Low Flow Sump/Refugium

[MAreefer]

I want to run an Eheim 1250 as my return pump and hook up my skimmer directly to the overflow. The Eheim 1250 after head pressure matches the rate my skimmer needs and circulation is provided by 2 Tunze Streams so there is no need for a bigger return pump. My only question is my sump also doubles as my refugium (10g section) so there will only be around 200gph through it wich is still 20x but will this be enough flow? Also is a refugium more efficient if my entire tank were to pass through it lets say 10x in one hour or if it passes 1.5x per hour but was provided circulation inside the refugium via a power head?

 

[wrightme43]

I think it will be just fine. I use tunzes as well. What are you growing in your fuge? Chaeto? Thats what I use and it works very well for me. Luke reccomened a strange bulb. But it works better than any others I have tried. Including a 96wt 4 tube compact 6700K bulb.
I am using a compact flour bulb that screws into a reflector. Its made as a spotlight for back porchs. I got it at lowes. It changed my chaeto growth from a thin stringy growth pattern, to a very very thick, dark green, and more rapid growth.

 

[MAreefer]

I grow Gracilaria and Ulva for my Tangs. This is the bulb I use,

 

[Anthony Calfo]

definitely more flow needed in the refugium for growing almost anything. Unless you intend to make this a bare bottomed settling chamber that you siphon weekly, beef up flow to at least 20X of the fuge.

 

[MAreefer]

What if I were to place a Modded MaxiJet900 face down pointing at an acyrlic strip cuasing laminer flow and a tumble effect? I think the MaxiStream puts out over a 1000gph after being modded.

That would be 120x flow for the 10g refugium

 

[Anthony Calfo]

it sounds excellent. It's hard to have "too much" flow when it is diffused as such. The exchange of water on a calm reef indeed dwrarfs the rates we all talk about by a scale of magnitude.