[organicreefer]

so heres the sump /refugium idea:the tank overflows into a thiry tall that has a dsb and caluerpa.the thirty tall has two 1 " overflows at the top and it overflows to the thirty gallon sump thet holds the etss 1000 classic(modified: cut the long tube and will add a beckett,anyone know where to find one)how many times do you think i need to put the water through my refugium /sump/ skimmer per hour?how many times you think I CAN put through this sump configuration without causing bubbles(probly have to test it huh?)in the main tank.i have room for about three -four baffles after the skimmer.what pump would you use as a return?can my thirty gallon refugium(this is the algea fitlter,i have (planned )a ten gallon above tank refugium ,more for critters)handle 1200 gallons(the minimum i think i need) per hour? tia

[golfish]

Most people try to put less water through a Refugium, more like 200-300 gph tops. I use a 40 gal sump on my 150 and probably put 1000-1200 gph though it. I could probably have a refugium in there and still might. 1200 gph would be pushing it for a 30 gal sump/refugium but you can try it.

Mark

[organicreefer]

why less water flow through the refugium? there are two overflows i can always direct one to the sump.how much turnover do you think i NEED for my 120,id like about ten times per hour,do you think i could get away with less?

[Reefland]

Mark is right on. The refugium should have a reduced flow, providing a "better" environment for the for the refuge to live. 200-300 gph is a good number to shoot for. Now you can have them in higher flow environments, but if you have the option to reduce it (by splitting the drain line) this is optimum. I know that a member of this forum, Rick, has his in a partitioned sump flowing approx. 1200gph (provided by a MAG 18). Since your using two boxes, go ahead and put one of your drains in the refugium, the other in the sump.

For your total flow, push as much as possible. You can use a large return pump and split it to 2 returns on Sea Swirls, spraybars or whatever floats your boat. I know that your using a closed loop as well, but you still need lots of flow through the sump and refugium, where your filtration is.

Scott

[organicreefer]

yes im planning an ampmaster 3600 on a closed loop with two 1 inch sea swirls,and the turnover from the sump.i think it will be enough circulation.i agree the more the better.since this below tank refugium is really an algea filter,and im not using this refugium so much for the critters(i have the ten gallon above for critters )would it still be best to have just 2-300 gph going through it?if i turn my tank over ten times,and just put one of the overflows in it,that would be 600 gph.

[Reefland]

I think you'll be just fine dropping one of the drains in it.

Scott

[organicreefer]

ok one drain it is push as much as i can (hopefully about 1200 gph).

[ridetheducati]

What kind of coral are you planning on keeping in the main tank?

A SPS dominated tank will have a drastically different flow configuration than a LPS environment.

[organicreefer]

ridetheducati,
some of you purists may not like it ,but i hope to keep anything/everything i like the idea of lots of different colors/textures,and there are soo many beautiful corals from softies to sps that I MUST HAVE THEM ALL!!

[organicreefer]

hey ridetheducati,
just always wondered about youre sig?what you got against mans best freind?i have a chow,and i bet you'd be scared
i aint scared of shi ,he's a great loyal buddy,and he watches my stash when i aint home

[ridetheducati]

I was commenting because its tough to have a lot of circulation in the tank and have LPS and softies. You do not want your frogspawn to get wind burn.

I have seen inexperienced hobbist go with 15-20 times the turnover and wonder why their bubble coral is not opening. As long as you develop circulation zones; coral placement should not be a problem. Sometimes less is more.

The moral behind the signature is "One can not make it in this world alone".

[organicreefer]

yes i agree im probly not going the easiest route,but i more or less "know what im doing"( ) and ive got you guys for "back up'

[mrok12]

Dumb question for you. What is a closed loop? You guys always talk about these. Second question, A little less dumb though. I'm very clse to starting up a 65 gallon (36-18-22or24 cany remember) Anyway, we are using a mag 9 (externally) through an ecosystem rated to100 gallons. No skimmer. I got a wave master pro and 3 mj600 for flow. should I split the retuns from the main pump or leave it all on one return? Also are these kits from ipsf and inland aquatics any good? Still gona buy some arag live sand too. Please advise

MROK12

[organicreefer]

hi mrok12,
a closed loop is basically just an external pump hooked to youre tank.the water is drawn directly form the tank and directly back into the tank.most poeple use them to create more flow without turning it over through the sump.too much flow through too small a sump and you will get bubbles in youre display.also if like im doing you put youre closed loop on a couple sea swirls and you can eliminate power heads in the tank(less clutter).
as for youre retunr pump,its really up to you,and greatly depends on youre aquascape what youre keeping etc.more than likely ,since you have a wavemaster i might consider a spraybar behind the rocks,or a sea swirl.
and i would advise against the "arag-alive" or whatever its called .its not the live sand you want.get regular sand and add kits from ipsf/inland.i highly reccomend ipsf,ive had nothing but great experiences ordering from gerald(ive ordered 4 times) and i will order from him again.cant go wrong with a 9 for 99..youll get way more than youre supposed to trust me.

[Starmstr]

IMHO your way better off redirecting flow from your return into the refugium and then directing the overflow into either the sump or the system.

[organicreefer]

starmstr,
why? i think it would be best to let it overflow from the tank into my refugiumso that detritus can settle there and be processed by the dsb/macros .i dont want "clean water going into my refugium,sorta defeats part of the purpose imo

[organicreefer]

starmstr,
i must say you have a nice tidy little setup there.youre tank is in another room i suppose?

[Starmstr]

No skimmer will remove everything. I guess you've never seen my system. This sump refugium is in fact under my tank take a closer look and you can see that there is a solid back with 4" holes to run lines through. That particular photo is around 1yr old as soon as I get my cammara back I'll post more photos. As for feeding the refugium I typicaly feed it atleast once a day either with 2 cubes of frozen or a huge pinch of flake and a cup of either spray dried or cryo paste.