New reef tank

[pro2k]

Thanks for the pic. I'm still unclear with all this...... Water comes from the tank into one end of the sump. Does it then go into the refug. until it overflows into the other end of the sump where it is pumped back into the tank? Does it matter how water flows into the refugium? (like does the water need to flow from top to bottom or bottom to top) And what exactly makes up the refugium? (Live sand and algae?) What kind of light would you want to use? Sorry to be such a pain in the ***!! I just want to be clear before I start spending a bunch of money.......

[bjpembo]

the direction of flow generally should be through the macro's before the skimmer so the algae gets the dirty water and is able to get the nutrients. also the flow needs to be slower through the fuge so the algae has time to absorb those nutrients. as for what makes it up, a dsb, a few rocks, and some macro algae, chaetomorpha is about the best because it doesnt go sexual and die. the light on my fuge is a lights of america utility work light, cost me 40 bucks but i believe they can be had for like 20 now. you can get it from home depot. there's a pic of my setup in the other thread which is a bit different than most because my older tank had a 1" drain and a 1/2" return, i didnt want to use the 1/2 as a return because of small size so i decided to use it as another drain, with one going to the sump side and the other going to the fuge side and my return coming over the back.

[Reptoreef]

Here's a quick sketch...

[JustDavidP]

Here's my rig....

Water enters, via the overflow of the 75G Display and then via a "t" and valve set up, is sent on two paths....

One enters the sump nearest the skimmer chamber. The second path is directed to the other side; the refugium. From the refugium, I have one wall (closest to the return pump) with 1/2 inch holes (6) that allows water to return to the rest of the sump, carrying with it, tons of lil' pods and mysid shrimp.

If you have a chance, visit Fenner's site www.wetwebmedia.com and search their FAQ's for "refugium" or "refugia". He and Anthony Calfo have a lot of good information regarding refugiums.

Dave

[pro2k]

Thanks for all the help guys! Great stuff! I guess I should of looked around this site a little more and I would have found a lot of info in the DIY section. But, having said that and after looking and reading I am confused about the whole purpose of a fuge. Isn't it for helping maintain water quality for the display tank? Or is it a place to grow micro food for the other critters? Let me put this way, I'm setting a 55 reef with LR and some easy to keep corals and fishes. Would a refugium be beneficial for my tank or would a different set up be better? If the fuge is the way to go then I was thinking of using a 20L as a sump and fuge. What that be sufficient? A 20L is 30X12X12 just how much of that should be for the fuge? I'm sorry to be a pain in the butt with all this!

[dakar]

Actually a fuge is for all of the things you mentioned, the macro algae assists in a lot of ways, the key is nutrient export, it feeds on nitrates, aids in re-oxygenation, and will also help reduce any phosphates in the water column. As a benefit it will provide a place for other life such as pods to grow for either use as food or whatever. Also adds to the total water volume of the system, so anything bad is further diluted. In all the sump and fuge can only help your total system. Some other benefits can be gained as well, using reverse lighting schemes on the fuge (or leaving it lit 24x7) will help reduce PH swings during when the display lights are shut down.

Hope this helps clear things a little for you.

Personally a sump and fuge is the only way to go no matter what you are keeping, it can't hurt and there are many benefits.

If you can't find the answer to any question, don't hesitate to just ask.... There is a ton of knowledge here, some posted and some not, so the worst thing you can do is post it and end up ultimately helping someone else down the line. No such thing as sumb questions around here.

[JustDavidP]

Yeah...what he said

You CAN'T go wrong with a fuge attached. There are plenty of benefits; inclusive of those listed above... we could go on forever...

all the little pods and bugs eat fish poop and left over food, thereby keeping your water cleaner.

deep sand bases in fuges help reduce nitrate...

can also be used (in emergency) as an isolation tank to separate fish. (at that time, it stops becoming a fuge for anything else but that fish)

gives you another area to mix solutions, additives with water and allow for more mix before entering the display tank.

increases oxygenation by creating more "surface space" for the exchange of gasses.

It helps to create a more "rounded" biotope. basically, you have a deep or shallow water reef...and now you've added the lagoon!

and the #1 top ten answer as to "why a fuge"....

It's just frikin cool. I spend hours looking at the life in my fuge. It is somewhat more exciting than my display tank. I actually have a log (yea...I'm a nerd) of the different life in my fuge. It's amazing.. you'd be blown away, but I can tell you that the diversity is in the numbers identified in HUNDREDS). it's like another whole display tank, with neat creepy crawlies.

[dakar]

It's just frikin cool. I spend hours looking at the life in my fuge. It is somewhat more exciting than my display tank. I actually have a log (yea...I'm a nerd) of the different life in my fuge. It's amazing.. you'd be blown away, but I can tell you that the diversity is in the numbers identified in HUNDREDS). it's like another whole display tank, with neat creepy crawlies.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who can waste hours upon hours just looking into the fuge. You should create yourself a blog and record it all for us to see too! hee hee

[JustDavidP]

Will do.. when I'm done with employee reviews etc. It is amazing though. I have 5 different sponges alone in my fuge/sump. Purples, blue, yellow, and the pinapple looking buggers that grow in my skimmer and stuff... just amazing.

Yes... I'm a geek with calloused knees from looking into my fuge/tank at night...

Dave

[pro2k]

Awesome! Thanks! Would a 20 long be adequate for a sump/fuge on a 55? How big should the 'fuge be?