refugium flow

[reeferJ]

I'll be adding a refugium to my 240 gal. reef tank. I'm thinking about feeding the refugium from the return flow of my skimmer, then a gravity return back to the sump. I was hoping not to have to add another powerhead to the sump, it's already crowded with the skimmer, calcium reactor & heaters. Any positives or negatives in this plan?

Thanks,
reeferJ

 

[aliendomain]

You would be better off using the return from the tank as the water from the skimmer will not be as rich in nutrients for the inhabitants of the refugium.

 

[reeferJ]

Thanks, i thought that might be a problem. Would it be alright to feed the refugium from the sump or would the main tank be the better option?

 

[buff1]

I think that feeding it from the tank would be the best option. You can T one of the downflows from the tank so that some of the downflow goes into the refugium and the rest goes into the sump. A valve on each line after the T would allow you to control the flow through the refugium precisely. Good luck!

 

[aliendomain]

Either is fine, you want to get the excess nutrients from the tank to the refugium so the inhabitants can use it and grow.

 

[anthem]

Other side of the equation. If you are planning on using the refugium to feed 'pods back to the tank for food, you should also feed the water from the refugium straight back into the tank (bypassing the skimmer, etc) - preferably gravity fed, but not really necessary.

But yes, feed water directly from the tank to the refugium.