Refugiums... Skimmer or No Skimmer???

[ski1870]

I have a sump for my 120 gal reef tank. Its an Eshopps with a dual return on one end. The skimmer takes up a lot of space in the middle chamber where the refugium would be. Do we need a skimmer if we have a refugium? Also, I tried to do the refugium when I first started, but the cheato kept rolling over the space between the middle chamber and the last chamber where the pump is. It seemed like there was just a lot of flow through the sump. I thought the pump for a 120 gal system had to be pretty strong to turn the water over enough. Any suggestions for a system overhall?

 

[Reefing Madness]

Put egg crate in that chamber to keep it from getting into the other side.
Yes, you would typically still need a skimmer.

 

[reefndude]

From my experience you do not need a skimmer. 125g dt with 55g sump/refugium.

Sump is set up with drain on left, refugium center, media chamber, then return.
I've been running my system like this for 3 years. My nutrient problem is it runs to low.

I do have a 4"+ sand bed, both dt and refugium. Ats and macro, and I use carbon.

To help your chaeto stay put, add a powerhead opposite of your flow.