diy refugium idea

[Reefs rule]

Hi I have a 25 gallon aquapod and i really want to have a fuge for this tank. I dont want to put any protein skimmers in it but i am more interested in raising macroalgea and some copepods and amphipods in it. I already have an empty 2.5 gallon tank and i am thinking of using two of those minijet powerheads to move water to my fuge and back up into my tank using a 1/2 inch plastic tubing. Do you think that it is gonna work? Also im on a low budget so I dont want things that get too pricy. Any feedback will be appreciated.

[Reefland]

You cannot pump water to and from a tank. If the refugium is lower than the display, it has to be gravity fed and pumped back; if it is higher than the display it has to be pumped to and gravity fed back.

[worldchanger]

Yeah as Scott said, you don't want to pump water to your Refugium. The reason behind this is if your pump going from your Refugium to your tank fails you will have a nasty little mess on your hands as your Refugium will overflow. Look into a overflow box. Another thing you will want to look at is how much water your little minijet powerheads can push. What is the height from your Refugium to you tank? It will have to be able to push that distance.

[Reefs rule]

Hey what do u guys mean when you say gravity fed to the fuge? do u mean to siphon water to it or what? Oh and the distance from the tank will be around 3 and a half feet. there are two models of the minijet pumps. one of them pumps 106 gallons per hour and another pumps 160 gallons per hour. Which model do you guys think i should get? Also what is an overflow box? sorry im new at this and I only have about 2 years of experience in this hobby.

[scubadude]

Hey what do u guys mean when you say gravity fed to the fuge? do u mean to siphon water to it or what?

Yes it is a siphon-like process, You want the main display tank lower than the refugium tank thus you will have the overflow of water from the display gravity-feeding into the refugium. You can actually switch it around the other way but then you have the pods going through a pump before they get into your display tank, so it could damage the life of plankton moreso if your main purpose was to feed your display. The pump would be feeding the higher elevated tank, depending on how you set it up. The overflow box would be the mechanism that would initiate your gravity feed. Hope this helps you understand a little better

[scubadude]

sorry im new at this and I only have about 2 years of experience in this hobby.

Dont be sorry Bro! Thats what we are here for

[Reefs rule]

Ok thanks for all of your help and advice. Ill try things out. Man, I love this website!