refugium - inside the sump or seperated?

[yoav]

hi there,

 

what would do if you had the option - a refugium the sits above the sump or a refugium included sump?

why?

 

and what will be the ideal refiugium size for a 22 gal display tank?

 

thanks

[lobster876]

in the sump so the refugium water is filtered

probably as big as you cn get it

[cnseekatz]

It depends on what you want it for, and what you plan to have in it. An in-sump version can be very successful if you give it enough thought. If you're just going to roll some Chaeto around it in, then make it as simple as possible.

 

If you're going to grow macros, have a deep sand bed, or have nutrient-exporting corals, you need to be a little more thoughtful. You'll have to plan where your skimmer is going to go, before or after? Some people like the "un-filtered" water to pass through the fuge first so it can benefit from all the dissolved nutrients before the skimmer pulls it all out. Some people like it after the skimmer so that your filters don't suck up pods and other food-sources before they get deposited back in your display tank. Some people have the skimmer/reactor area and the fuge on the outside sections of their sump, with the return pump in the middle. This would be pretty sweet, but would require you to split your overflow to feed the skimmer area and the refugium separately.

 

You'll also need to plan your water flow if you put the fuge in the sump, because you need enough to keep everything healthy, but you don't want TOO much flow.

 

Ideally, I'd like to have a separately plumbed refugium where I can create a perfect flow rate, light schedule, and subject the micro-critters to the least amount of stress as possible before they return to the display to be fish/coral chow.

 

Lastly, I agree with the previous comment... the bigger the better when it comes to refugiums. More water volume, more surface area for bacteria, and more room for goodies. If you do them right, they're (almost) as much fun to watch as your display.