DIY Refugium - What size baffles?

I have a 40 gallon breeder. 36x18x17. I need to know how many baffles I'll need to make this work. I will make the drain/skimmer section 17" wide, the refuge section 13" and the return 6". Of course, these are just estimates as the baffles will take up some space. Can I get away with just 4 baffles? I was thinking of making the baffles 11" tall. Would this be OK? Is there a specific formula I need to follow? All opinions are welcomed. If anyone can provide some plans/sketches, it would be appreciated.

 

4 baffles should be fine. 11 inches will be fine but you may need to make a stand for your skimmer to work correctly.

 

Thanks. I plan on raising the skimmer. The skimmer outlet is at about 8-9 inches from the bottom of the skimmer. The 1st and 4th baffle will be raised. Is 1 inch enough? Also, I'd like to space the 3rd and 4th baffles far enough to fit some foam pad to reduce micro bubbles from entering the last chamber. What width should this space be?

 

I am not following you too well on the baffles. you will need one to separate the refuge from the return area and 3 as a bubble trap. The first and last baffles are down normally and the middle is up. You should go with 1" to 1.5" separation between the baffles and the second baffle should be that same distance above the bottom.

 

Keep it that high, the return suction incurs the wrath of all your tanks surface volume evaporation in just that little 6"s, so if a can expand that area a bit, may not be a bad idea. And get ready to top it off everyday or get an ATO.

 

I've seen the following: Drain, then 2 baffles, refuge area, then 2 baffles, sometimes 3, then the return area. What would be the difference between 2 or 3 baffles between the refuge and the return area? Sorry if these questions are dumb, but this will be my first refugium.

 

Cosmo. I have an ATO.

 

This is what I did for my 20l , kinda wish I added that 3rd baffle from the sump area, but it works fine. I'd make the sump section smaller and increase the return and fuge area.

 

Ideally you want the refuge to be on the opposite side of the drain and running with a very low flow into the return section. The refuge is less effective after the skimmer since the skimmer will remove most of what feeds the algae in the refuge.

 

OK cosmo. I'm trying to figure out your setup. I have the same skimmer, I think. Mine is the 240. Anyway, your return is in the middle. How is your refuge being fed? The area in the middle is kinda bright, so I can't tell.