Refugium Intake Plumbing for Non-Reef Ready Tank

[Lego]

Hey All,
I have hunted everywhere to find an answer...and maybe it is something simple that I overlooked...but I want to setup a refugium for my 75 gallon tank. (~30 gallons) It is not reef-ready but I would still like to pipe my inlet and outlet around the back down to the refugium and place all my equipment there. What do I need to accomplish this? I need to create some kind of negative pressure to siphon the water from the tank and to get the water down there, or I could even install a pump below to pull water down. I know there are HOB overflows...but I don't want clutter on the tank. I just want to run a pipe down below and keep it clean looking. I know the easiest thing would be to drill it...but my tank has been cycling for +2 months and I don't want to have to drain the water to set the sump up and make it truly reef-ready. No worries about inhabitants...I am staying patient and waiting till this thing is the way I want it before populating it. I swear I saw tanks at the local fish stores with pipe running right out the top and down to the refugium. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

~ Lego

P.S. I have the rest figured out (baffles, skimmer, etc.)...its just getting the water down there.

 

[Reeferdude]

Sounds like you want a sump, if it's for equipment, or a sump/refugium. I have my "refugium" above the tank. It's a display tank/refugium and it draws water with an external pump to the refugium then gravity feeds it back into the main tank. Do you have a sump or just the display tank?

 

[Lego]

...

I have the main 75g display tank and then want to setup a refugium/sump below the 75g. This would be a 30g tank placed in the bottom of the stand. It was my understanding that the difference between a sump and refugium is the refugium goes a step further where you can set up lighting, copapods, etc. I would rather not have my refugium above or next to the display tank, since I want to grow algae and whatnot in there and don't really want that visible.

 

[Lego]

The answer

I just talked to Kevin at Aquatic Dreams and he says I need a small overflow box to get the water down there...it appears that is my only option.

 

[tylert]

No it's not your only option at all

 

[tylert]

Here is exactly what you are talking about:
http://www.aquariumlife.net/projects...erflow/120.asp

 

[tylert]

But you're going to need a pump to bring the water back up from the sump.

 

[Lego]

You are the man!

See, that's why I love this forum. Just when you think that's you only option, something someone else has figured out pops up. Thanks a lot, I will make this a weekend project.

 

[kgross]

The other thing you can do, is if the tank is not tempered and very very few 75 gallon tanks have tempered sides/backs, is drill and install an internal overflow. You would have to drain the water down as low as you could to drill, but it is not that hard to do.

Either that, or some type of an hang on overflow.

Kim

 

[Chichas01]

The other thing you can do, is if the tank is not tempered and very very few 75 gallon tanks have tempered sides/backs, is drill and install an internal overflow. You would have to drain the water down as low as you could to drill, but it is not that hard to do.

Either that, or some type of an hang on overflow.

Kim

I second the drilling. You can then add a sump and fuge and everything runs off of one pump if you need it to. You won't lose any options by drilling the tank now before you have put in the critters and realize you should have drilled it before that. Setting it up for 'reef ready' from the start will benefit you in the long run if that is what you eventually want to have and will save you $$$$ and headaches. You can always save your water in a Rubbermaid tub and keep it cycling.

Can you provide a pics of your current setup? A diagram of what you would like to see? You will probably get a ton of good ideas from that.