can live sand work with undergravels?

deano · 01-17-2003, 10:05 AM

A sump and refugium can be the same thing. Ideally IMO they should be two seperate things but to utilize space and to save money myself and meny other people now use them as one. The idea behind a sump is this is a place that you can put equipment such as heaters or skimmers, that are out of view in the main tank. Also a sump is a good place to add your additives such as calcium or alkalinty buffers. So they have a good chance of mixing before they get to the main tank. A refugium is just that a safe refuge to grow things that might otherwise be eaten or killed by the main tanks inhabinets. Such as macroalgaes which are a very good food source for meny types of fish. Also a ref. or fuge, for short, is a good place for pods and other small creatures to live and multiply uninhibited by the main tanks inhabinets. Some of the pods will be sucked up by the return pump and distributed in the main tank which again these pods are another natural food source for the main tanks inhabinets. The combination of the macroalgae and sandbed in the ref. will also aid in removeing DOC's from the water in turn reducing the nitrates. By periodicaly pruning the macroalgae you will be removeing the DOCs taken up by the macros.

As for the bulkhead in my sump/ref. you want the water to flow over the top of the bulk head not under. This is how you control the water height in the main part of the sump. Making sure water only gos over the bulk head. If there are any water leaks below or around the three other sides (these must be sealed with silcone) of the bulk head than you will not be able to control the amount of water going into the return side of the sump/ref. I found the Maxjet 1200 (about $20 M/O) with a flow rate of about 300 gph 0 head. to be just right. I don't remember he hose size that goes on the end of the Maxijet (I think its 1/2") but just use that tubing for your return and siphon hose. I don't remember the flow rates verses head height but I'm running about 5' of head. So I am sure the GPH is about half the rated out put for this pump. Say in the 150 gph range. Which is about right considering that most recommend lower flow rates through refs. than through true sumps. Which can be in the 500 to 1000 gph range.

Maybe some one can add to the sand issue?

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01-17-2003, 10:05 AM	#21
deano Just Moved In Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Land-of-OZ, KS Posts: 28	A sump and refugium can be the same thing. Ideally IMO they should be two seperate things but to utilize space and to save money myself and meny other people now use them as one. The idea behind a sump is this is a place that you can put equipment such as heaters or skimmers, that are out of view in the main tank. Also a sump is a good place to add your additives such as calcium or alkalinty buffers. So they have a good chance of mixing before they get to the main tank. A refugium is just that a safe refuge to grow things that might otherwise be eaten or killed by the main tanks inhabinets. Such as macroalgaes which are a very good food source for meny types of fish. Also a ref. or fuge, for short, is a good place for pods and other small creatures to live and multiply uninhibited by the main tanks inhabinets. Some of the pods will be sucked up by the return pump and distributed in the main tank which again these pods are another natural food source for the main tanks inhabinets. The combination of the macroalgae and sandbed in the ref. will also aid in removeing DOC's from the water in turn reducing the nitrates. By periodicaly pruning the macroalgae you will be removeing the DOCs taken up by the macros. As for the bulkhead in my sump/ref. you want the water to flow over the top of the bulk head not under. This is how you control the water height in the main part of the sump. Making sure water only gos over the bulk head. If there are any water leaks below or around the three other sides (these must be sealed with silcone) of the bulk head than you will not be able to control the amount of water going into the return side of the sump/ref. I found the Maxjet 1200 (about $20 M/O) with a flow rate of about 300 gph 0 head. to be just right. I don't remember he hose size that goes on the end of the Maxijet (I think its 1/2") but just use that tubing for your return and siphon hose. I don't remember the flow rates verses head height but I'm running about 5' of head. So I am sure the GPH is about half the rated out put for this pump. Say in the 150 gph range. Which is about right considering that most recommend lower flow rates through refs. than through true sumps. Which can be in the 500 to 1000 gph range. Maybe some one can add to the sand issue?

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