How big of a refugium

I am thinking of building a refuge,I have a 65 gal tank, and currently am using a wet dry filter, I am thinking of doing away with that and building a homemade refuge/sump. I have a 10 gal tank on hand, but I just dont think that is big enough, I looked at a 20 gal long tank, and think it will work fine, but is that big enough>

 

If its going to be an add on, size doesnt matter. If its going to be your main filtration, it should be 20% of your DT. At 65g, a 20g is more than enough. Luna

 

yeah gonna be all I got, gonna do a refuge/sump together

 

jmho

20 gal good size for yoyr fuge, for a sump/fuge may be a little cramped. I run a 45gal sump fuge on my 75.

 

how bout a 29 gal tank then? will that work

 

for a 75 i'm doing a 29 sump and 10g fuge so a 20 and a 10 really would work fine I'd think

 

5 to 10 max. actually 5 is all you'd really need ..for the average stocked tank.. 10% of the main tanks volume is the best I ever found I run a 15 on a 180 . then I run about 10 to 15 GPH through the fuge . I mean you will only produce so much plant fertilizer in a 65 reef ..

 

o.k. heres what I came up with, tell me what you think, this is using a 29 gal for a sump/fuge. Will this work and be sufficant for my only filtration system[/url][/IMG]

 

If you are asking m what I think of your plan ? I'd say way way overly thought and you have read to much from the newer guys ? I really don't think people understand any longer what a Refugio is and how it works ? But then again I had had them to argue with what I say and not having even had a operating swamp only from whats been floated around the net . But if I where me and I have had this same conversation over the entire weekend with someone who may have read your source also ? Looked like the same plan to me..

If it where myself I;d simple do away with all the dividers you have and little baffles .. and simple add a divider on one end of the 29 with a sheet of something to about 2 inches below the 29 top rim and about 8 to 10 inches So that you can add a DAB with some good plants and add a very slow flow and then simple put the pump and skimmer and what ever on the non fudge area of the sump. that will be fed on the main drain to sump and then a tee and valve to feed the fudge. Just bring the main sump feed right down next to the divider for the fudge and on both feed line go to the very bottom add 2 W's to form a U like tube then in the fudge make that about 5 inch long so the 4 or so inch sand bed is just below the outlet of the stub in the U and on the sump side about the same thing so its just above the operating level of the sump when running.

I had a engineer for 2 yrs almost to tell me his Nitrates where high and what I was saying had to be wrong well after messing around for that time he stood in my living room last Feb and said you know you where right! I slowed the flows and added the plants removed the cheado and nitrates all gone ! and PO4 are falling what do you think about me adding Vodka ! LOL, I said will I would not put it in my systems why do you feel you need to now ?? to try and control nonexistent NO3's ? He said no but just incase they return and I've been reading is supposed to help ?

 

thanks