Adding a refugium to established undrilled tank

Ritorix · 09/04/2009, 11:11 AM

I currently have a 40g, undrilled, year-old tank with no refugium. I've been wanting to add one for macro algae growth and for pods. I'm trying to figure out what all I need to buy for a fuge, and what pumps and other odds and ends are needed. I'm no plumber and dont know anything about tubes/pvc pipes/connector thingies/whatever I will need or even how this really works.

Planning to buy the following, please correct or suggest something else.

-CPR Overflow Box - hangs on the back of my tank, siphons water into the fuge

-aqualifter pump and prefilter - I'm not sure where this goes in the scheme of things, but apparently its needed to maintain the overflow siphon. In the fuge? Do I need another pump if this goes for the overflow?

-a light for macro algae growth

-the fuge itself will be simple bucket, out of sight under the tank stand. Its for growing chaeto moreso than for adding gallons to the tank's total size. My existing equipment, a HOB skimmer and heater will both go in the fuge.

So if I understand this correctly...water is siphoned out of the overflow, down a tube into the bucket. Another pump in the bucket pushes water back up a different tube to the tank.

Some other dumb questions...
How does the return tube get affixed to the tank? In other words how does water get back to the tank, just run a tube from a pump and velcro it to the tank side?

Flooding is another concern. If the return pump fails, the bucket overflows with water from the display, flooding the room. If the siphon fails, the main tank overflows from the fuge return pump, flooding the room. These are both prevented by ___ (I have no idea). Power loss is an occasional problem here as well, so I need something that wont flood if a pump turns off.

Evap is another problem with my current system, I dont have ATO. With a overflow and fuge, if I understand correctly the water level in the main tank should always be the same, and the water level in the fuge will rise/fall. Correct?

Tons of dumb questions, sorry! Thanks in advance!

loosecannon · 09/04/2009, 11:38 AM

htt://www.aquatraders.com Has a nice one. I have it on a 75 gal. . You can also put a breeder trap in the tank with some chato.

obzezzed350 · 09/04/2009, 11:42 AM

Velcro?!?! These work well for a return line. I add a clamp/zip tie to my return tubing just in case. This U-tube also has a predrilled air hole that breaks the siphon in case the return pump shuts off. This prevents an overflow of your sump, assuming it can hold whatever water that may trickle back down as the siphon is broken.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...0&pcatid=14680

jason2459 · 09/04/2009, 12:43 PM

Just to throw it out there you could also look at a HOB refugium. I have one on my 55g. It uses a maxijet 900 to feed it and gravity to dump the water back into the tank. I have some live rock back there with some macroalgae. I have a cheap fluorescent light that sits right on top of it. Don't notice it at all with the canopy on. Simple easy setup.

[img]http://i29.*******.com/4gr42.jpg[/img]

I have drilled a few holes in the middle section near the top. Just in case a snail decides to crawl into the outlet the water will flow out the holes I drilled onto the lip that holds the refug onto the tank and then right into the tank. No flooding.

I also now have my skimmer feeding into the refugium.

[img]http://i31.*******.com/315zc6w.jpg[/img]

Ritorix · 09/04/2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jason2459
[B]Just to throw it out there you could also look at a HOB refugium. I have one on my 55g. It uses a maxijet 900 to feed it and gravity to dump the water back into the tank. I have some live rock back there with some macroalgae. I have a cheap fluorescent light that sits right on top of it. Don't notice it at all with the canopy on. Simple easy setup.

I may just go with this, thanks. Hopefully the weight of things hanging on the back wont be a problem, theres already a Aqua Remora skimmer hanging back there. Adding another box full of rock and water would about double the weight.

eon · 09/04/2009, 01:28 PM

if ur looking for a cpr overflow let me know i have one that im not using pm me if ur interested im local

09/04/2009, 11:11 AM	#1
Ritorix Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 78	Adding a refugium to established undrilled tank I currently have a 40g, undrilled, year-old tank with no refugium. I've been wanting to add one for macro algae growth and for pods. I'm trying to figure out what all I need to buy for a fuge, and what pumps and other odds and ends are needed. I'm no plumber and dont know anything about tubes/pvc pipes/connector thingies/whatever I will need or even how this really works. Planning to buy the following, please correct or suggest something else. -CPR Overflow Box - hangs on the back of my tank, siphons water into the fuge -aqualifter pump and prefilter - I'm not sure where this goes in the scheme of things, but apparently its needed to maintain the overflow siphon. In the fuge? Do I need another pump if this goes for the overflow? -a light for macro algae growth -the fuge itself will be simple bucket, out of sight under the tank stand. Its for growing chaeto moreso than for adding gallons to the tank's total size. My existing equipment, a HOB skimmer and heater will both go in the fuge. So if I understand this correctly...water is siphoned out of the overflow, down a tube into the bucket. Another pump in the bucket pushes water back up a different tube to the tank. Some other dumb questions... How does the return tube get affixed to the tank? In other words how does water get back to the tank, just run a tube from a pump and velcro it to the tank side? Flooding is another concern. If the return pump fails, the bucket overflows with water from the display, flooding the room. If the siphon fails, the main tank overflows from the fuge return pump, flooding the room. These are both prevented by ___ (I have no idea). Power loss is an occasional problem here as well, so I need something that wont flood if a pump turns off. Evap is another problem with my current system, I dont have ATO. With a overflow and fuge, if I understand correctly the water level in the main tank should always be the same, and the water level in the fuge will rise/fall. Correct? Tons of dumb questions, sorry! Thanks in advance!

09/04/2009, 11:38 AM	#2
loosecannon Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: port kent Posts: 1,292	htt://www.aquatraders.com Has a nice one. I have it on a 75 gal. . You can also put a breeder trap in the tank with some chato. __________________ I like getting WET! Current Tank Info: 44gal. 40 gal. 75 gal. 30gal. and working on a 75gal. rigt

09/04/2009, 11:42 AM	#3
obzezzed350 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Davie, FL Posts: 353	Velcro?!?! These work well for a return line. I add a clamp/zip tie to my return tubing just in case. This U-tube also has a predrilled air hole that breaks the siphon in case the return pump shuts off. This prevents an overflow of your sump, assuming it can hold whatever water that may trickle back down as the siphon is broken. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...0&pcatid=14680

09/04/2009, 12:43 PM	#4
jason2459 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Iowa Posts: 9,671	Just to throw it out there you could also look at a HOB refugium. I have one on my 55g. It uses a maxijet 900 to feed it and gravity to dump the water back into the tank. I have some live rock back there with some macroalgae. I have a cheap fluorescent light that sits right on top of it. Don't notice it at all with the canopy on. Simple easy setup. [img]http://i29.*****.com/4gr42.jpg[/img] I have drilled a few holes in the middle section near the top. Just in case a snail decides to crawl into the outlet the water will flow out the holes I drilled onto the lip that holds the refug onto the tank and then right into the tank. No flooding. I also now have my skimmer feeding into the refugium. [img]http://i31.*****.com/315zc6w.jpg[/img]

09/04/2009, 01:28 PM	#6
eon ಠ_ಠ Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Union City, NJ Posts: 551	if ur looking for a cpr overflow let me know i have one that im not using pm me if ur interested im local