Skimmer Placement Question

[Matthew Frost]

Quick question on skimmer placement, I have an Eshopps R300 Gen 3 sump. The skimmer/equipment compartment is huge and the refugium compartment is by far large enough to contain the skimmer. Any one who is familiar with this sump, would I have an issue putting the skimmer in the refugium compartment and using the equipment chamber as the refugium. Assuming of course I can get the skimmer in the appropriate depth of water. Are there any pitfalls to setting it up this way?

 

[sbash]

Technically, you can set it up any way you want.

However, to get into the issues, first, the fuge compartment will likely not have enough flow to skim effectively and efficiently.

Second, the skimmer compartment has a higher flow, and it flows through the bottom, so you are not giving the life a chance to hang out in the refugium for very long, and the flow would be upward through the fuge, so it will bring a bunch of detritus and gunk up through your return pump (although your refugium will be much cleaner).

The point in the refugium is to allow life to breed in the system where they otherwise would not. It is a great way to maintain a high pod population for your system, for example. They are typically lower flow, and not usually a 'through' flow (meaning the water does not flow through the entire chamber).

Although I can see the appeal in having a larger refugium, but with the way the water flows through this sump, I doubt there would be any advantage.