Do I have this straight?

[ondria]

I am a DIYer... and working with a 180 gallon tank. I am considering adding a wall about 6-8" off the back and using that area for the sump and stuff and bringing the size of the tank to 120.

I want to know if I have this straight though... I will need an overflow in the tank that drains to the sump. In the sump, I use a protein skimmer and then it goes back to the tank?

What are the benefits of a refugium? Should I have one.

I am pretty handy and have all the power and hand tools I could ever need!

Thank you for the advice!

 

[Anonymous]

Some good refugium links: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/3389/reeftank/refugium.html http://www.reefcentral.com/library/refugium.htm

 

[davelin315]

Be careful about altering the structure of your tank. If you place a barrier into your tank that is supposed to wall off the water, you could easily run into structural and integrity problems as far as the wall is concerned. To get a tight fit, you would have to cut the silicone in your tank to put new glass in, and I doubt you could secure the new glass panel in there so that it wouldn't slip or fall over (and possibly shatter). If you are using acrylic, you really don't want to be messing with the way the tank supports the water. Also, if you put a new acrylic panel in to keep water out, it'll probably bend, and either pull off of your walls, or break your walls. And, to get a piece of acrylic thick enough is not cost effective.

By the way, the goal is to get more tank size, not less!