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Innovative Marine Aquariums

Refugium without an overflow


DriftingNemo

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Ok, so I would like to use a small refugium for my 63 gallon tank. The tank will be running off a canister filter for the main source of filtration. I would like to put a 10 gallon tank under my display tank, fill it about half way and run a siphon from the display tank in to the refugium. The siphon hose would be attached really high up in the tank, so if the return pump fails it would only siphon about 1 or 2 gallons in to the refugium, that's why the refugium would only be half way full, so if the return pump fails, the house won't get flooded. I would take a bucket and start siphoning water in to it for 30 seconds. Once the time runs out, I will multiply my results by 120 which would give me the amount of l/ph for a return pump. I will only be using thin tubing since I want gentle flow through the refugium. I would also use a shut off valve in the tubing for extra safety. I only want to grow some macroalgae and Copepods and hold some live rock in there. Would my siphon idea work?

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I`m not sure that you thought this out well. The siphon is still an overflow albeit a more risky and unstable one to have. Maybe a drawing or google sketch would make sense of what you mean to say?

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Only if I had a working computer to use sketch up on.. I would secure the siphon hose to the tank with a series of clips and suction cups, the hose would either have to be bent, or I could use a piece of piping in the shape of a U which would go around the edge of the tank. I'll do a drawing to show you what I mean.

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Ok, so I hope this makes sense. The return pump will be raised so it will only suck up 1 or 2 gallons back in to the display tank if the siphon fails. The siphon will sit only around 1 or 2 inches below the display tanks water level. So if the return pump fails, only a couple of gallons will go to the sump until the siphon gets cut off. The sump will only be filled up half way, yet another safety feature. An overflow is just not an option for my tank, no matter what kind.

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Yeah that's not going to work for a number of reasons.

 

#1 It is an overflow but it pulls water at a different rate than the return pump = dangerous water level fluctuations.

 

#2 What is in place to prevent the display from over flowing when the siphon breaks?

 

#3 why not just use an over flow box? As long as it is rated gph is higher than the return it will match the flow rate.

 

I don't understand why an "overflow" is no option but a siphon sounds perfectly reasonable?

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Due to the fact that my tank has a 6 inch tall rim that I don't want to remove. The rim hides the top 3 inches of the tank, so I will have it filled 3 inches under the top of the tank. Also I dont want to drill my tank, overflow boxes are expensive anyway. I don't need to have a refugium, but it would be nice to have one. I realise that a siphon pulls water out of the tank whereas an overflow lets water drop down into the sump. If there is a way of fitting an overflow to my tank without drilling it, I would be more than interested.

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Well a mame overflow doesn't need the tank to be drilled but it is expensive. There are multiple brands and styles of overflow boxes and any of them will work better than a simple siphon.

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I really like Julian Sprung's refugium with the bonsai tree. So from what I've gathered, my idea would work, but it would be very dangerous if anything was to happen.

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I really like Julian Sprung's refugium with the bonsai tree. So from what I've gathered, my idea would work, but it would be very dangerous if anything was to happen.

No. For your idea to work the siphon and return pump rates need to be exactly the same. Fine in theory, impossible in the real world.

 

The siphon is still an overflow albeit a more risky and unstable one to have.

A siphon is in no way an overflow. A siphon will empty the display tank at the rate the physics of that particular siphon dictate. An overflow drains water from the display tank as the water spills over the overflow at a rate dictated by the return pump.

 

Julian Sprung has run a detached refugium for years. See youtube.

 

No overflow needed.

Links? The cube refugium with the mangrove has its own overflow and is fed by a return pump in the sump.

 

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Overflow: (especially of a liquid) flow over the brim of a receptacle. -what I was referring to.

 

Otherwise you are preaching to the choir.

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So a siphon sucks water out of the display whereas an overflow lets water drop down? As I said before, I don't need a refugium. Instead of a siphon, can I just use a small powerhead and attach it to a hose?

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Otherwise you are preaching to the choir.

I know, just trying to avoid confusion.

 

So a siphon sucks water out of the display whereas an overflow lets water drop down? As I said before, I don't need a refugium. Instead of a siphon, can I just use a small powerhead and attach it to a hose?

You can think of it like that.

 

What are you thinking of exactly?

 

Edit: Lol, same post.

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Links? The cube refugium with the mangrove has its own overflow and is fed by a return pump in the sump.

 

You can find them.

 

Not all the time. Hasnt always been like that.

 

If you care enough, its mentioned in the multi part Australian Seminar. There is a video of it detached as well. He also mentions using a display tank as the refugium/filter for an NPS tank thats fed very heavily.

 

Its simple to run, I did it for about a year. Display water change water goes into refugium, refugium water change water goes down toilet.

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Display water change water goes into refugium, refugium water change water goes down toilet.

 

So.. running a refugium as an independent system, using the nutrient loaded "dirty" water from the display to feed the refugium with no feedback from refugium to display? Not the same thing as the recirculating system the OP is trying to design.

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So a siphon sucks water out of the display whereas an overflow lets water drop down? As I said before, I don't need a refugium. Instead of a siphon, can I just use a small powerhead and attach it to a hose?

 

No.

 

You can not keep two powerheads pumping at the same rate.

 

You need either an overflow or a siphon that automatically restarts if the power kicks off and then back on. Since traditional box won't work inside your tank...

 

 

 

You can make an overflow out of PVC that will restart siphon on its own... should be able to google it and find a walk through.

 

e0003.jpg

 

 

Or you can put the overflow on the outside of the tank:

 

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