the tank via a pump(return pump already connected to chiller) and another pump inside the refugium to then take the water back out and into my main tank correct? since it will only be 5 gallons i’m wondering how many GPH those 2 pumps should be? i am planning to have a DSB ~3-4in. , large ball of chaeto, and want to pour some pods as well(is this enough for it to be effective in removing nitrates?). My main challenge is the GPH of those pumps to make sure enough water is brought in and out of the refugium without any issues. I already have the lighting and am guessing i will need a small powerhead for the chaeto to tumble. Thanks !
REFUGIUM HELP
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I don't think GPH is really much of a concern. Consider this: most refugiums are part of peoples sumps. These sumps are the main overflow and return locations for their tanks. So if their return is running 200gph, then their sump/refuge is running at that rate.
Make sure you do it right though, and consider what happens if you have a power failure. In a 5 gallon tank, will you have much room for tank water to drain into before the siphon stops?
Make sure you do it right though, and consider what happens if you have a power failure. In a 5 gallon tank, will you have much room for tank water to drain into before the siphon stops?
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lazycouch
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understood! ok i do have a power generator in case of any failure but sorry i’m not sure what your question is asking are you referring to water overflowing in the 5 gallon during a power failure once the pumps turn off?
Correct. A proper overflow has a way to cut-off in the event of a power failure, or if you turn off the pumps for maintenance/feeding/etc. With very little room left in your 5 gallon tank (with a 3-4 inch DSB), you'll need a system that stops the siphon very quickly IMO. Otherwise you could overfill your 5 gallon and spill.
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lazycouch
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ahh ok. well i was thinking of having 2 pumps one in the main tank and one in the fuge to get water both in and out of the fuge. would they not automatically shut off as well and stop the water from traveling since that’s whats sucking in and sucking the water back out?
You do not want to do that. You'd have to have pumps pumping at EXACTLY the same rate, which is never going to happen. Otherwise you'll have one pulling more than the other, causing an overflow or running dry.
What you want to do is maybe get an HOB overflow box and setup a fuge below (like you said), with a return pump back into the tank from the fuge.
R.Weller
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I would agree to avoid using dual pumps & attempting to sync the flow rates. Even if you managed to get the flow rates correct at the beginning, they would not stay synchronized over time. While pictures / measurements of the available space in the cabinet would help with recommendations, perhaps a small reactor would accomplish similar goals. Here's a recent example from the DIY forum.
www.reef2reef.com
DIY Chaeto Reactor
Hey all! Just built a DIY chaeto reactor using a Two Little Fishies Phosban 150 reactor. Got some RGB LED strips lights from Home Depot and the tubing... well yeah it's tubing ;) Didn't think it would grow very fast, but it filled up the whole chamber within a week! Here are some pics over the...
www.reef2reef.com
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lazycouch
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I would agree to avoid using dual pumps & attempting to sync the flow rates. Even if you managed to get the flow rates correct at the beginning, they would not stay synchronized over time. While pictures / measurements of the available space in the cabinet would help with recommendations, perhaps a small reactor would accomplish similar goals. Here's a recent example from the DIY forum.
DIY Chaeto Reactor
Hey all! Just built a DIY chaeto reactor using a Two Little Fishies Phosban 150 reactor. Got some RGB LED strips lights from Home Depot and the tubing... well yeah it's tubing ;) Didn't think it would grow very fast, but it filled up the whole chamber within a week! Here are some pics over the...
here are some pictures with dimensions. i’d basically empty out whatever you see in there right now including that shelf. i mostly have space in height as you can see
R.Weller
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The pics help. Thanks.
It looks like you have either the option of a HOB Refug on the back or right side of the display (e.g. CPR AquaFuge2, AquaMaxx HOB-R, etc...) or you would need to build a closed loop like the chaeto reactor above. I wouldn't risk an open container / non-water tight container under the display w/o using gravity as the input.
It looks like you have either the option of a HOB Refug on the back or right side of the display (e.g. CPR AquaFuge2, AquaMaxx HOB-R, etc...) or you would need to build a closed loop like the chaeto reactor above. I wouldn't risk an open container / non-water tight container under the display w/o using gravity as the input.
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lazycouch
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will look into those! thanks a lot. i was thinking of a HOB fuge beforehand but the ones i came across were real small and didnt seem like they’d do much, also wanted to avoid all of that light bleed since i’d be doing a reverse light cycle but i’ll probably construct some side panels with cardboard especially to avoid bothering the fish and coral with the light at night!
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