Got a tank finally now got some questions

[Silkster]

OKay yas all. I just got me a 135 gallon tank. All glass believe it or not. Odd size for them but I have measured it a number of times and it converts to 135. anyhow. Now I am thinking of my setup and Here is my thought. I know this sounds crazy but I did it once before and it worked that time so now to try it again but on a much larger system. I have a 75 gallon all glass tank for a sump. :O yas it is that big. Nice capacity. I am also going to employ the use of my 39 show tank as a refugium. Two reasons for this. One is that I already got most of the equipment for the refugium from my previous tank I had and dont wanna to try to conevert the 75 to a sump/refugium. So my issue is that since this is a older tank (the main one) and cant be drilled for overflows I am going to be purchasing a couple of siphon boxs for it. When I plumb this out should I plumb the main tank to both the refugium and the sump, or should I plumb the main to the sump only and the refugium to the sump only and pump the water to both of them. Let me know your idears.

 

[Entacmaea]

It really depennds on what you are trying to do- where the water enters (sump or fuge, or into both) is less of a question than from where the water is pumped back into the main tank. Are you using a skimmer? If your fuge is for nutrient export, than have the water go into the fuge, or sump, then go through the skimmer, then back to the main tank. If your fuge is for growing pods and such mainly, then have the water go into the sump, through the skimmer, then into the fuge, then to the main tank. Best case scenario of course would be to have the fuge gravity feed back into the main tank...

It is in general easier to have the water enter in one place and flow in one direction, etc. and easier to design your baffles and bulkheads to deal with flow (overflow from power outage) from one direction. Flow rate through your fuge would be the only concern here...

 

[Anonymous]

or should I plumb the main to the sump only and the refugium to the sump only and pump the water to both of them.

I think this is the one you want. That way only one tank with a variable water level, the sump. Make sure you keep the level in it low enough so it can handle whatever levels it comes to in a power outage.

So my issue is that since this is a older tank (the main one) and cant be drilled for overflows I am going to be purchasing a couple of siphon boxs for it.

I think you should re-examine what is stopping you from drilling the tank. Personally, I would spend the money on a new tank before using external overflows for a reef.