Three fishnu-bie questions

fishnu · 09-21-2007, 01:41 PM

First question (assume 90 gallon tank with 30 gallon sump.....)

I am trying to understand the Plumbing for Sumps and Fuges. I'm not there yet. I see all these three chamber sumps with baffled fuges in the middle.
However I am being told the Fuge shouldn't have the same GPH that my tank is putting out.

So it seems logical to have two tanks. The Sump has input from overflow, with a sock to catch detritus, a skimmer, heating, cooling, small empty/filling pumps, a 900 gph return pump and a 300 gph pump running to the fuge. The Fuge has LS/LR, Life and an overflow back to the sump.

Does this make sense or is there an easier way?

Second question:

I purchased an older glass tank, which I am refinishing to mahogany, with a built in corner overflow box. However, there are no holes drilled in the tank or the box. Does the overflow box feed the sump just by a siphon tube sipping 2-3 inches below the waterline to minimize risk of flooding the sump?

Last question:

The overflow box (triangular shaped corner box) has 3-4 vertical sections in it. Are these for holding bioballs , filtration materials, etc?

Thanks for making me smarter.

Anselth · 09-21-2007, 02:12 PM

Well, if you want to slow down the flow through the fuge, you can do it relatively easily in a combination sump/refugium. Instead of placeing the fuge in the second chamber, put it on the far end with the return in the middle. This gives two benefits. First, by splitting the flow from the overflow with a "T" when you reach the sump, you can then install a gate valve on the section running to the fuge. The gate valve allows you to control the amount of flow into the fuge, while sending the rest of the water to the Skimmer. Second, you can increase the water volume of the refugium. Typically, you will have a low water level in your skimmer compartment. While you can increase the water level relatively easily with higher baffles and a stand for the skimmer, eventually you will run out of room to remove the skimmer cup. In turn, in a skimmer->fuge->return setup, your fuge level couldn't be higher than the skimmer section water level. on the flip, if both feed into the return independently, you could conceivably have a fuge that is almost as deep as the tank you use, increasing your total system volume.

09-21-2007, 01:41 PM	#1 (permalink)
fishnu Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Naperville, IL Posts: 998 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Three fishnu-bie questions First question (assume 90 gallon tank with 30 gallon sump.....) I am trying to understand the Plumbing for Sumps and Fuges. I'm not there yet. I see all these three chamber sumps with baffled fuges in the middle. However I am being told the Fuge shouldn't have the same GPH that my tank is putting out. So it seems logical to have two tanks. The Sump has input from overflow, with a sock to catch detritus, a skimmer, heating, cooling, small empty/filling pumps, a 900 gph return pump and a 300 gph pump running to the fuge. The Fuge has LS/LR, Life and an overflow back to the sump. Does this make sense or is there an easier way? Second question: I purchased an older glass tank, which I am refinishing to mahogany, with a built in corner overflow box. However, there are no holes drilled in the tank or the box. Does the overflow box feed the sump just by a siphon tube sipping 2-3 inches below the waterline to minimize risk of flooding the sump? Last question: The overflow box (triangular shaped corner box) has 3-4 vertical sections in it. Are these for holding bioballs , filtration materials, etc? Thanks for making me smarter.

09-21-2007, 02:12 PM	#2 (permalink)
Anselth Harlequin Tuskfish Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: South Jersey Posts: 929 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Three fishnu-bie questions Well, if you want to slow down the flow through the fuge, you can do it relatively easily in a combination sump/refugium. Instead of placeing the fuge in the second chamber, put it on the far end with the return in the middle. This gives two benefits. First, by splitting the flow from the overflow with a "T" when you reach the sump, you can then install a gate valve on the section running to the fuge. The gate valve allows you to control the amount of flow into the fuge, while sending the rest of the water to the Skimmer. Second, you can increase the water volume of the refugium. Typically, you will have a low water level in your skimmer compartment. While you can increase the water level relatively easily with higher baffles and a stand for the skimmer, eventually you will run out of room to remove the skimmer cup. In turn, in a skimmer->fuge->return setup, your fuge level couldn't be higher than the skimmer section water level. on the flip, if both feed into the return independently, you could conceivably have a fuge that is almost as deep as the tank you use, increasing your total system volume. __________________ -Adam Learning on the fly My 70 Gallon Reef My 110 Gallon Build

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