Separate sump and refugium

[rooneyj889]

Hey all, I am planning my fish room right now and am using a 150 gallon rubbermaid tub as my sump. Due to this, I want to use a 40 gallon tank as a refugium.

The original plan was for the tank to drain into the fuge and the fuge to drain into the sump, but since I would use filter socks on the sump, I am worried about these catching all of the pods since I want pods in my DT. So, instead the plan is to put the fuge above the rubbermaid tub, use a small pump to pump water to the fuge and have the fuge drain back into the sump near the return pump.

Is this a sound plan? If so, would I need an overflow box or could I use something else to have it drain back to the sump.

 

[terraincognita]

Hey all, I am planning my fish room right now and am using a 150 gallon rubbermaid tub as my sump. Due to this, I want to use a 40 gallon tank as a refugium. The original plan was for the tank to drain into the fuge and the fuge to drain into the tank, but mechanical filtration would catch all the pods then. So, instead the plan is to put the fuge above the rubbermaid tub, use a small pump to pump water to the fuge and have the fuge drain back into the sump near the return pump. Is this a sound plan? If so, would I need an overflow box or could I use something else to have it drain back to the sump.

Check your wording and typos.

Clear it up and space this out a bit, hard to read what you're talking about honestly.

 

[rooneyj889]

Check your wording and typos.

Clear it up and space this out a bit, hard to read what you're talking about honestly.

What typos and wording?

 

[terraincognita]

What typos and wording?

Nvm here you go:

You're welcome. honestly just trying to help you get more responses. It's annoying to read 1 paragraph with a lot of words and talk but hard to get a picture of what you're talking about Things in bold I still don't understand. Realize we have NO idea what your tank looks like, or your sump set up, is it under your tank? to the side.

etc etc etc. So while in your head you're typing out this quick paragraph which might make total sense if I was standing next to you. But I'm idk how many miles away with no picture or idea of what your set up is like

150G Sump, how bigs you're tank?? Where's the sump?

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Hey all, I am planning my fish room right now and am trying to add a Refugium to my set up.

I'm currently using a 150 gallon rubbermaid tub as my sump.

I want to use a 40 gallon tank as a refugium.

The original plan was for the tank to drain into the fuge and the fuge to drain into the tank???

So where's the sump in all this? Just seperate lines and system?

but mechanical filtration would catch all the pods then.?? (what do you mean? and how do you know?)


So, instead the plan is to put the fuge above the rubbermaid tub, use a small pump to pump water to the fuge and have the fuge drain back into the sump near the return pump.

i.e. Water goes from Tank ~~~~> Sump ~~~~~> Fuge ~~~~~> Sump ~~~~~> Tank.

----------------------

Is this a sound plan? If so, would I need an overflow box or could I use something else to have it drain back to the sump.

 

[rooneyj889]

Nvm here you go:

You're welcome. honestly just trying to help you get more responses. It's annoying to read 1 paragraph with a lot of words and talk but hard to get a picture of what you're talking about Things in bold I still don't understand.

----------------------------

Hey all, I am planning my fish room right now and am trying to add a Refugium to my set up.

I'm currently using a 150 gallon rubbermaid tub as my sump.

I want to use a 40 gallon tank as a refugium.

The original plan was for the tank to drain into the fuge and the fuge to drain into the tank???

So where's the sump in all this? Just seperate lines and system?

but mechanical filtration would catch all the pods then.?? (what do you mean? and how do you know?)


So, instead the plan is to put the fuge above the rubbermaid tub, use a small pump to pump water to the fuge and have the fuge drain back into the sump near the return pump.

i.e. Water goes from Tank ~~~~> Sump ~~~~~> Fuge ~~~~~> Sump ~~~~~> Tank.

----------------------

Is this a sound plan? If so, would I need an overflow box or could I use something else to have it drain back to the sump.

Oh yeah, didnt catch the fuge draining into the tank. Meant to say fuge draining into the sump.

 

[terraincognita]

Hey all, I am planning my fish room right now and am using a 150 gallon rubbermaid tub as my sump. Due to this, I want to use a 40 gallon tank as a refugium.

The original plan was for the tank to drain into the fuge and the fuge to drain into the sump, but since I would use filter socks on the sump, I am worried about these catching all of the pods. So, instead the plan is to put the fuge above the rubbermaid tub, use a small pump to pump water to the fuge and have the fuge drain back into the sump near the return pump.

Is this a sound plan? If so, would I need an overflow box or could I use something else to have it drain back to the sump.

Ime if you're growing plants in your fuge the pods will live there.

If they do go in your sock, just turn your sock inside out in your fuge before you take it out of the tank, and get them off.

IMO it won't be a big deal the amount you lose in the sock....

As in don't let that change your whole original plan or one you think will work better.

Also I'd still try to give us a better picture of your set up, where your sump is in relation to tank, etc etc etc.

 

[rooneyj889]

Ime if you're growing plants in your fuge the pods will live there.

If they do go in your sock, just turn your sock inside out in your fuge before you take it out of the tank, and get them off.

IMO it won't be a big deal the amount you lose in the sock....

As in don't let that change your whole original plan or one you think will work better.

But then how would said pods get to the display tank? Plan is to eventually have a mandarin or some other dragonet.

 

[YaboiNathan]

Sounds like a plan, an overflow box should work good for you

 

[terraincognita]

But then how would said pods get to the display tank? Plan is to eventually have a mandarin or some other dragonet.

LOL you also 100% left out that you want pods in my DT so I can have a Mandarin.

I'd fix your original post up top OP and just make it complete makes it funner for the rest of us.

I'll let more expert plumbers help you. I'm not good at it, I just copy paste a standard format I've always used which includes sump and refuge in the same "tank"

 

[Chibils]

It'd be simpler to let your water pass through your sump, then overflow into your fuge, and return to the tank from there.

e.g. tank → sump → refugium → tank

This avoids the pods getting caught in your socks as well as the complicated plumbing.

 

[ru4serious]

If you fuge is elevated above the sump then drill a hole on one end of the fuge where you want your water line to be and use a bulkhead and pvc instead of the overflow box

 

[KStatefan]

That is how my refugium will be set up. Look at how the LifeReefugiums are set up just two bulk heads that drain into the sump.

 

[rooneyj889]

It'd be simpler to let your water pass through your sump, then overflow into your fuge, and return to the tank from there.

e.g. tank → sump → refugium → tank

This avoids the pods getting caught in your socks as well as the complicated plumbing.

Yeah i was thinking about that,but i need the space in the sump for the return pumps because i'll be using a few different ones. So i'm not sure that would work.

 

[theMeat]

Agreed
Sump, fuge, tank. Unless your doing triton method and staying with it.
This gives sock first chance at dirtiest water from tank, then skimmer, then pods, then back to tank. After you get tired of cleaning socks 2x a week take them off. I did years ago and haven’t look back.
Another option, maybe a better one, so you could control flow through fuge separate from display/sump flow. Is to have a pump in sump after sock/skimmer to feed fuge, and gravity fed back to return pump section of sump. A loop if you will.
Good luck with build. Post up some pics

 

[Brett S]

Is this a sound plan? If so, would I need an overflow box or could I use something else to have it drain back to the sump.

Yes, I think that’s a valid plan. Technically you wouldn’t even need a second pump, you could use a manifold or split off the feed from your return pump to send some water to your DT and some water to the fuge. You could also split the drain from your DT to send some water to the fuge and some water to the sump. (But this would only work if the fuge was lower than the DT and higher than the sump)

As far as an overflow goes, what I would usually do in a case like this is just drill the side of the tank and install a bulkhead with an elbow like this. (Ignore the algae mess that’s in this tank right now)

You could even get away with just one, but I like to use two so that way if one gets clogged for some reason there won’t be a flood.

It’s not the prettiest way to do it, so I’m not sure I’d want to do something like that in a display tank, but for a fuge it will work just fine and be a lot cheaper than a ‘real’ overflow.