sump,fuge ?'s

so i would like to get rid of this HOB skilter thing on my tank eventually... so i am wondering what size tank should i get to build my own fuge.i have a 55 gallon tank. it is going to be a FOWLR with some corals placed about.. & a good clean up crew... & what is the diffrence between sump & fuge? (sorry for the stupid newbie question there) is there any links for a step by step process.. last what do i put in it? any help would be appreciated... im just looking for ideas right now..cash is low so i cant jump right in to it till next month sometime..

 

Hey Saltydogg how's your tank coming along? As they say in this hobby bigger is better. I would recommend going with the biggest you can fit under your cabinet comfortably. But for a 55 I would do a minium 20g long. The long 20 gallon because it 30 inches long which would give you plenty of room for divisions.

A sump will be have an area for a protein skimmer, live rocks and sand (if you wish), bubble traps and an area for your return pump. This also gives you a chance to get your heater out of your DT as well as other items such as thermometers, etc.

A refugium has no protein skimmer. Some use mud for a bed others use a deep sand bed, live rock, chaeto, mangrove or some other sort of marine plant. The refugium also has a light which runs opposite you main DT lights. The opposite cycle helps with Ph swings most tanks experience overnight. The refugium is also used as a safe haven for pods.

You can also do a combination sump and refugium where as one side holds the protein skimmer and the other (opposite side) is the refugium and your return pump sits in the middle.

As for links you can search this site for DIY projects on sumps and refugium. I'm actually running both. I have the sump below and a HOB refugium. Also search for DIY HOB refugium you may be surprised and find that you can convert you skilter into an HOB refugium. I know some have done that with AquaClear's.

 

hey elcucuu the tank is going slow..8) still in its cycle with parameters as of yesterday were ammonia 2-4ppm,nitrites 1-2ppm,nitrates are 20-40ppm..it has really taught me some patience..8) thanks for the info i got a lot better understanding now... i have checked out some of those diy threads & got some good ideas also...

 

Talk about patience. We are neck in neck with our cycles. I'm about bursting at the seems with this but I've got to hold on. Hey if you can convert your Hob filter into a refugium it would be great. I went with an HoB myself because I plan on having it for pods and because of that it is better for the pods if they don't have to go thought the return pump. The Hob allows them to cascade into the DT inside of being suck through an impeller.

 

A skilter has a biological filter in it. A sump has nothing. A fuge is not really a biological filter. It is a refuge for pods which you want for corals.

So... the live rock you will have is your biological filter. A skimmer in your fuge will mechanically filter out waste. A compartment with a some macro algae will mop up nitrates and phosphates... but those things really are not much a of a concern in FOWLR. I mean those are much more of a problem to corals.

A sump with skimmer is super easy.

Here you go.
http://www.3reef.com/forums/reef-aquarium-articles-how-tos/all-about-sumps-filters-fuges-79852.html