Need Xpt help on Refug set up

Hey all

I have 2 biocubes, one is a 29 gallon which is my main tank and a 14 gallon that i'm planning on converting it into a refug. I know that if you want to have a refug then you need to put it below ur main tank for the drain to work, but is it possible to have it one next to the other and still make it work? And IF this works, how big of an overflow box should i have to drain the water?

i'm really new to this and i've tried looking at all the refug guides and still really confuse. Any help is greatly appreciate!

here are some pictures to let u have an idea of what i'm trying to do.

 

I have tried to setup similar tank arrangements in the past and it has not worked well for me .

The real issue of regulating the flow from your main tank to the fuge and back is going to be tricky. Using an overflow with tanks with water levels so close is going to be prone failure resulting in flooding one of the tanks.

Something you could lookinto would be using two very small adjustable powerheads (with adjustable flowrates) and using one to pump water to the fuge and one to pump water back to the main tank, each attached to eletronic water level controlers to shut off pumps if the levels become unbalanced. Its not a cheap or simple solution but it one way of approaching the problem... I'll give it some more thought maby there is another simple solution...

 

Ahhhhh......DON'T DO IT!!!

One of my former partners wanted to do something similar but on a much larger scale. 2 300 gallon Rubbermaid Tubs connected to a 3000 gallon coral quarantine pond. I said, don't do it.....there's better ways if you want to add a refugium. Then I went home.

Well, the moron did it anyway. I came in the next morning to find $5000 worth of corals sitting in the air and 2000 gallons of water on the floor and also into the office and also into the auto parts store next door (Boy was he mad).

BTW....PDCCO, Karma to you....great post

 

thanks guys! i'm so sad that i can't connect the refug to my main tank , i don't know what to do now....

 

Well, the tank looks like it's doing great without it anyways;D

 

The only way that you'll be able to pull a side-by-side tank-refugium, is to do what PDCCO suggested. Thats why most ppl place the refugium below, to take advantage of gravity and the return pump. Luna

 

Thanks for ur help guys! appreciate it alot