Help with novel (?) sump/refugium idea

I am fairly new at this and want to build a sump/refugium from an old 40 gal aquarium. (Beneath a 150 G working reef tank). Thought to put the catch bag and skimmer (ASM G-3) at one end and rocks/sand/plants in an ajoining chamber. The "novel" part is to put a false bottom in the 40 gal tank and in the 4-5" space beneath the false bottom put Figi Mud or something like that with an inch or two of water flowing above. On one of two return pumps I will put a "Y" connector and valve. One line from the "Y" connector (with the control valve) I will insert into the false bottom to allow a low-flow of water over the mud. A vent will be installed at the other end. Question: Does the mud need any light? It won't get any here. Does this make sense? Any ideas on what type of substrate to use in the 'lower' chamber? Your ideas will be much appreciated.

 

I am by no means a mud expert but one thing I recall about mud setups like the EcoSystem :



... is that you are supposed to replace the mud every now and then and replace it with fresh mud.

So with your setup, if that principle still applies, you will have a heck of a time doing so without turning your tank into a mud storm.

 

thans for the response. Could I use something other than mud? Fine sand? Anything to get the good de-nitrifying bacteria going. The substrate could be accessed, but it would be a hastle. Better to use something that could stay there. Any ideas will be appreciated.

Merry Christmas!!

 

Ya know, I completely misread your post the first time and thought you were talking about putting a 'false bottom' in your display tank, not a sump. : A sump would definitely be easier to work with.

More and more people are moving a majority of their sand to your sump. I think the idea though is to keep it accessible for occasional maintenance and not cover it with a false bottom. What exactly would the false bottom add to the design? - Reduced disturbance?

Merry Christmas to you too! :xmas:

 

I'm not sure you would need to use the False bottom idea. You could just put the mud/Sand in the same area you plan on putting the macro algae (Plants) and rock. this would also allow the Algae to anchor to something. I don't think there would be any addition benefits to the false bottom.
Unless you were planning on making it a anaerobic area but the flow would have to be very slow and the mud/sand would not be needed

Sound cool though.


J

 

I thought the thickness of the mud/sand was the primary determinant of the anaerobic activity in the substrate. With the amount of flow acceptable to the refugium in general, I don't think you need to hassle with a false bottom.

 

What I am trying to do is make a COMBINED refugium and sump. Under the false bottom would be some substrate for anaerobic bacteria to grow. The water flow will be slow and controlled because some return water will be directed under to false bottom. Above the false bottom is to be the filter bag / skinner (one end with a divider) and the rest is a refugium with sand, rocks and plants. The idea is in the footprint of a 40 gal old aquarium I have double the sand surface for water to interact. The questions are: Is it worth the trouble? What substrate to use in the "lower" chamber (where the water flow is slow) - best something that does not require light or servicing very often. What substrate and stuff (plants, etc) to use in the "upper chamber" which of course gets light.

Your help and ideas are REALLY appreciated (I have 11 kids and this is a major family project!).

Dan

 

I just read an article in a reef magazine about refugiums and the author who is a marine biologist stated that there is a new study that has shown that sand beds as shallow as 1" depth have fairly good anaerobic activity and that it increases with depth of the sand bed. Unfortunately he did not give any references for this study. This article also talked about jubert systems, something like your describing and said there is no benefit over sand beds and refugiums.
The magazine article was from the 2006 Annual Vol. 8 of Marine Fish And REEF. The title of the article is The Benefits of Photosynthetic Refugiums.

 

That is what we are talking about doing. You don't need a false bottom. It can all be done in the same chamber. Do a search on sumps, there are lots of good threads. Here is one of my fav links. I used him to help point me in the right direction with my sump. http://www.melevsreef.com/

 

I wanna know where you're finding the time to set up a tank!