refugium/sump for 80 gallon?

[supersporter69]

hey guys, I have an 80 gallon reef that has been set up for a little over a year now. I am thinking about building a refugium/sump for my tank. I have been trying to read a lot on this subject but cant seem to find the exact answer i am looking for. Does the return pump act as the power head so I do not need my koralia's anymore? I am trying to pretty much eliminate everything inside my tank that I can. Also are the sumps quiet? I do not have a drilled tank does anyone know what size or best overflow box i need? I am thinking of building a normal 20gallon sump on my own? whats the best skimmer for this set up. Right now I have a remora C HOB skimmer on my tank right now..

Thanks!!

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Hi supersporter. The return pump does provide flow but It most likely won't be enough to eliminate power heads. The increased amount of flow depends on how big the return pump is and how much the overflow can handle per hour. There is some noise from water moving through the sump. There's also some noise from the return pump and skimmer. IMO, it's not much. I don't use an overflow box so I couldn't help you on that one. A 20 gallon sump would work but ideally, you want as big of a sump as possible. Internal, external and HOB skimmers will work fine as long. They are big enough for the system. the most popular would be internal because the sump usually takes up most of the cabinet space. HTH.

[Reefing Madness]

The return pump is not going to move enough water to be considered as flow. If you want powerheads out of the tank, get a external pump besides the one in the sump, you can get some that are quite large, and very quiet. With a 20g sump you might want to think about an external skimmer, there are quite a few out there that are very good. As for noise, depends, there are some great mods out there for external overflows, and the pumps can be quiet. I would suggest Queit One pumps, as these boys are extremely quiet in comparison to others.

[supersporter69]

well i think im going with a 20 gallon sump/refugium. im going to use my HOB remora skimmer on the sump... does anyone have suggestions for a quiet overflow and return pump.. im trying to keep my tank as silent as possible. any good layout designs for this type of refugium? also what size pump would you suggest for a closed system loop for flow? i have a SCWD sitting in a box in the garage that i could prob use for this setup? ohh i have an 80 gallon tank.. guess thats important

THANKS!!

[Original Fin]

If you want quiet operation, as far as hang on overflows go, they are all somewhat noisy. They get louder the closer to capacity you run them, so one thing you can do is just go oversize. Buy a large one rated for 1200 gph with two bulkheads instead of one, and then just run 600gph or so through it. FWIW, you may come across the CPR brand of external overflows, and they have a unique one piece design (no j tube) but I've heard a lot of people say that their downfall is that they are noisier than the traditional 3 piece units.
Google the Hofer gurglebuster for a decent DIY standpipe silencer.


The pumps are a bit noisy too. Generally, the more you can afford to spend, the quieter performance you'll get. Eheims are very quiet, but you'll pay a premium. You'll want one to push about 600 gph at the overflow, so I'd look at a Mag 7 or 9.5 depending on your return plumbing scheme. The 7 is 700 gph at zero feet head, and typical return plumbing schemes run 3-6 feet when you factor in bends and splits (if any). This chart will help... http://www.marinedepot.com/Danner_Ma...WPSBUF-vi.html


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[CMOS]

I'll chime in here also: For an 80 gallon I would not recommend the Remora. IMO, it's not suitable for a tank that size - I had one on my 45 gallon tank and it just didn't cut the mustard. I would suggest you get something along the line of a Red Line 125, which even I was able to squeeze in the sump under my tank. The tall exposure chamber of the RL125 pulls a LOT of gunk out.

The Remora might suit you for a while, but again, based in my experience you may want to consider something better.

Good luck.

CMOS