Converting a wet/dry to a refugium, assistance required

El Langostino · 03/06/2006, 12:07 AM

I have a 30 gallon Aquatic Life Systems 250 wet/dry trickle filter/protein skimmer combo sump. I would link you to their site so as to make privy the viewing of the system but it appears to be under revampment ( 6 months and still nothing...-_-)

In any event my question is, would it be possible to convert this to a refugium or am I better off purchasing a 10-20 gallon tank, running a power head from my sump to the new tank and drilling it? I'm not sure the stand which supports my 90 gallon tank has enough room under it to add a new tank for the fuge due to the fact this behemoth ALS sump combo measures (30 x 12 x 16). So that could be the red flag for that route...

My sump is divided into 3 compartments: the water-In compartment which also houses the skimmer, the second compartment is the wet/dry bio balls section, and the final section which houses the return pump and sponge. The only real reason I'm concerned about removing the bio balls and converting this second compartment into a fuge is mainly due to the opening from the bottom of the second compartment to the third which is only covered by a small detrius sponge.

The entire explanation sounds a bit convoluted but I'm sure someone knows what I'm talking about or either has a similar set up, if not this exact same sump.

I'm totally new to refugiums so I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. I've been able to keep my nitrates under .10 ppm for the 3 months this sytem has been running, but I fear an eventual build up so the refugium in place of the bio balls seems to be the perfect solution.

bertoni · 03/06/2006, 01:53 AM

You should be able to do the conversion, although you might want to add another baffle to keep macroalgae out of the return pump, if you choose to have macroalgae in your refugium. What are your plans for the refugium?

El Langostino · 03/06/2006, 02:21 AM

I was planning on some caulerpa for sure. Also 3 or 4 inches of sand with some live rock or rubble. It's a pretty large area too, so I was thinking of putting a small false perc in there so he won't have to compete with my larger fishes for food.

El Langostino · 03/06/2006, 05:25 AM

Good Morning!

I could be way off base here but due to the nature of my stand and current sump, I'm trying to look at this from a few different angles that might possibly work.

Could I perhaps put a power head in the 3rd compartment of my sump which also houses the return pump, then pump water from the 3rd compartment into to a cube shaped refugium to the left of it, and have gravity do the rest of the work as the water would flow back into the 3rd compartment via PVC drilled from the refugium to the sump.

Here is a rough schematic of what I'm trying to accomplish. Of course, the blue arrows represent water flow. Please tell me if this is at all possible. Thanks for taking a gander.

michaelm2431 · 03/06/2006, 05:44 AM

On my sump, it might bee a little different than you'res, my spounge was on the left under the raised baffel. I put a baffel about 3 inches in front of the spounge about 6 inch high from bottem. No mirco bubbles. I also removed bio balls. Working great. Mike

El Langostino · 03/06/2006, 04:24 PM

Is this a problem having a powerhead in the same area where the return pump is and having the fuge drain back into this same area? I thought it might be but was not sure.

El Langostino · 03/06/2006, 10:04 PM

I didn't draw a powerhead or anything in the 3rd area, but just pretened you see one there, pumping water to the fuge tank on the left.

Again, I have no experience with refugiums, and based on my sump and stand, this is really the only way I can fit everything in there.

Will it work? yes? No? That's all I'm looking for.

bertoni · 03/07/2006, 01:01 AM

I think the refugium pump would work where it is, although I'd consider using the middle chamber. That way, if the plumbing has issues, only one pump would run dry. I'm not sure how big a deal that is.

03/06/2006, 12:07 AM	#1
El Langostino Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Georgia Posts: 384	Converting a wet/dry to a refugium, assistance required I have a 30 gallon Aquatic Life Systems 250 wet/dry trickle filter/protein skimmer combo sump. I would link you to their site so as to make privy the viewing of the system but it appears to be under revampment ( 6 months and still nothing...-_-) In any event my question is, would it be possible to convert this to a refugium or am I better off purchasing a 10-20 gallon tank, running a power head from my sump to the new tank and drilling it? I'm not sure the stand which supports my 90 gallon tank has enough room under it to add a new tank for the fuge due to the fact this behemoth ALS sump combo measures (30 x 12 x 16). So that could be the red flag for that route... My sump is divided into 3 compartments: the water-In compartment which also houses the skimmer, the second compartment is the wet/dry bio balls section, and the final section which houses the return pump and sponge. The only real reason I'm concerned about removing the bio balls and converting this second compartment into a fuge is mainly due to the opening from the bottom of the second compartment to the third which is only covered by a small detrius sponge. The entire explanation sounds a bit convoluted but I'm sure someone knows what I'm talking about or either has a similar set up, if not this exact same sump. I'm totally new to refugiums so I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. I've been able to keep my nitrates under .10 ppm for the 3 months this sytem has been running, but I fear an eventual build up so the refugium in place of the bio balls seems to be the perfect solution.

03/06/2006, 01:53 AM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	You should be able to do the conversion, although you might want to add another baffle to keep macroalgae out of the return pump, if you choose to have macroalgae in your refugium. What are your plans for the refugium? __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/07/2006, 01:01 AM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I think the refugium pump would work where it is, although I'd consider using the middle chamber. That way, if the plumbing has issues, only one pump would run dry. I'm not sure how big a deal that is. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/06/2006, 02:21 AM	#3
El Langostino Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Georgia Posts: 384	I was planning on some caulerpa for sure. Also 3 or 4 inches of sand with some live rock or rubble. It's a pretty large area too, so I was thinking of putting a small false perc in there so he won't have to compete with my larger fishes for food.

03/06/2006, 05:25 AM	#4
El Langostino Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Georgia Posts: 384	Good Morning! I could be way off base here but due to the nature of my stand and current sump, I'm trying to look at this from a few different angles that might possibly work. Could I perhaps put a power head in the 3rd compartment of my sump which also houses the return pump, then pump water from the 3rd compartment into to a cube shaped refugium to the left of it, and have gravity do the rest of the work as the water would flow back into the 3rd compartment via PVC drilled from the refugium to the sump. Here is a rough schematic of what I'm trying to accomplish. Of course, the blue arrows represent water flow. Please tell me if this is at all possible. Thanks for taking a gander.

03/06/2006, 05:44 AM	#5
michaelm2431 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Middletown N.J. Posts: 786	On my sump, it might bee a little different than you'res, my spounge was on the left under the raised baffel. I put a baffel about 3 inches in front of the spounge about 6 inch high from bottem. No mirco bubbles. I also removed bio balls. Working great. Mike

03/06/2006, 04:24 PM	#6
El Langostino Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Georgia Posts: 384	Is this a problem having a powerhead in the same area where the return pump is and having the fuge drain back into this same area? I thought it might be but was not sure.

03/06/2006, 10:04 PM	#7
El Langostino Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Georgia Posts: 384	I didn't draw a powerhead or anything in the 3rd area, but just pretened you see one there, pumping water to the fuge tank on the left. Again, I have no experience with refugiums, and based on my sump and stand, this is really the only way I can fit everything in there. Will it work? yes? No? That's all I'm looking for.