Planning a fuge or turf scrubber, could use some planning advice

[pygo1]

I have a 30 gallon long AIO tank with a long-standing nutrient problem. I’ve always wanted to have a nice big refugium, but I just can’t with my current setup. I do have some chaeto and caulerpa mixed in one of my rear chambers, but they aren’t doing enough legwork for the space allotted.

I recently upgraded my stand, so I actually have some space under the tank to work with instead of the previous dresser drawers. I have a bit of distrust in an hob overflow(and I’m a cheapskate), so I haven’t pulled the trigger on anything outside the tank yet. Ideally I could have an enclosed reactor style scrubber, so I don’t need to worry about a siphon and the pump would push the water through and back into the tank. But it’s slightly more irritating to shut off and harvest each time.

BUT, if I go for a fuge or box style trickle scrubber under the tank, I need to figure out how the overflow would work. I’m kinda thinking of putting a return pump in a chamber under the tank and having a simple tube/pipe with a float valve to set the level inside the fuge/scrubber.

Last option, which is good, but still remains somewhat cramped would be to make a box that hangs on the back of the tank like an aqua clear filter, so it pumps in and passively flows back into the tank. This would/could be awesome, but with the tank up against a wall, I probably couldn’t make it very large.

Help me with my vision please! HOB fuge could be larger/more square on the left side of the tank, or it’d be long and narrow along the back of the tank

 

[OfficeReefer]

Honestly, keeping it as simple as possible and to your liking is key. HOB stuff sorta works although I think someone, maybe waterbox or eshopps, makes a HOB for connecting one of their sumps. If your concern is nutrients, I would aim for auto water changes first and something like an urchin for cleanup crew on more persistent stuff.

 

[Project]

With limited space,

I find these two reactors to be effective. Maybe too effective?!! And I’ve used both of them in my current nano tank.


-Santa Monica drop reactor
-Poseidon Chaeto reactor

 

[pygo1]

Honestly, keeping it as simple as possible and to your liking is key. HOB stuff sorta works although I think someone, maybe waterbox or eshopps, makes a HOB for connecting one of their sumps. If your concern is nutrients, I would aim for auto water changes first and something like an urchin for cleanup crew on more persistent stuff.

Yeah good call. I’m good at over complicating lol. I have been wanting to do an AWC setup, but I totally forgot about it since getting the new stand lol

 

[pygo1]

With limited space,

I find these two reactors to be effective. Maybe too effective?!! And I’ve used both of them in my current nano tank.


-Santa Monica drop reactor
-Poseidon Chaeto reactor

Seems like there are some mixed reviews on the Poseidon reactor, but the general setup seems like a good way to go. I could DIY that pretty easily as well. I have a ton of extra led strips I could solder up and wrap around a jug