DIY Sump w HOB refugium

[sherman50]

I plan on adding a 20 gallon glass-aquarium sump to my 29 gallon reef tank. I would like to move my HOB CRS?(tm) Refugium - now on my main tank - to the back of the sump. I plan on diving the sump into 3 chambers. One for intake, one for heater and skimmmer, and the last for the return pump. I'm stuck on a couple questions and am having no luck searching forums:

(1) the refugium has an intake on one end an a return 20" away at the other end. I read that the intake should be at the same end as water coming in from the display tank. If so, then the refugium return would be into the chamber holding the return-to-display-tank pump. This doesn't sound right to me. Will I have to alter the intake and return piping for the refugium? If so, what chambers should these 2 pipes be located?

(2) The sump tank is 18" deep. What is a good operational depth for the water in the sump? This will determine the height of the skimmer I need to purchase. It will also determine the height of the baffles I wil be instaling. (I'm now skimming with a Skilter.) And it will determine if I need to repipe the intake and return to the refugium to lower the return and and the intake pump to be below the water level in the sump (thesy are currently about 3" and 4" below the top of the display tank.

(3) Should I just forget the whole thing and use the sump as a one-chamber open tank to hang the refugium from and stick the skimmer and heater into?

I'm leery of an overflow box on the main tank and will have a hole drilled into the back of this tank to supply water tot he sump.

Thanks!!

[seahorsies4me]

I am wanting to turn my 5 gal nano into a refugium for my 29 gal, but I don't know where to begin on this, can you help me out with what stuff I need to build or buy in order to get the water to flow between the two tanks?

[sherman50]

My basic arrangement will be to pipe a drilled hole from the main (DT) tank to the sump. I will then return pump water from the sump back to the DT. I will install my HOB refugium on the back of the sump tank. That way as the pump empties the sump up into the DT the DT water will rise and return by gravity to the sump. Inside the sump I will place a new skimmer and my heater(s). That's my basic idea for a one-chamber sump. I will add a couple baffles in the sump to provide microbubble control and to provide a place for any chemicat filtration socks I may want to use in the future.

I'm nervous about installing an overflow on the DT because if the return pump fail but the overflow syphon remains then the DT will continue emptying into the sump and ultimately to the floor. This shouldn't happen if I drill a bulkhead hole in the DT to provide gravity flow into the sump.

So as I see it, my basic new components are odd lengths of piping and some elbows, the skimmer and the submersible return pump. Additional hardware are acrylic sheets for baffles in the sump. Amphibous Dick says on TR episode 16 that he uses a one chambler sump.

I don't know anything about specific requirements for sea horses.

[seahorsies4me]

The seahorses will be good in the refugium, they are easily preyed upon little things. I was looking for a simple, but effective way to turn the 5 gallon into one for the big tank. Do you think that if I put a submersable pump in the big tank to feed water into the 5 gal then have it up higher than the big one so that it gravity feeds back into the 29 gal. Do you think this might work? anyone?

[sherman50]

In my readings I've seen reference to the configuration you describe usually with the comment, "not uisually seen in hme aquariums due to the weight of the sump and the difficulty of adding water to a sump 5' off the floor". I'm interested in what people say about your plan to add a sump that adds 18% to the total volume of water. Is that sufficient ro would it be "better" to change that volume out of your 29gal horse tank once a week?

[seahorsies4me]

I do regular water changes, I just figured that it would be beneficial to both tanks to have more water available for maintaining proper balance.

[sherman50]

I can't agree more

[CarmieJo]

Sherman,

I think having the return from the fuge going into the sump return pump chamber is optimal since you will maximize the pods that make it into the DT.

The sump NEEDS to have enough empty room to take all the overflow from the DT when the return pump is shut down. Other than that, IMO the more water in the sump the better as a bigger water volume is more stable.

Seahorsies,
Your idea of a small sump above the DT will work but remember that water weighs almost 9 lbs a gallon. I am not a pony keeper but I believe that most need cooler water than your standard reef tank.

[sherman50]

If the sump needs to take al of the overflow from my DT should the return (sumo back to DT) pump fail it sems to me that the sump needs to be the size of the DT if I use a CPR syphon overflow. That's been my major worry in this whole plan. Oh, no, (4 minute pause to think more on it) the overflow syphon will only syphon the DT until the DT water level is below the syphon intake. d'Uh. And since my sump can only be about half full to accomodate my octopus skinner that extra 10 gallons in the sump should be sufficient to take the top 4" of my 29 gallon DT. Hallelulia (I think, please don't tell me I'm missing something hear, - unless, of course, I am.

The only pump I need to really worry about failing is the air pump that helps maitain the syphon the the oveerflow box.

[CarmieJo]

You got it! My 54 gallon drains about 2" back into my sump which is converted 22x10" wet/dry.

[quinas07]

you can also drill a hole or two in the u-tube, so when the water level goes below the drilled holes the siphon is broken. ( need to make sure holes do not clog up)

[sherman50]

Ah yes, so I've heard. Thanks for reminding me. Right now everything has been set up and "seems" to be running fine. Wonderful clear water within my current parameters. Every thing loks happier and healthier than ever before! -- the true test for now. (I didn't section my sump though. The HOB refugium is of course separate)

[quinas07]

I been think about to do it for my 40gal, but I have been hesitant to switch my canister filter to sump because of the siphon problem.

[sherman50]

I try not to dwell on what might happen vis a vis the siphon. I wonder what others have done, in addition to the break-holes you mentioned, to minimize the unimaginable.

[quinas07]

and my tank is in the basement on a floating floor that if it see water it is doom