HOB skimmer on a refugium?

so i currently have a 55gal tank that i'm using a HOB skimmer on, with no refugium.

i plan on upgrading to a 90 gal soon, and using my current 55gal as a refugium, can i still use my HOB skimmer on it? has anyone ever done this?

anyone know of any plans for the build of something like this?

 

Yes I have known lots of people use tunze 600 hob skimmers on their sumps because they are so good
So in answering yes you can

 

Just keep in mind that your sump's depth and water level will have to be higher then the average sump.

 

Most HOB skimmers are for a display tank which is close to full. A sump or refugium usually operates 1/2 to 2/3 full so the suction on the skimmer may not reach the water level. Another option is to baffle off a refugium in one end of the 55G sump/refugium with a higher operating level than the return section so it will still work. I split my overflow plumbing so it feeds the sump but also brances off to a taller refugium on one end so it overflows back to the center section of the sump. At te time I had a HOB skimmer but soon switched to an in sump variety which was much more efficient.

 

I plan on using my AquaC Remora HOB in my sump. I know that there are many people that use them for the same application. I am also going to be using the same set up as AZDR.

My sump will be like this: in order of left to right - Skimmer Section, 3 baffles, Return Section, 1 baffle, and Refugium. My Skimmer section will be big enough for my HOB but also able to hold an in sump style skimmer when I upgrade. I will have 3 baffles about 1 1/4" apart. My return section will not be very big at all, I don't think it will hold much more then 9 gallons. My refugium will be the biggest part of the sump, and I will have a DSB with some rock rubble and macroalgae in it.

I have studied about the designs of sumps and this is the best way I have seen work. I may do some other small changes that seem to be beneficial such as, putting a place for ATO reservoir, reactor sections, and salt mixing section, but the jury is still out on it.

 

It seems like you are using the term refugium in place of sump, but since I don't see anyone else touching on this, it would be bad to have your skimmer in the refugium portion of your sump.

Much better to have the skimmer in it's own chamber and up stream of the refugium, or not in the same path, if possible.

 

yes, stepho, I was. sorry about that.
what u are saying is exactly what I was planning on doing(having my HOB skimmer on the refugium portion of my sump) why is that bad?

 

Just make sure it can still withstand a poweroutage without overflowing.

 

Maybe i could just DIY it and extend the inlet & outlet so it reached down further?

 

Im doing the same thing with upgrade. 60 to a 90. But my Eshoppes HOB is too tall for my sump