Refugium Question

[TSRoth]

Hi all!

I'm new to the forum and already have my first question..

My wife and I picked up an old home made refugium sump this weekend and I'd like to get your thoughts on it. First things first, it needs to be cleaned!

After doing some research, the baffle placement doesn't look like your typical refugium. I've got a long ways to go before I hook it up and some more research to do, but for $20 I couldn't pass it up.

Please take a look at the picture and let me know what you think. If you notice on the end opposite the bio balls, there are three square pieces of glass adhered to the inside walls on both sides. Any idea what they would be for?

Thanks!
Tom

[zy112]

I would def take the bio balls out. It looks like it could be a good refugium though. Usually refugiums will have a sand bed, a little live rock and caulerpa or chaeto.

[prow]

looks ok, the mid i beleive is the refugium and the baffleing after teh refugium looks to be used for heater and probe placement or maybe auto topoff valve placement. the glass with the square pieces looks like its covering drilled holes that had bulkheads and were used for external pumps/skimmer and/or to attach to another sump.

[TSRoth]

Originally Posted by zy112

I would def take the bio balls out. It looks like it could be a good refugium though. Usually refugiums will have a sand bed, a little live rock and caulerpa or chaeto.

The bio balls will be comming out. I haven't been a big fan of them in my wet/dry. Seems as though I've gotten better results with live rock.

I was thinking of a sand/mud bed with live rock and caulerpa. I want a good place to grow some copeopods. We would like to get a maderine goby. Still alot of research to do yet though.

[TSRoth]

Originally Posted by prow

looks ok, the mid i beleive is the refugium and the baffleing after teh refugium looks to be used for heater and probe placement or maybe auto topoff valve placement. the glass with the square pieces looks like its covering drilled holes that had bulkheads and were used for external pumps/skimmer and/or to attach to another sump.

When I first looked at it, I thought the same thing you did about the square pieces. The round circle they look to be covering is actually a round dab of silicon that has been spread out by pushing the square pieces on the glass.

I thought maybe filter trays would sit on top of them, but that wouldn't make much sense on the exit end of the refugium.

[Dentoid]

The three pieces of glass on the left appear to be a bubble trap gone awry. The middle piece should have gone to the bottom. As water passes through the bubble trap, smaller bubbles have time to rise and be removed from the incoming water before they can reach the display via the return pump. If that is a bubble trap, it wasn't constructed properly.

Where would you put the return pump in that set-up? If you use the middle as the refugium, which I agree with, it doesn't look a lot of room at either end for a return pump.

[zy112]

The peice to the right could be moved if possible to provide more room. Tough call.

[TSRoth]

After taking a close look at it, I believe I can move a couple of pieces to give me some space and make it work pretty easily.
The six square pieces 'glued' to the inside wall can be removed pretty easily. The others I should be able to cut out and shift down to make room for an internal pump. My other thought was to run the tank to the glass shop next door and have them drill a hole in the side for an external pump. Thoughts/opinions?

[tbittner]

What are the dimensions of the three sections? Are the separators glass also?

[TSRoth]

See attached picture for dimensions. All the pieces are glass and siliconed in place.

[prow]

i would either redo most of it, or get it drilled if you can, for a external pump.