5.5 AGA Refuge Idea, Please Provide Feedback

[Dragon Reef]

OK,

 

I have searched the forum for almost 2 hours and have not found what I am looking for, although I have found bits and pieces. I have a 5.5 AGA and want to put another 5.5 AGA behind it. For ease, I will call them the main tank (in front) and the refuge (in back). I will elevate the refuge approxiamtely 4"-5". I will have a powerhead in the refuge and it will pull water from the main tank. I plan on hooking up one of those Aquaclear Surface skimmers to the intake so that it will also skim the surface. I will want to drill the refuge for a, most likely, 1 1/2 " bulkhead fitting. The refuge will gravity feed back into the main tank. I will have a psuedo durso in that I will have a tee in the refuge that will have the normal elbow pointing down and the vertical portion of the tee pointing up being the air vent. Obviously the other hole will connect to the bulkhead and go into the main tank. On the main tank side, I will have an elbow returning the water. Now, my questions:

 

1. How does this sound? What changes would you recommend?

 

2. What is the best spacing from the top of the tank for the bulkhead? Should I place it as close a possible since the bulkhead fitting is 1 1/2". Will that allow for the most amount of water in the refuge and still be ok for the return flow and not too high of a water level in the rufuge to risk overflowing?

 

3. Which powerhead would be strong enough to pump water from the main tank, remember that there will be a piece of tubing that will be a minimum of 18" long and this will reduce the pumping speed, and yet not be too much water flow in the refuge? I have a few MaxiJet 1000s laying around.

 

4. Will this work? I hope that the psuedo durso will be quiet and now supply bubbles. Will the air vent in the durso provide the necessary means to stop a siphon incase of a power outage? And should the return be submerged?

 

Thanks for you time and please provide any other ideas that I have not mentioned.

[speakeraddict]

I would not pull water from the main display. I would either push it with the power head in the display or drill the main display and elevate it and put the bulkhead there. Then pump water from the fuge to the display.

 

I did the latter with two 2gallon hex tanks for a while and it looked really cool having one "waterfall" into the other. (they were side by side and one was 5" higher)

 

speakeraddict

[Dragon Reef]

speakeraddict,

 

Thanks for the reply. If pulling does not work, I will push from the main to the refuge. I do not want to have a pump between the refuge return and main. That would make bug soup . I wanted to have the powerhead pull because I was hoping to keep as much room in the main tank available for rock/coral since it is so small. If it does not work, I can always put it in the main tank. Thanks again!