HELP! New used RSM250 refugium/sump help

xexitenglishx

New Member
a few months ago i purchased a used 250 from someone local and it can with a ton of extras that the guy never setup or even used. I have the tank stabilized and its doing well except for my nitrates being a bit high but I am combating that with water changes.

Here is the current setup:
Stock rsm left side pump
Eheim 3000 pump in the right side feeding the chiller with a loop back to the powerhead
JBJ 1/10hp chiller
reef dynamics skimmer
xxx amount of ecofriendly live rock from previous owner
live sand bed from previous owner
new T5 lights - 3 ati blue plus, 1 ati purple, 2 ati coral

Here is the current:


I have 2 sumps that the guy had custom made but I am not sure how to set them up. I also have the lifereef overflow with silencer to go with it. I want one to be set up as a refugium ( i also have a refugium LED new in box) and i want the other to be set up as a sump.
I also have a new GFO reactor and bio pellet reactor, and various new pumps but I am lost as to what i should and shouldnt use for the setup.

Here are the pictures of the sumps. It would be helpful if someone could chime in and give me their opinion on the sump setups and maybe lead me in the right direction with how i should set everything up.

Here is the first one:





Here is the second one:







 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
Hello! :wave:
:rbwwelc:WELCOME to Reef Sanctuary :crowd:

I have the LifeReef refugium/sump & skimmer set up running on my RSM 250 but it isn't chambered off like yours is so I don't really know how to advise you.
You will need to drill holes (2) into the panel that seperates the cabinet sides & plumb the two together.
Here are the pictures of mine the day I set it up:
image.jpg
image.jpg

You might can see more details on the LifeReef website.
Your tank looks very nice!! Congrats on getting a great tank!
Hope you will keep this thread updated with your tank progress so we can follow along with it. Nice to have you as a new member :thumbup:

 

xexitenglishx

New Member
Thank you for the fast reply. Your tank looks awesome! I was starting to research into the lifereef sump setup but like you said both sumps are chambered. Maybe i will sell the one and just buy a refugium for that side but i was trying to avoid spending the extra money since i have the supplies already.

I plan to keep every updated and will try to take pictures as i build everything up.
 

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
Diana,

I was thinking about the lifereef, but since my 18 month old boys have proven at least once they can break my childproof locks and get in my cabinet, I'm probably better off doing without for now, correct?

All they have managed to do so far is change the settings on my wave maker and break my thermometer. So, no REAL damage done yet. Maybe my corals even like the extra flow...
 

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
While I think my refugium benefits my tank with extra water volume (15 gal)
And it grows chaeto & pods out the wazoo....it's not the glorious looking place that it started out being. I thought it'd be a really nice looking "show it to my friends" refugium. It's not! I've had several cyano outbreaks, and I don't like cleaning it. It adds another yucky tank chore for me.
Just wanted to let you know that in case you were thinking the way I was about it to start with :rolleyes: But if I had it to do over, I'd still do it.
Tip: get the flow adjusted & add more circulation than just the flow through provides in the fuge part. I have 2 tiny powerheads & it's not really enough.
 
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