Fuge - Am I doing this right?

I agree this this. I looked over a bunch of designs at one point and I liked it much better having the fuge in the center.

I'd do Input, skimmer, baffle, baffle, fuge, baffle, return.

 

Thanks all. Absorbing and processing the healthy competing ideas. I have more questions but currently on friend's iPhone.

 

OK, here is what I am still confused about - and please be patient as spatial problems like this take a while for me to process - If I put the fuge in the center, as most seem to suggest, how do I get the water to go slowly enough in the fuge without splitting the input?

 

Not pointless.

We know the skimmer will feed into refugium. However, people often DO split the drain between the skimmer and refugium (regardless of locations). Some people prefer the idea of raw water entering the refugium. ((Even though, most likely not all of the drain water entering the skimmer section will be "skimmed")) If you look, the original poster split the lines, so I was only trying to accommodate for those numbers.

I think having the right size return pump allows for acceptable flows throughout the system. Adding a ball valve to the return line allows you to slow the overall flow, if needed--which slows the flow through the sump. I'm sure there are some other ideas out there.

As you've seen, lots of opinions on layouts, plumbing, flow, etc...

 

Split the drain as you originally suggested – this is the only way to reduce the flow in the refugium absent of an additional pump. I don’t know why people would suggest the refugium in the middle, this is blatantly incorrect for the set up you are going after. People do this when they want a high flow refugium for cheato growth – this is not what you are asking about so it should not have been suggested absent of a good reason why it would be better than your idea.

Split the drains and have the return section in the middle, the high flow can drop into one chamber that also houses the skimmer. The other side chamber would be the refugium with the low flow and the middle they both flow to and return to the tank. In this set up the beneficial pod’s from the refugium would find their way to the DT unimpeded by the skimmer.

 

Stating what works for me isnt incorrect or wrong. it works better for me than splitting the drain and having the fuge on the end of the sump. I dont see anywhere where the OP said he didnt want a high flow refugium. He simple saw designs on 3reef and other sites and is trying to figure out how to make it work.
Dont shoot down my advice because you dont beleive in it. i have a sandwich bag every 2 weeks full of cheato im throwing out that prove it works.

 

OP has 5 gallons per hour feeding into his refugium, I think that's sufficient to indicate a slow refugium.

I didn't say it wouldn't work, I said it wasn't what he was after based on his post and design.

 

I was just saying i have tried both ways and in the center worked better for me. the OP can take it for what its worth.

 

I hear ya, I have been at this hobby since high school (1987) and I have tried various refugium set-ups as well. I am always a fan of saying what works for one doesn't necessarily mean it will work for another. Refugiums are used for different reasons, one might be using it mainly for the reduction nitrates where another is after more stability via reverse photo. Cheato is considered the safer way to go, so I'll give it that much. I like growing various macro's, including bubble and cyano bacteria. I have found that a slower refugium alots more options for growth to resolve more in the DT. I too grow cheato in a 10 gallon per hour flowing refugium. Pod's will also multiply in a safe haven of a slow refugium supplying the DT a steady food source. My mandarin goby is many years old. a fast moving cheato is safe and will not die off so you never run the risk of releasing pollutants - its all a give an take I suppose

 

@DBOSHIBBY and @Crimson Ghost.

Kudos for handling your disagreement in a productive manner despite the obvious tension. By watching the disagreement play-out, and hearing the reasoning on both sides, I learned more from the last handful of posts than just about anything else I've read so far.

As a novice, the volume of information on every single aspect of this hobby makes evaluating the advantages of all the different options seem impossible.

It is now apparent from your posts that I need to do a better job of defining for myself my goals for the refugium before I worry about the design. That should have been obvious but it didn't really click until you guys helped me see it.

Thanks.