Sump/Refugium Question

Alright im upgrading my 75gallon to a 120 gallon. The big question is can i make a 75 gallon sump/refuge for the 120. The deminsions of the 75 gallon is (48,18,21)in. I was thinking if I made a refugium how deep should i make the sandbed? Because If i am able to do a 75g sump/fuge I will have a alot of work to mess with. The tank is also 21in. So i have to make the refugium tall enough for the light to be able to make everything grow.

 

I would make the baffles 16" high leaving plenty of extra space for emergency overflow protection. The 75 gives you lots of space for a fuge with a DSB. If your gonna use mud then put about a 2" layer on the bottom then add 3" to 4" of the finest grained sand you can find. sand

 

Alright cool thanks, now i just need to do the math and sketch something out. "witch i suck at lol"

 

i am guessing it will have to be a custom stand, cause the 75 and 120 are both 48 inches so fitting the 75 under the 120 will be tough. you might be better off getting a old 55 or 29 off craigslist or something. you could put the 75 elsewhere and do something else with it


ha, forgot 55 is 48 too. would still be tough

 

keep it simple, here is how mine is setup in a 40gal breeder



the compartment on the left is 12" and holds my skimmer as well as receives the overflow from the tank. The right compartment is the fuge and is also 12", both flow into the center compartment where the pump returns it to the display tank.

 

yeah i doubt that will fit under your stand. plus how you gonna get your skimmer out if your gonna get one? you should do bio balls running to a fuge! then skimmer chamber then return!!! that would be awesome!

 

DO NOT do bioballs! they will become a Nitrate factory and defeat the purpose of the fuge.
They may be right about the 75 not fitting unless you have or build a custom stand

 

okay well do some other crap? idk. just an idea.

 

I have a question? I am new to aquariums. You say the bio balls become nitrate factories. Dont they need to have nitrite to make that. and for that matter amonia. So arent they just doing there job? Or are they actually produceing additional nitrates? Just a question.

 

back to topic, well the location im putting my 120g is beside a bedroom. My plan was to get a buddy who will cut out 2 holes in wall and keep the 75 gallon on the other side. I wish i could do a inwall aquarium but parents wont let me. But they did give me a go with cutting the two small holes to fit the tube from overflow box and return tube. And didnt mention 120g is a long