[jasonphantasm]

OK so my wet dry broke and now i need to replace it, thank goodness i found this site a week ago cause now i feel like i have some help. My setup is this:
110g tank tall reef
cs90 overflow
mag12 return
us aquariums 30" hang on skimmer
and a powerhead which slips my mind as to type

My tank is on a wall with a closet behind it and i have the wetdry and plumbing in there. I have read alot on here and decided to get a refugium in addition to a wet dry. Perhaps someone can tell me of a good system that i can order now and get soon before everything starts dying on me. I have about 30"L to play with in the closet. I dont mind doing 2 seperate units and just putting them on stands so maybe one drains in to the other.

thanks for the help, this place is my new home

[Reefland]

Hi jasonphantasm, Welcome to Reefland!

I would not go with another wet/dry filter for a reef tank; there are lots of old and recent threads discussing the disadvantages of using them so do a quick search for some more reading.

I would go with a standard glass aquarium as a sump, glue some acrylic baffles in the aqaurium and have a separate section for the refugium. Again, there are lot's of threads here with some DIY projects you can browse through.

If you have any problems locating some of those threads let me know and I'll dig them up for you.

Good Luck!

[Brian35]

i would also say to go with a sump. I cant right now since i dont have the space, but if i did i would!

Lots of good DYI projects and lots of coaches that already use a sump to ask questions to.

[jasonphantasm]

ok so i decided to build my own refugium, i am gonna buy a 20 gallon tank and use that buy some acrylic and glue that in myself. now i just need to know if a 20 gallon tank will be big enough or maybe i should do something bigger, any suggestions?

thanks for all the advice, that was quick.

[Reefland]

I use a 20 gallon for a sump on our 75, but we do not use a refugium in it. You could probably do it since you are using a HOT skimmer but if you plan to upgrade to an in-sump skimmer you might want to go ahead and go with something bigger.

[Samper]

Definately know the footprint of the skimmer you want before you get your sump.

[Poseidon]

If you have the space in the closet, I would get as BIG of a sump as you can. That way you can put your heater in there as well as a nice big skimmer! With 30" in length and maybe 18" in width I would suggest a rubbermaid tub with a wooden frame to maintain its shape, it would probably be cheaper or at least same cost as a 20L and would give you more capacity!

[Brian35]

ahhh someday for me someday!

[jasonphantasm]

OK so this is the plan:
build new refugium out of 20g tank from petco($37) acrylic from home depot($11), place 1st baffle hanging 1.5" from bottom second goes 9" high then 15" of refugium then a 8.5" baffle followed by another hanging 1.5" from bottom with a 6" space for both water entrance and return on both sides.
Then i decided to use the tank from my wet/dry since that was custom built by previous owner out of 20g as well as a sump allowing gravity to make its presence known by one going in to another. All in all the project should cost me no more then $100 and that is allowing some extra cash. Of course not including the items that will go in refugium.
I plan on having the protein skimmer hang off the sump, but should i have the sump drain down in to the refugium or vice versa?
Can the protein skimmer be hooked up to my mag12 and be used as a return as well?
I am using GE Household Use Silicone Sealant, is that ok to glue acrylic together?
Is there a way to drill a 1" hole for drain myself in acrylic or glass tank? I did cut acrylic myself with acrylic knife.
And how does my refugium sound? by the way the 20gallon tank is 30"X12"X12", i was trying to maximize the space for the refugium.
whoa that was alot.. sorry for soo much

[Samper]

If you could make your refugium out of your old wet/dry and get a bigger sump I would. You're really not adding much water volume to the entire system but any little bit helps.