Greefer Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Hello everyone, I would like to get people's advice on this item I saw on eBay. It is a refugium kit to convert a standard 10 gallon tank. I happen to have a spare 10g, so I got interested. http://cgi.ebay.com/PRO-Refugium-kit-for-glass-aquarium-wet-dry-filter-sump_W0QQitemZ300120313779QQihZ020QQcategoryZ3212QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I would like to place a refugium over the main tank. But I've never set one up before and I have plumbing questions. Such as: 1. Using the kit above, how does water get back to the main display. Naturally, I would prefer it to be gravity but I don't think that is going to be possible with that setup. 2. If it is fed back to the main display using a pump, what kind of pump should I use? 3. How do you balance the flow between the input and output if there are 2 pumps? 4. If it isn't 2 pumps, and some sort of siphon is taking place...what happens if the pump fails or the siphon is interrupted? Thanks for any info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 I am planning for the same thing in the future (several months). I was going to use a small pump to go up to the fuge, then a bulkhead and a durso standpipe for the return (gravity feed). Use google to search Durso standpipe, and read about it on his page. It should be simple to do. I am going to watch this thread for ideas! dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share Posted June 18, 2007 The Durso standpipe looks like a good idea. But that would mean I would need to have my 10gallon fuge drilled through the bottom right? Is there an over the tank design that I could look at that wouldn't require drilling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share Posted June 18, 2007 Would this other eBay item work for the over the tank refugium I am talking about? http://cgi.ebay.com/Quietflo-600-OVERFLOW-Wet-Dry-Filter-REFUGIUM_W0QQitemZ190122499177QQihZ009QQcategoryZ46310QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 The Durso standpipe looks like a good idea. But that would mean I would need to have my 10gallon fuge drilled through the bottom right? Is there an over the tank design that I could look at that wouldn't require drilling? It does not need to be drilled on the bottom. I think 10 g bottoms are tempered glass, no drilling. I am going to be using a bulkhead out the side of my main tank, then use the Durso as an external. Would this other eBay item work for the over the tank refugium I am talking about? http://cgi.ebay.com/Quietflo-600-OVERFLOW-Wet-Dry-Filter-REFUGIUM_W0QQitemZ190122499177QQihZ009QQcategoryZ46310QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I hear that overflows are notorious for breaking the syphon, and that is a recipe for disaster. If you are set on using an overflow, you can pick one up pretty cheep in the classifieds ($20-50). If you can not find one, I will have one for sale, once my tank has been moved, and I drill the holes for my bulkheads. I'll even be cheeper than the ebay auction with shipping. All you need to do is make the "Stockman standpipe" modification to put in the outside box to make it more silent. (on the Durso webpage, under popular modifications). dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
civicsit Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Converting a 10 gallon to a fuge is really easy. I converted a 10g for my 20L a long time ago. I cut my own acrylic and bought a pump and an overflow. The overflow balances the flow of the pump, so you don't have to worry about that. Also, just get a aqua lifter vacuum pump to make sure that the siphon of the overflow doesn't break, and you will have no problems. I think there a calculator that you can use to calculate losses from height and bends for your pump return on garf.org just buy a pump that is a little bit bigger than you need and put a valve in it. Plumb it, and your ready to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 Dsoz, I'm still unclear on what you intend to do with the durso. The website shows that the standpipe is connected to the bottom of the fuge. Are you going to modify that design so that it comes out the side of your fuge instead of the bottom? Also, I was also talking to another person today who suggested that I just use a very simple design. A pump from the main display to put water in the fuge. Then, have a glass person make a hole on the other side of the tank near the top. Put a bulkhead fitting at that hole and plumb it back to the main display. Does anyone have any comments on this? There would be no baffles/seperate compartments in the 10g. Also, would this make a lot of noise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefhut Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 fuge Refugium is pretty easy to do. All you need is a tank. Then drill the side for a bulkhead so the tank can drain into the sump. You'll might need a glass lid for the tank so you can mount a fuge light. To get water to the tank, I spliced the display return pump line, and put a inline gatevalve to regulate how much water goes to the fuge. Oh don't forget to add a sand bed of about4 to 6 inches with micro algae. Hope that made since.(scratch) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 Dsoz, I'm still unclear on what you intend to do with the durso. The website shows that the standpipe is connected to the bottom of the fuge. Are you going to modify that design so that it comes out the side of your fuge instead of the bottom? Also, I was also talking to another person today who suggested that I just use a very simple design. A pump from the main display to put water in the fuge. Then, have a glass person make a hole on the other side of the tank near the top. Put a bulkhead fitting at that hole and plumb it back to the main display. Does anyone have any comments on this? There would be no baffles/seperate compartments in the 10g. Also, would this make a lot of noise? The 10g that I have has a tempered glass bottom. No drilling allowed! So I was going to put a bulkhead out the side, and use the external durso standpipe to have the water drain back to the display. I think that if you only have a pipe sticking up from the bottom (or the side) of the tank you can have problems with "flushing" and "sucking" noises. That is ths reason for the Durso or Stockman idea. They prevent the obnoxious noise of the overflow. I have no idea about the baffles/compartments or not debate because I am still working on my own design. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted June 24, 2007 Author Share Posted June 24, 2007 FYI, I found some interesting diagrams from a different website. It shows the Durso and the Stockman. http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69372 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greefer Posted June 25, 2007 Author Share Posted June 25, 2007 I wanted to pose another question: What kind of flexible tubing can I use to plumb the two tanks together? I went to the hardware store and found all sorts of vinyl tubing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevinmc Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 45 GAL. refugium setup questions I have had this question myself. I have a 90 GAL to set-up as a reef with a 45 GAL as a sump/refugium and I am looking for information on the best ideas of setting this one up. I am open to the years of experience that all members have. I need pros and cons on skimmers, I am undesided on internal vs. external, also configuration of the refugium and return section. How would I know what would be the best size for each of the areas to be. My 90 and 45 sump are not drilled so I will do that first is it is needed before moving on to the next step. Thanks Kevin e-mail is better for me as I don't read all posts to find my answers. kevchrismccarthy@msn.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Refugium is pretty easy to do. All you need is a tank. Then drill the side for a bulkhead so the tank can drain into the sump. You'll might need a glass lid for the tank so you can mount a fuge light. To get water to the tank' date=' I spliced the display return pump line, and put a inline gatevalve to regulate how much water goes to the fuge. Oh don't forget to add a sand bed of about4 to 6 inches with micro algae. Hope that made since.(scratch)[/quote'] BINGO!!!! Thats what I would do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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