sump as a refugium

[Lynn]

Cant I just put some aragonite and a bit of rock right in my sump and call that a refugium?? I could put a light on it too? Whats the difference??thanks guys Lynn

 

[Mike and Donna]

Lynn -

It depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the refugium. Do you want to use it for nutrient export (in which case you'll want to have macroalgae or mangroves growing)? Do you want to use it for generating food, e.g., pods? Do you want to use it to aid the nitrogen cycle (more DSB and rock)? Do you want to use it to house critters unsafe for your reef tank?

Depending on the purpose, the setup will vary.

 

[esmithiii]

Yes. That's what I have. Some people will tell you that a refugium should flow by gravity into the main tank. The reason for this is that the pumps supposedly kill a lot of the life that the refugium is supposed to cultivate and protect from predation. IME plenty of live survives the trip through the pumps.

Ernie

 

[Lynn]

The first two reasons. So how do I start to cultivate it?? What should I put in?

 

[Carpentersreef]

Lynn,

Live Rock
Live sand (4" deep, give or take)
macro algae
a couple of mangroves
a half decent light setup
moderate, alternating water flow
preheat oven to 350 degrees....(...NOT...

)

mix gently.

in about 4 months, you'll have an ever changing ecosystem!

wait out the cyano and diatom blooms (they should stay limited to the refugium).

That's what mine is doing right now, anyways.

Mitch

 

[Carpentersreef]

Oh, and I've also got pods, tubeworms, spagetti woms, living throughout my system...including the on intake screens of the various pumps that are circulating the water. I do think that the centrifugal impellers of the water pumps DO kill some life forms, but what can we really do about it at this point? I know of no viable alternative for diaphram/corkscrew - type water pumps yet.

Mitch

 

[Lynn]

So I just pour the aragonite right in with the skimmer and pump and uv unit? doesn't seem right, but I'll do it!

 

[Carpentersreef]

Well, turn off the skimmer and pump until the dust settles. A couple of hours won't make that much difference.
But make sure that temp stays stable in your setup.

Mitch

 

[jamesw]

How big is your return pump Lynn?

If you're using something like an Iwaki 55 then you are talking about 1500 gallons per hour. That would be too high a flowrate to flow THROUGH a refugium.

OTOH, if you are using a small return pump and have gentle flow in your sump it might do better.

You may want to add a "compartment" in your sump for your skimmer, etc, so it doesn't suck in sand, etc.

HTH
James Wiseman

 

[Lynn]

Its a mag 1800.??

 

[Lynn]

Its a mag 18, is this to much flow???

 

[Anonymous]

ok, I'm really tired, so may just be a bit dense today, but how can she put sand in with her equipment? If she buries the base of the skimmer, how will she clean it? You don't want to stir up the sand, correct? Plus the heater in there and the pumps. And topping off has got to make a mess.

And yes, I believe that a mag 18 would be too much flow through a refugium. If not for the ecosystem's sake, then definitely for your sand's sake.

How big is your tank and how big is your sump. I've got a 75g and my sump/refugium is a 20 galllon tank. I partitioned off a refugium in my sump.

 

[Anonymous]

And not to mention the fact that the algae grows like crazy in my refugium and the bristle worms are all over the place. I'm not a wimp, but I wouldn't stick my hand in there. What would she do when it comes time for equipment maintenance.

 

[esmithiii]

FWIW my skimmer can be serviced without removing it from the sump.

Ernie

 

[Lynn]

OMG!!! now you tell me!!LOL well I already did it. So I guess I live with it. What will happen to my mag 18 if gravel gets in it?? kaput??

 

[SPC]

Is the sand under your mag 18 or over it

. Uh, you don't want to run to much sand through your pump Lynn. Also, I don't see how you will ever get the sand to settle with this much flow and no baffles.
Steve

 

[AnotherGoldenTeapot]

What I did was glue a new piece of glass into the sump to create a partition and then feed this with the output from my skimmer. The refugium overflows back into the sump (which has a lower running water level).

 

[Lynn]

Excellent idea!! Thats what I'll do. The holes I drilled are not big enough for enough flow, but the skimmer is right next to it (not hooked up yet) and I'll do what you said. Thanks!!
Lynn

 

[Anonymous]

That's how I set mine up (not with the skimmer though) but I didn't drill holes, I cut a little piece out of one part of it - it's about 4 inches wide and one inch deep. The water overflows through that part into the sump to go back up to the main tank.

Fun stuff, huh Lynn?

 

[EmilyB]

Lynn, didn't you go with a Euroreef in-sump skimmer ? I can't really recall. You don't want sand in there, anywhere near that skimmer pump.