| You'll have a hard time incorporating that as a sump/refugium combo for one reason: That low bulkhead between the 2 compartments. That is going to limit the depth of your refugium sandbed, else you suck sand through the system that will kill pumps in short order.
If you are serious about designing this, you want to block that hole, and drill yet another much higher up, where you want the surface of the water to be. You also might want to consider a baffle right before the exit bulkheads in the second (right side) compartment. This will ensure that water has to fall over into the return chamber, again keeping sand at a minimum.
You can use this chamber, but it's going to take a little re-construction.
Just remember to keep with the principals here:
Sump chamber first....
Overflow to refugium chamber......
Overflow to final chamber......
Water always drains to lowest point....
AND......
Always make the final (return pump) chamber as big as possible.
Because the water drains to the lowest point, that lowest point is where your pump goes. However, this lowest point is also going to be where all your evaporated water shows up as missing, meaning levels sway and need topped off. The bigger the chamber, the less often topoff is needed. If a drip system is in play, the last consideration may be neglected.
-HTH-
Cos |