Refugium Idea looking for opinions

[Workaholic]

Ok so here is my situation. I have an 80gal mixed reef with a 20L sump that I would like to put a refugium on. I also have a 72 gallon acrylic hex that is going unused. The biggest thing that made me think about this is that I HATE wrestling with my HOB overflow all the time. So what i'm thinking is that I have an in tank pump in the 80 and have it pump (at the same rate as the return pump) to the 72 hex which would be setup as a big refugium to allow all the macro algaes to grow and keep the nitrates down. Then there would be a drilled gravity drain in the back of the hex to go to the sump which would then be pumped out by the return pump back into the 80. Does anyone see any issues with this besides the complexity of it?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[EriksReptiles]

The only Issue that I can see is getting both pumps (from the 80 gallon and back into the 80 gallon) to have the same GPH... Alot of times one will be alittle faster and over a period will overflow something..

Would it be possible to drill the 80, then have it gravity feed to the hex (refuge) and then gravity feed to your sump, then pump back into the 80 gallon? Thats what I would try to do..

Thanks Erik

 

[mfinn]

Getting 2 pumps to pump water at the same rate will be nearly impossible. Even if they are the same make and model. There is always a tiny difference that will make a huge difference in how dry your floors stay.

 

[Workaholic]

The only Issue that I can see is getting both pumps (from the 80 gallon and back into the 80 gallon) to have the same GPH... Alot of times one will be alittle faster and over a period will overflow something..

Would it be possible to drill the 80, then have it gravity feed to the hex (refuge) and then gravity feed to your sump, then pump back into the 80 gallon? Thats what I would try to do..

Thanks Erik

unfortunatly not only is the 80 currently running but its also a ~15y/o glass tank. To have the 80 gravity feed the 72, wouldn't the 80 need to physically higher than the 72?

Tom

 

[EriksReptiles]

Ya, You would have to drain it alittle to be able to drill it.. Only the hole that the water comes out of the 80 gallon would need to be higher then the top of the 72 gallon.. That would be the safest way because there is practically no way to get both pumps to pump the same amount..

Thanks Erik

unfortunatly not only is the 80 currently running but its also a ~15y/o glass tank. To have the 80 gravity feed the 72, wouldn't the 80 need to physically higher than the 72?

Tom

 

[Workaholic]

Ya, You would have to drain it alittle to be able to drill it.. Only the hole that the water comes out of the 80 gallon would need to be higher then the top of the 72 gallon.. That would be the safest way because there is practically no way to get both pumps to pump the same amount..

Thanks Erik

What if the water level of the 72 is higher than that of the 80? wouldn't that cause the water from the 72 to drain into the 80?

Tom

 

[krisfal]

Not sure if this would work but throwing the idea out there anyway. If the 72 is taller than the 80 what about not only have it draining into the sump but also back into the tank. The drain back to the tank would need to be a bit higher than the one into the sump. Make the pump from the 80 to the 72 a higher gph than the return pump. If I am thinking this right this would allow the excess water to run right through the refugium and back into the tank (sort of like a HOB refugium) and would also provide enough water to feed the sump. You would have to make sure that in a power outage the water that drained out of the 72 could be contained by the sump and the tank.

 

[Workaholic]

Not sure if this would work but throwing the idea out there anyway. If the 72 is taller than the 80 what about not only have it draining into the sump but also back into the tank. The drain back to the tank would need to be a bit higher than the one into the sump. Make the pump from the 80 to the 72 a higher gph than the return pump. If I am thinking this right this would allow the excess water to run right through the refugium and back into the tank (sort of like a HOB refugium) and would also provide enough water to feed the sump. You would have to make sure that in a power outage the water that drained out of the 72 could be contained by the sump and the tank.

Well to answer you question, yes the 72 is much taller than the 80.I think I understand what you are saying. I'm thinking that if I had 2 of the same pump that should work since one would have much more head than the other (4ft compared to ~1.5ft)

Tom

 

[ziggy]

Set up your senario with rubbermaid containers and test it with tap water in your garage. If it works, great if not you dont have holes or a wet floor, or a pissed off wife

 

[Reeferdude]

Just use one pump to fill the fuge and let gravity do the rest. This of course means having the fuge a little higher than the tank or whatever it's drain into. This is how mine is. I pump/draw from the tank then gravity feed back to the tank...Piece of cake.

 

[Workaholic]

Just use one pump to fill the fuge and let gravity do the rest. This of course means having the fuge a little higher than the tank or whatever it's drain into. This is how mine is. I pump/draw from the tank then gravity feed back to the tank...Piece of cake.

How am I going to have a return from the sump then?

Tom

 

[Reeferdude]

You'll have a return gravity line to, not from the sump. All depends on where you place your fuge. But you can draw from anywhere you like and gravity return to anywhere you like as long as you have "gravity" eg; elevation...Just need one external pump...If I get a chance I'll take some pics of mine for ya...