Wet/dry to refugium setup...ideas?

[candide]

Ok, I think I understand the reasons people suggest ditching bioballs and placing live rock in the sump. My concern with this is that my Live rock is still relatively new (couple of weeks in my tank). I'ld prefer to wait a couple of months before tearing out the bioballs. Is this a valid concern? The wet/dry had been operating for several years when I bought it from my friend.

I also (think) I understand the point of a refugium, and the general design ideas. First problem, there is no way I can place it above my tank, and I to do a hang on top type I would have to place it in front of the tank, quite an eye sore.

So after not being able to sleep last night, I came up with two potential ideas I would appreaciate some advice on. General setup first: The wetdry is around 30-50 gallons. I haven't measured it, but it is a good bit larger than my 20gal QT. The left half has the bioballs, suspended a few inches off the bottom. There is a divider, where water can go below to the right half which has 2 return pumps and a protein skimmer.

1 - Get a tank/rubbermaid container and set it to the right. Drill a drain(s) in the wet/dry for overflow into the new tank, and place pump/skimmer there. Leave bioballs on left side, but place lots of liverock on the right, and try to develop plants/macro algea there. Concern is that much of the bioballs would now be underwater, and defeat the purpose anyways.

2 - Leave wet/dry as is, but add a small 3rd pump that directs water into an elevated tank to the right. Drill it with overflow to come back into the pump/skimmer section. Make the new tank my refugium. Concern is that this doesn't provide as much over flow/flooding prevention as 1. Also it seems more "short sighted", in that when/if I remove the bioballs, I wouldn't be getting as much advantage out of the wet/dry section as I could.

Things that I have read that confuse me...Putting in mechanical filter at some stage behind the refugium. If the fuge is to (among other things) provide food to my tank, would the filter not remove that? Shouldn't the filter be before it enters the sump section entirely?

I like the idea of some plants to remove nitrates (or anything that will do this job well and is easy to manage). Bob Fenner on WWM suggests no substrate in the fuge, just live rock, but to not vacuum out any debris that settles. How then could one add plants?

Thanks in advance,
Jason

 

[dkedrowitsch]

Why not build your own from scratch? You could make is custom to exactly how you want it, using only one container. Check mine out, a copy of an origonal design by Marc at http://www.melevsreef.com

Here is my post about the one I just built and put into use a few weeks ago. http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=497640

 

[fungia]

i think you can remove the bioballs right now without problems. bacteria should be all over your rock already, if it is more then a couple weeks in the tank.

for the refugium it is ok to have it below the tank and pump up but it is better to have it above tank. if it is below the tank you should have it after the skimmer because you do not want to skim the refugium water. no mechanical behind the refugium.

i like making the refugium another tank. that way if you have to disconnect it it is very easy. i would say dont mix the refugium with the sump if you have room. also, i say go with sand the refugium. it is great place for little critters to breed and good for macro too so I dont see why not. if you have problems with the sand you can disconnect the refugium and restart it, best of all worlds

 

[candide]

Thanks for the responses

My only concern at this point is the placement of the return pumps and the skimmer. Right now they are both in the same section of my sump. To seperate them I would have to get another tank/bucket/whatever. Not a problem really, except I am running out of room under the tank hehe.

Right now I was thinking of doing the one of the following:

The fuge is to the right of the sump, using the return from the skimmer to provide water for the fuge. The fuge has an overflow back into the sump (but closer to the two return pumps).

Or, use a small pump to send water into the fuge, with it returning back into the sump.

Once I get the fuge in there I will reevaluate how much room I have I guess.

 

[dkedrowitsch]

Did you follow the link in my previous responce to your post? IMO, its the best way to fit so much in a small space. Holding a skimmer, skimmer pump, mag 9.5, 802 powerhead, 10 gal fuge, bubble trap, 250w Ebo heater, and LOTS of room plenty of LR rubble, carbon, whatever....AND 45 gallons of water when full, and it fits under my pourly designed 75G All Glass stand with only a 35" opening.