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Sump/Refugium input.

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sfsuphysics

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Ok RC is fuckall good for getting a response in that hodgepodge sub-forum that encompasses everything equipment related with a tank, 100s of people asking what settings they should use for their LED lights "you better set them up this way or you won't like it! My eyes are better than your judgement!". 50 views and not one "yeah looks good" (yeah as you can tell I'm a bit miffed :D)

Anyways two questions up for discussion

Question 1: Filter socks permanently or intermittently (i.e. during a water change to catch all sorts of garbage)

Question 2: Water flow direction
Skimmer/Filter sock chamber -> Refugium -> Return pump
Refugium/Filter sock (if applicable) -> Skimmer -> Return pump
 
You get the information you pay for ... ;)

>Question 1: Filter socks permanently or intermittently (i.e. during a water change to catch all sorts of garbage)
Permanent is good ONLY if you regularly clean them!!
Sure, intermittent is nice if you stir up a ton of crud, and that crud ends up actually going
over the overflow, not settling out first. Otherwise a waste of effort.

>Question 2: Water flow direction
>Skimmer/Filter sock chamber -> Refugium -> Return pump
>Refugium/Filter sock (if applicable) -> Skimmer -> Return pump
Either will work.
First one probably has a bit less bubbles.
I do not see any noticeable difference in filtration between them.
 
Q1:
Lets assume I do clean them regularly (weekly?) will I notice much of a difference?
Also do most people have them hanging over the sump? or are they actually submerged in the water?

Q2:
Bubbles never have been an issue for me, plus the sump water flow isn't in a straight line, it's more of a U shape path, and the refugium is going to approximately 5 feet x 3 feet
As to the filtration aspect, I was more worried about beneficial pods and what not that make it back to the tank not getting filtered out by the skimmer. Plus wondering if there'd be an adverse affects to having all the gunk drop in the refugium (in case I do without filter socks).
 
I plan on doing filter socks intermittently. I'm not sure yet if I have the desire to change them every few days.

I would put the filter sock on the skimmer side. However, in my setup, I'm going to have my return T off to the refugium so my setup would be filter sock/skimmer | return | refugium.
 
My new temp sump ... a 29gallon divided in two parts by a 14 inch tall acrylic baffle. One section is 14 inches, the other is 16. Done.

Skimmer and drain goes in the 14 inch section and the heater and return pump will sit in the 16 inch section, super simple! We'll see if it works.

I left out a refugium section. I will probably make a new sump properly with a fuge section OR I'll just use my old sump which is running under my current 58g tank.


I think it's OK to keep it simple and not overthing the sump...you can always change it.


V
 
gimmito said:
Mike,

If you are worried about losing pods from skimmer intake why not have a separate tank just for a fuge ?
Click to expand...
Because I'm going to use one big tank, with baffles to separate compartments, there is no changing of this plan. I mean I could have the skimmer chamber go directly to the return chamber and the refugium chamber go directly into the return chamber having the tank drains split to each area, although I might be worried that not all of that water is properly getting filtered.
 
I say

skimmer/fuge/return

instead of

fuge/skimmer/return

Why? Well if your refugium is a place to grow pods and stuff, why chop them to pieces or skim them out with your skimmer? Also, the refugium should get nice skimmed water and it should suck up what's left.

But mostly, if pods have to suffer being chopped up, it's better if they only have to face the return pump.

My 58g's sump is skimmer/fuge/return. But I made the return section too small so evaporation drop the level too low to the point where the pump sucks air.

The temp sump under the 180 has only two sections, one is 14 inches, the other is 16 inches.

If I want to toss a chaeto ball in there, the return pump must fend for itself, or I'll use a piece of eggcrate to make a friction fit fuge/return baffle so that the fuge/return can share water levels, but also maybe keep chaeto our of the return pump.

Filter sock? I say use it intermittently. I'd only use it when you are cleaning the display tank to catch escaping crap, but normally, run it without unless you do very regular maintenance, or it'll turn into a tank diaper!
 
As long as I've been reef keeping I've always run into the problem where I'd not leave enough space for potential "power out overflow" water to go and unless the sump was running low overflowed onto the ground, one of the reasons my tanks went downstairs :D

This time I'll be a little better off hopefully (need to recheck some math and stuff first though), but all my areas will be rather large, the refugium will be larger than most peoples displays.


So the consensus is no filter socks 24-7 which sounds good because I probably would get lazy changing them :D
 
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Not possible, at best I could get a relatively small refugium at the same level of the tank, but yeah if I'm going to use a pump to get stuff into the tank I might as well leave it where it is.
 
Note that you can put a fuge in your main tank as well.
I have seen pictures somewhere online. Hardly noticeable.

You put it against the back wall, at the top, a bit like a wall-to-wall overflow.
Perhaps a 3 x 3, for the length of the tank. Opaque acrylic, same color as back.
With lip maybe 1/4 inch below water level.
With some screen on it to keep out fish + snails.
Put in some live rock rubble, and simply let algae grow there, lit by main lights.

Great for pods. They even get some of the normal food that floats in there.
 
Interesting idea about the in-tank fuge. I've seen the hang-off-back ones.

There is of course more than one reason for a fuge.... it can be a pod breeding ground, or it can actually house something that turned out more delicate than you thought. Maybe a wimpy fish, or an aggressive fish (more like a prison than a fuge) or a mean crab or anemones or something.

V
 
As long as you set up the socks so that when they plug solid and start to overflow, they don't overflow out of the tank, you could leave them on longer or don't change them (because lets face it, that IS going to happen Heh).
The other thing to consider if whether you anticipate getting any adventurous tank inhabitants hitching a ride down the overflow.
In my old 140g tank I had a fish that I thought die poke his head out of the rocks in the basement sump -- over 2 years later.
I did like running the socks for a day after doing a massive cleanup of the tank and stirring of the sand though.
 
Vincerama2 said:
That's awesome! Imagine finding a long lost fish like that! LOL!
Click to expand...

Yeah it was pretty awesome.

sfsuphysics said:
Yeah my long lost fish I find often are crusty skeletized remains behind the tank or something.
Click to expand...

Haha when we were packing I found a crusty little fish in the opposite corner of the basement from where the sump was. I can't even imagine how it got there. Must have jumped out of the sump and managed to flop itself all the way across.


Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
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