sump or scrap parts?

[KodiakBear]

I started out with a pretty simple setup. Just my tank and a 1gal canister filter (fluval 304 to be precise). After hearing the benefits of a sump, I decided to build one. Starting to think I should have read up on it more.
This is what I've got:
My intake comes from an overflow box, through some 1inch PVC... Flows through the filter, bioballs, then charcoal to enter through the 3 inch sand bed in what I had intended as a refugium. It then goes to the 3rd chamber where I have my protein skimmer and return pump. The return line is a 3/4 inch tube.
Now, I didn't want the Fluval to go to waste; so, instead of buying a large return pump,I connected a small "booster pump" to its suction to make up for the lost siphon pressure that the fluval is designed for. This seems to be working decently so far (though I'm still trying to tweak in a little more flow from it). My concern lies with the refugium. It seems as though every fuge/sump combo I've seen since I've made this has the fuge and return opposite of what I've built.
Will this design still work as a refugium, or should I scrap it and start over? Anyone have any ideas for how I can improve the pump combination's output?
Just looking for some opinions here, and I'm pretty good at taking constructive criticisms, so please don't feel like you should hold back.

[Woodstock]

It will work fine. Most people design the refugium so the pods leaving it will only be subject to one pump (return) and not the skimmer and return. The idea is that more of the pods will survive the journey up into the main display. While I am sure this is true, not all pods will die with a multi-pump route and indeed many will make it up into the display.

My newly made sump/refugium is set up similar to yours as the pods will pass the skimmer and then on to the return pump.

Remember that the refugium is not only a pod-farm but also and macro algae export center I focus on growing/exporting macro algae in my refugium.

BTW.. for those of you with phosban reactors, take a look inside it and you'll see lots of pods swimming around. They are tough little buggers

[lcstorc]

Is this for a reef setup or FO?
If it is for a reef I would ditch the bio-balls and the Fluval. Both will become nitrate factories and coral does not like nitrates. If it is a FO or FOWLR then don't worry about it as fish are much more tollerant of nitrates than corals are.
If you objective with the fuge involves increasing your pod population and there is room, I would move the skimmer into the first chamber where the bio-balls now are so the pods do not have to go through the skimmer. If it won't fit don't worry about it. Many will get through, but the fewer pumps they have to go through the better.
JMHO

[Woodstock]

Ditto to Lynn regarding the bioballs and fluval.

Another note, if the fluval has mechanical filtration such as floss, that will certainly inhibit the pods from making it to the main display.

[DeepBlue]

Hmmm...where to begin? Well, the first thing I would do, is remove the bioballs. These are notorious for being nitrate factories. I might consider switching the fuge over to where you have the return now. I would then put live rock in the fuge area. Use the booster pump to provide the flow from the return section into your fuge area. The slower the flow, the better through the fuge. The water then should overflow back into the return section and the Fluval can pump back to your tank. The skimmer I would place in the first section with your charcoal at the bottom of the first section and perhaps a polishing block leading into the center section. This will help remove the air bubbles.

[KodiakBear]

The goal is to turn my tank into a reef/fish system. As for the bioballs... I understand that they produce Nitrates, but they do that by first converting ammonia to Nitrite, then Nitrate. I have a little more than 1lb LR per Gallon, and a 3 inch sand bed for the anaerobic denitrification. Before I had the Bioballs I was having spikes in the ammonia levels, now there's hardly ever any ammonia (although the nitrates do stay around 7ppm).
There's another discussion in the general reef aquarium forum titled: "Bio Balls, is this really why???" that's been debating on the value of bioballs in a reef tank. I'll be keeping an eye on that for more about the bioballs.
As for the the fluval, I do not usually keep floss in it, though there is right now as I'm currently fighting an algae bloom and want as much mechanical filtration as possible until the brown starts going away.
All things considered, I think I'm going to scrap the sump and start on a new design. I'll let ya'll critique it once I've got it started. Thanks for all your inputs. You have given me a lot of good ideas to start the new design.