mikelpnj
New Member
- Joined
- May 22, 2026
- Messages
- 4
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- Location
- Branchburg
- What state or country do you live in
- New Jersey
Hey all. Not sure if anyone has already done this, so forgive me if this is old news, but I'm excited about it!
Here's the refugium design I'm running on my Innovative Marine SR80 Pro. I first set it up using a CustomCaddy, but I wasn't happy with the flow through it, so I came up with a simple fix. Figured other SR80 owners could use it, since there aren't many refugium options made for this tank.
The design:
1. Buy a second Fullsize CustomCaddy, same as the one that comes with the tank, and put it in the second chamber on the left. I run chaeto and some red macro in mine.
2. Turn the caddy so the lip faces the center chamber. That puts the clear side where you can light it. I have a Tunze Eco Chic 8831 submersible light magnet-mounted right on that clear wall.
3. The caddy and light sit right up against the chamber wall on the center side, which is part of the tank's built-in design.
The flow problem: the caddy has solid walls and holes on the bottom, so most of the water goes around it instead of through the chaeto.
The fix: cut a strip of coarse filter foam and wedge it between the caddy and that chamber wall. Leave one side a little open on purpose so it never fully seals. If the chaeto ever clogs up, water can still get by and nothing backs up.
The Mighty Jets already pull water through that chamber, so now more of it goes up through the caddy and the chaeto. No extra pump, no power, nothing to buy. I can see the water flowing through the caddy now, and I'm already seeing pods heading into the display. There are pods all over the back chamber walls too. This hopefully will satisfy the insatiable hunger of my Green Mandarin!
Upkeep: rinse the foam in old tank water when you prune the chaeto so it doesn't trap a bunch of gunk.
Happy to send pictures if anyone wants them, but it's working!
My full build, for reference:
Tank: Innovative Marine SR80 Pro AIO with APS stand
Lighting: 3x AquaIllumination Prime
Flow: 2x Innovative Marine Mighty Jet returns, 2x EcoTech Vortech MP10
Heat: 2 heaters, each on its own Inkbird controller
Control and monitoring: Neptune Apex with EB832, Trident, 3x DOS (water changes, ATO, dosing), PMUP for the waste container, leak, ATO, and water level sensors. ReefMind as a second set of eyes. Hanna checkers for salinity, nitrate, and phosphate.
Water: automated daily water changes from a salt Brute, ATO from a 32 gallon RO Brute
Rear chambers:
- Left intake: filter sock
- Left middle: the refugium above
- Center: return chamber
- Right middle: Matrix and ceramic bio media
- Right intake: CustomCaddy with floss, carbon, Purigen, and RFO
Feeding: inD aF4 frozen feeder on WiFi, feeding through the return pump. Tisbe pod culture. (and Galaxy mix at times)
Future: replace the filter sock with a Printed Reef CaddyStack for less upkeep
Would love to hear what you think of the refugium setup. Anything you'd change? And if you've got an SR80, share your setup too. I'd love to see what everyone's running!
Regards!
Mike
Here's the refugium design I'm running on my Innovative Marine SR80 Pro. I first set it up using a CustomCaddy, but I wasn't happy with the flow through it, so I came up with a simple fix. Figured other SR80 owners could use it, since there aren't many refugium options made for this tank.
The design:
1. Buy a second Fullsize CustomCaddy, same as the one that comes with the tank, and put it in the second chamber on the left. I run chaeto and some red macro in mine.
2. Turn the caddy so the lip faces the center chamber. That puts the clear side where you can light it. I have a Tunze Eco Chic 8831 submersible light magnet-mounted right on that clear wall.
3. The caddy and light sit right up against the chamber wall on the center side, which is part of the tank's built-in design.
The flow problem: the caddy has solid walls and holes on the bottom, so most of the water goes around it instead of through the chaeto.
The fix: cut a strip of coarse filter foam and wedge it between the caddy and that chamber wall. Leave one side a little open on purpose so it never fully seals. If the chaeto ever clogs up, water can still get by and nothing backs up.
The Mighty Jets already pull water through that chamber, so now more of it goes up through the caddy and the chaeto. No extra pump, no power, nothing to buy. I can see the water flowing through the caddy now, and I'm already seeing pods heading into the display. There are pods all over the back chamber walls too. This hopefully will satisfy the insatiable hunger of my Green Mandarin!
Upkeep: rinse the foam in old tank water when you prune the chaeto so it doesn't trap a bunch of gunk.
Happy to send pictures if anyone wants them, but it's working!
My full build, for reference:
Tank: Innovative Marine SR80 Pro AIO with APS stand
Lighting: 3x AquaIllumination Prime
Flow: 2x Innovative Marine Mighty Jet returns, 2x EcoTech Vortech MP10
Heat: 2 heaters, each on its own Inkbird controller
Control and monitoring: Neptune Apex with EB832, Trident, 3x DOS (water changes, ATO, dosing), PMUP for the waste container, leak, ATO, and water level sensors. ReefMind as a second set of eyes. Hanna checkers for salinity, nitrate, and phosphate.
Water: automated daily water changes from a salt Brute, ATO from a 32 gallon RO Brute
Rear chambers:
- Left intake: filter sock
- Left middle: the refugium above
- Center: return chamber
- Right middle: Matrix and ceramic bio media
- Right intake: CustomCaddy with floss, carbon, Purigen, and RFO
Feeding: inD aF4 frozen feeder on WiFi, feeding through the return pump. Tisbe pod culture. (and Galaxy mix at times)
Future: replace the filter sock with a Printed Reef CaddyStack for less upkeep
Would love to hear what you think of the refugium setup. Anything you'd change? And if you've got an SR80, share your setup too. I'd love to see what everyone's running!
Regards!
Mike
