Ideas on how to plumb a remote refugium

[RAJOD]

I'm going to be adding a small ref. under my 330. I don't have much room to work with. I got to thinking that maybe I could put the refugium in a different room.

The tank canopy goes flush with the ceiling and the ceiling is open above it to allow heat to escape from the lights.

I would have to run pipes in the ceiling to a room like 30 feet away.

Is this doable?

I was thinking the overflow is nice because no chance for a flood. How will I control the flow to this remote tank?

I could use the siphon effect. Top of tank is 6 feet and I could put the remote tank on the floor. Maybe a 4 foot drop. But I still would have to go uphill about 2 1/2 feet above the tank to run piples.

Any suggestions?

 

[Chichas01]

Totaly doable. Roscoe (Sarang) has his system set up like that. plumbing runs under the house into the garage where he has all his sump and refugium exuipment. I'm sure if you ask him he can give you some good advice.

 

[veralteaquatics]

Youd have to have the refug feed on gravity. It's not worth taking the chance and feeding both ways with pumps in case one of them fails..

 

[RAJOD]

If I use gravity feed I'll be loosing my siphon all the time when doing maintenance.

I'm picturing a 1/5" pipe sitting in the water maybe 1 inch then going up 2/5 feet and making a 90 degree turn then going 30 feet, another 90 deg turn down to the ref.

How will I get the siphon going?

Should I match the lowest level of my current overflow for the depth I put the pipe in the water?

I'm just wondering how to maintain the siphon and if it breaks hot to get it going again.

Thanks.

 

[veralteaquatics]

The water will only go up if the final point is below the level of the tank, but first it must go down and then up. You're talking about doing something against gravity and that will more than likely cause many problems or not work at all...

 

[kgross]

Unless you can put the fuge above the ceiling, there is no easy safe way to do what you want to do. You would either have to create a siphon in one of the pipes and keep it there to get water to transfer, or have a double pump setup, one of which would have to be float switch controlled so that you have one tank pump into the other, which then overflows into a second sump type tank with a float controlled pump that will pump more than the pump that is in the other tank. That way you can overflow the fuge into the new second sump, and have that pump come one to flow back to main tank. Not a great solution, but it is the only one I can think of that is even semi safe from flooding.

kim

 

[RAJOD]

The water will only go up if the final point is below the level of the tank, but first it must go down and then up. You're talking about doing something against gravity and that will more than likely cause many problems or not work at all...

I can get about a 4 foot diferential. The tank is 6 feet at top of water, If I put the remote Refugium on the floor and have its level at 20 inches or less I'll have 4 feet of drop. Which will be enough to move the water up.

I suppose I could put a really weak pump in the main just at the water level, it could get the siphon moving.

I don't see an easy way to do it. Might need some kind of float valve in the remote refugium in case it gets too low. Unlike a standard overflow which moves more water the stronger the pump this one probably would not move more water as the pipe would just get deeper in the water as the level went up. Probably would push more water though the main overflow but not the siphon to the remote tank.

 

[veralteaquatics]

If you can get it to drain to the refug below and then pump it back to the tank, that would work. As far as the water level; it would or should be running as a closed loop so you shouldnt have to worry about evap/

 

[RAJOD]

If you can get it to drain to the refug below and then pump it back to the tank, that would work. As far as the water level; it would or should be running as a closed loop so you shouldnt have to worry about evap/

Closed loop? To the remote refugium?

The problem is I have to go up 2 feet in the ceiling then 30 feet then back down to a tank. It won't be closed loop.

I wondering how I will get the siphon going. Its going to break siphon every week when the tank gets a water change.