Separate Sump tank and Refugium tank supporting multiple show tanks

[tgeer]

I am looking for a design for two 90 gallon drilled tanks, one 110 gallon sump tank, and one 75 gallon refugium tank. The 90s sit on a stand that is three feet above the floor and the 110 sump sits in my adjoining garage that shares the same wall as the 90s. The garage sump tank is about 5 or 6 feet lower in elevation than the show tanks. Today I am purchasing a second hand 75 gallon to setup as a refugium. This tank will most likely sit in the stand under the 90s.
Question: Where should the refugium receive its water from? Should it receive water from the sump pump or from the overflow output from the 90 gallon show tanks with the output from the 90 gallon tanks split and adjusted by valves so that only a small amount of water flow to the refugium with the preponderance flowing to the sump? Are there any diagrams on-line showing systems with separate tanks for the sump and the refugium supporting multiple show tanks?

Thanks,
Tim

 

[BigAl07]

Tim a lot of that is pure "up to ya" but here is how I like my "stuff" set up.

I like the Refugium to get raw unfiltered unskimmed water from my display tanks. I also like my refugium water to drain back directly into the Return Pump section so that any micro-fauna that drains has a better chance of getting back to the display tank to feed it there.


My 90g system (in my signature) have a Sump and Fuge as completely seperate tanks. Fuge Gravity drains into sump.

 

[tgeer]

Thanks. I was leaning in that direction for the setup. Is this correct that I will place a tee on the output from the show tanks with ball valves allowing a small percentage of water to flow into the refugium from the show tanks and the major amount of water flowing to the sump from the show tanks? I will also have an outflow from the refugium directly to the pump section of the sump tank bypassing the skimmer. Does this sound correct?

 

[BigAl07]

That sounds like what I have done and it's worked splendidly for Me (knocks on wood) for over 2 years now

 

[Eric]

I am doing a similar setup 2x55 gallons, one will be a fuge the other will be the sump. The display tank is a 65 gallon.

I will describe my layout but it is not complete yet, the 55 gallon tanks are on the other side of the wall from my DT, the 55s are stacked fuge on top, sump on the bottom. The DT drains right into the sump gets filtered as normal then is pumped back up to the DT, I am splitting the feed from the return pump that goes to the DT and it will also feed my fuge, from there it will go through the fuge and drain back into the sump near the intake for the return pump to DT and again to the fuge.

Al made a good point about dumping the drain from the fuge near the intake for the return to DT pump. You don't want to filter and skim all the good stuff out before it reaches the DT. I have to ask, Al how does the water get filtered mechanically? If you drains from the DT feed the fuge then dump into the sump at the return pump what feeds the skimmer ect?

Mostly it's up to you, we can offer ideas but in the go with what suits your needs.

 

[Eric]

Nevermind the question Al I completely over looked spiltting the drain.

Got it!

 

[tgeer]

If my show tank outputs are at 40 inches, the plumbing pipes are at 30 inches and the sump tank input is at – 48 inches then I see no issues with gravity feeding everything. Now if I stick the refugium under the show tanks then the output (side bulkhead) may be at the 15 inch level. Will water flow up to the 30 inch level of my horizontal output pipes to flow into the sump my gravity? OR Do I need to make sure that the 15 inch level of output pipe from the refugium is always flowing to a lower level. I hope I am making sense. Would I need to knock another hole in my wall say at the 10 inch level for water to flow our of the refugium?

 

[BigAl07]

Al made a good point a....

I get lucky now and again LOL!

Al how does the water get filtered mechanically? If you drains from the DT feed the fuge then dump into the sump at the return pump what feeds the skimmer ect? .

My drain from the DT is "T" off. About 10% - 20% goes into the fuge the rest directly into the sump where it gets skimmed.

 

[kblakely]

My drain from the DT is "T" off. About 10% - 20% goes into the fuge the rest directly into the sump where it gets skimmed.

When you say 10% - 20% do you know roughly how much flow that would be?

I'm kinda working on a similar set-up with a 92 corner with a 55g fuge and sump in the basement.

Don't mean to hijack this thread but I'm wondering if anyone has experimented with an algae scrubber in this set-up or would it be a one-or-the-other scenario (scrubber/refugium). Was kinda thinking the same thing that a portion of the return water would be directed toward the algae scrubber.

 

[burning2nd]

basically in short your makeing a 275g setup... split 2 ways...

your base or home will be the sump... everything has to be done in mind from there. you could eazly to two septrate return pump, or you can get in to some really engineering and use one pump with tees and valves and calculate it all out... but you would need very specific measurements for hight and length....

i say do it.. one large return.... (pool size). massive drains . and a few nicely placed tunze's,


on the other hand... haveing 2 displays separated would make for one nice content and variable for a test for scrubbers....


do it up


after reading that a 2nd time.. i see something else... your asking about that....

it should receive from output from the 90 gallon with a tee... and a service dissconnect on the tee side... so you could shut it off dissconnect it.. and still ahve your tank running

two tanks.... two drains ... two balll valves ... one drain has a tee .. with a ball valve.. both in to a sump... ( (imo) two return pumps and or two return sections) return to tanks both with service disconnects

 

[terry64]

I would tap off the water supply to the fuge from a skimmer output, what purer water can you get than freshly cleaned by the skimmer bubbles?

Terry.