Refugium & Sump Setup

I plan to have a sump w/ my setup. My LFS uses a sump w/ LS & LR. I asked him about a fuge and he said he hasn't had a need for one. It seems beneficial to have both.

In a typical refugium/sump setup what is the order of water flow?

water flow from display tank ->sump->refugium ->back to display tank

or water flow from display tank ->sump->refugium ->back to sump -> then to back to the display tank

Also, I will have a 40g sump. Should the refugium be the same size or larger?

GaMmA

 

I always thought it would be nice to tee off the drain to the sump and have one flow go into the refugium that would sit above the sump and drain into it. That way the raw water goes to it before it hits a skimmer, carbon, etc.. They don't have to be as big as the sump. I always like the long and shallower ones which light can penetrate better.

What I am suggesting isn't the most practical though, many just divide up their sump with baffles and have a refugium in it. Some put the refugium above the tank itself, feed it with a powerhead, and let it drain back into the tank via gravity.

Check this out:
http://www.3reef.com/refugiums.shtml

 

Ive got two outlets on my overflow box one feeds the fuge the other the sump.
Then from the fuge to the sump I got an overflow box going into the sump.I only have one return pump

 

So the water gets pumped back to the display tank from the sump. Are there any benefits having the water split to the sump and the fuge instead of the water going directly into the fuge only, then to the sump, then back to the display tank?

I'm getting the idea that there are several different ways to setup a sump and refugium.

 

Yeah. There are a ton of ways.
To answer your question, one benefit of splitting the flow is you can control how fast it goes through the refugium.

 

Like Matt says, thats why I did it like that

 

So does that mean ideally you'd want the water to go through the refugium at a slower rate than through the sump?

 

Yes it gives the macro time to convert "use up" nutrients

 

so it's easier to have a sump that's seperated by baffles and has a refuge in it. How would I do that.

 

why do some overflow boxes have dual outlets. Do u need dual outlets for just running a refuge w/ it.