My Fuge Idea

[Saltwater Noob]

Will this work for a fuge I thought it up due to the fact it incoperates my wet/dry I all ready have and it will make it easier to get it all under my stand. The fuge return part will be a little 10 gal tank. and I can use my aquaC remora HOB skimmer hanging on the wet dry here is a drawing please give me your guys feedback

Thanks
Dan

[AQTCJAK]

The only issue I can see with this is normally you want a fuge to flow very slow. So I would see about plumbing it with a low volume pump back to the sump & return to your tank there

[Saltwater Noob]

how would I do that? and the skimmer is in the sump guess i could leave it on the tank

[AQTCJAK]

What is the sump? your drawing looks like an AGA Sump

[Rcpilot]

Maybe like this?

Use the small powerhead as AQTCJAK suggested. That way the water isn't rushing through the refugium too fast.

Top view:
Probably not the right spot for the powerhead in the refugium.


And a side view:
This might be a better spot for the powerhead in the refugium.


So, you have an inlet and a return on the sump. But you just bypass water, at a slow flow rate, into the refugium and back into the sump. A bypass loop, I guess.

This way, you can have the flow that you need in the sump, but keep it at a lower rate in the refugium.

[Frankie]

Scary. I see a flood happening when the power go's off. I would not return the fuge water to the sump like that. The chamber you return to the tank from is going to determine the water level. I would make that area the spot just after the refugium.

[Frankie]

When the power go's of in that design, the sump is going to fill up from overflow water. Then it will push to the refugium that has no power now to keep the water level stable. The refugium will be where i see a flood happening

[Rcpilot]

If you leave the water level low enough in the sump and refugium, then it can't flood. Once the tank level drops enough to stop the water from flowing into the overflow box, it's done filling the sump and refugium. As long as there is enough capacity in the sump and refugium to absorb that display tank water until the overflow stops, the sump and refugium will not overflow.

So, you adjust your overflow box at the right height in the display tank so that the water level can't overflow enough to ever fill the sump and refugium. The siphon overflow gets stopped as the tank level drops before the sump and refugium ever fill up to flood point.

You have to have the baffles in the sump and refugium set at the right height to absorb, maybe 4 or 5 gallons when the power fails. The refugium is 10g and that wet/dry is probably 10g. Thats 20g total capacity. If you run them both at 50% capacity, you'd still have to siphon the display down 10g to make it flood in the sump/refugium. By the time you get 10g out of the display tank, the water level will be 2" below the intake for the overflow. Can't happen.

The powerhead can't siphon anything. The discharge pipe from the powerhead goes up higher than the sump or refugium. Even at full capacity. Water cannot siphon uphill without some assistance. And if it does, it's going to continuously siphon from the sump--into the refugium--out the powerhead--and back to the sump. Can't go anywhere.

When the power starts again, the sump pump is going to suck the sump down to normal level much faster than the refugium powerhead can pump the refugium dry and fill the sump to the overflow point. When the tank starts to fill from the sump--it will eventually reach the point where it starts the overflow again. If your siphon didn't break-- you're back in business. Water levels in the sump and refugium drop back to normal levels.

So, why doesn't it work? Not being a smarty pants. I really don't see why it won't work. If somebody knows, please tell me. I'm a newb.

[Saltwater Noob]

Hey Rc that looks great so the I would put the main return in the compartment with the skimmer in the sump. Also what size pump should I use in the fuge to return the water to the sump how many gph?

I added the return to the display in the pic to make sure I have it right

[Rcpilot]

I'd use a little bitty 40GPH or 80GPH powerhead on the refugium. At 100GPH--if the fuge is 50% full--you're turning it over 20x per hour. Thats moving pretty fast for a refugium, IMO. Get one of those mini-jet powerheads that puts out like 40GPH or 60GPH.

The return pump from the sump-- thats where I'd put it--right where you drew it.

You might put in a couple baffles near the skimmer for a bubble trap.

[Frankie]

I agree with all you said RC!
Maybe i was looking at the drawing and seeing the refugium tank being shorter then the sump tank. If there equal size tanks and the water line at shut off stops at the smaller tanks hight it should work as you say. If the refugium is much smaller like in the drawing then the water in the sump will force over to the refugium causing an overspill. Am i making sense?
I didn't see your post as being a "smartie pants" It was a good post imo!

[Rcpilot]

Yes, that does make sense.

[BigAl07]

couldn't you just "T" off the drain and make a small "feeder" line from there to the fuge and then have the fuge gravity feed into the sump? This would simplify the system and minimize "flooding" in the event of something happens to the MAIN drain/pump system.

Allen

[Rcpilot]

Well, make it simple why don't ya?

I like Al's idea better.

[framerguy]

I was thinking on Big Als line of thinking. With a small line t-ing and going to the fuge you get unfiltered water that fuges like. Put a valve on it so you can regulate the flow as you like.