Fuge & Sump Question

[pesto]

I have a separate refugium (Cheato/Deep Sand Bed) & sump setup. I have a couple of questions:

1. Should the drain from the refugium be directed into the skimmer chamber or return pump chamber? It is currently going into the skimmer chamber and I am concerned my copepods/amphipods will be caught up in the skimmer.
2. I have live rock in the skimmer chamber. Where would it be most beneficial? In the skimmer chamber, refugium, return pump chamber or intake chamber?

 

[NH Fish]

fuge

I'm still setting mine up but here is what I have. My drains come down into the skimmer tank. My skimmer tank is higher than the fuge so I never have to worry about waterlevel in the skimmer tank. I will have my temp and other probes in the skimmer tank with heater downstream in the fuge. Fuge has rock and DSB along with cheato and bubble trap. then back to the pump. nothing gets to the skimmer that way.
Dont know if its the right way but it works for me.
Dave

 

[Cherokee_Dude]

WOAH! What kind of monster pump is that and what kind of whales do you keep?
Nice fuge and awesome fishroom setup

ps: you could increase the return/manifold head pressure by opting for a 'Y' fitting instead of a 'T' off of the return... Just a thought.

 

[NH Fish]

Its a 3hp intelliflo variable speed pump. its a monster. but its turned down to 1400 rpm and only draws 135 watts.

 

[pesto]

Bump ...

 

[mark429]

From what I have heard/read and used myself is to put your return from the refuge to you DT and not the skimmer and LR does better under light. It doesn't look like there is much light over the LR part of the tank. This is just my opinion and I'm sure other people will help out

 

[Flame Angel]

Gee, I want to see the tank know. I wish my cellar was that clean.

Is that a 125g that your using for the fuge?

75g on the skimmer?

Looks like a professional job on the plumbing. Nice and clean looking. I see what they are saying about using the "Y"'s fittings to deep the water from slowing down. I will need to remember that.

 

[HuuTa]

fug water into the return pump section

 

[Pat02026]

<sorry for the hijack> nhfish where is your system thread!!


I feed my fuge with overflow water from the display and send it right back up through the return. In hindsight I would suggest feeding the fuge with skimmed water then back to the display.

 

[Ruge13]

Agree with the above. Fuge water is meant to have a longer soak depending on the result you are trying to achieve so running skimmer through it may increase the flow to be prohibitive depending on your goals for a fuge. At least that was what I always believed. I have mine direct to the return but the flow rate creeps.

I would guess a sump that clean (no algae, calcification, no stratification in the DSB etc) with a light is either scrubbed down every couple days or that system is brand new and hasn't cycled much yet. Brand new would be my guess considering what it takes to keep it that clean. Then again if it is an older system, it looks pretty but why would you want to keep it that clean? To me that means the sump is not acting like a natural filter or buffer for the display. Like others, I wish my basement was that clean!

 

[NH Fish]

I dont want to hijack the thread. just wated to give some advice. I havent posted the build yet. Been to busy building. I will in a week or so.
But for now lets help him out with his question. IMO he has it backwards. Yes? No?

 

[NH Fish]

Agree with the above. Fuge water is meant to have a longer soak depending on the result you are trying to achieve so running skimmer through it may increase the flow to be prohibitive depending on your goals for a fuge. At least that was what I always believed. I have mine direct to the return but the flow rate creeps.

I would guess a sump that clean (no algae, calcification, no stratification in the DSB etc) with a light is either scrubbed down every couple days or that system is brand new and hasn't cycled much yet. Brand new would be my guess considering what it takes to keep it that clean. Then again if it is an older system, it looks pretty but why would you want to keep it that clean? To me that means the sump is not acting like a natural filter or buffer for the display. Like others, I wish my basement was that clean!

Thats mine not the OP. Yes it is new and cycling now.

 

[pesto]

Do you think someone can answer my questions from the original post? I am offically confused!

 

[Ruge13]

#1 I have mine set up running fuge to return for the same reasons, so pods go to the tank not to the skimmer, and because I like lower flow rates through a fuge.

#2 I put rocks just about everywhere, light or no light they help increase the surface area for bacteria and help compensate for less rock in the DT. I don't put them in my skimmer chamber and little in the return chamber because they replace water volume. By doing so they increase the flow rate from skimmer chamber to return. This speeds up water through the bubble traps and I start to get micro bubbles in the DT.