An odd setup of a sump and fuge.

[pyrocreep]

So long story short I just bought a nice and cheap cube tank off of craigslist. The only issue I'm really having atm is that the stand isn't really big enough to hold a decent sized sump. Only a 5 gallon tank will fit down there. I just feel like this isn't going to be big enough to have any large impact on the system when broken up as a fuge and a sump.

 

So essentially what I would like to try and do is make a 2 tiered fuge and sump, one over the other. What I'm curious about here is what some problems I may face are or if anyone has even tried this and can say if it is worth the time and effort to setup.

 

The basic idea can be shown in these two pictures (the only difference would be that the bottom tank in the second would be more easily worked on.

 

 

So beyond that first question of will this even work or be worth the time, I'm curious as to what would normally go first in the setup, the fuge or the sump. I want to say sump, but this is the first time I've tried setting up a system with a seperate sump.

 

So...will it work?

[Biotoper]

It'll be tight, but this can work. The bottom tank is the sump, you plumb the return line with a T and ball valve to send an auxiliary line to the fuge tank above the sump, which is drilled to overflow back to the sump. You of course need to build a shelf above the sump to hold the fuge tank - you could engineer a way to have the shelf only on one side (like your 2nd pic but with the tank raised on a shelf, not sitting on the sump tank), which would give you easy access to one side of the sump and space for a skimmer.

[pyrocreep]

Ya, the shelf will be easy enough. I probably have the lumber laying around anyways. What are your thoughts on just simply plumbing the overflow into the fuge on top and then having a herbie style overflow from the fuge into the sump? Would this be to much flow? It will only be a glass-holes nano overflow. So that should be around...6-700 GPH I believe its rated at...and now that I type that out I realize that in a 5G tank that would be a lot for a fuge.

 

Excuse me, I should also add that it will be 1/2" tubing for the overflow.

[pyrocreep]

So, I'm just curious before I let this die, does anyone else have any thoughts on why this wouldn't work?

[Biotoper]

Either way, you will need the overflow, such as a glass-holes nano overflow, on the fuge tank, so the only additional cost to my suggestion is a T piece and a ball valve. It just gives you a lot more control on the fuge flow, rather than having the flow rates in DT, sump and fuge all equal. I also prefer to have the raw display water going to the skimmer first, so there is less solid debris having a chance to settle in the refugium.

[markandstaci]

Drilling a 5 gallon AGA could prove problematic. The glass is super thin. I have read a few times that drilling 2.5 and 5.5 gallon tanks is really hard due to the thickness (thinness, really) of the glass.

[Mustang Boy]

i would turn both tanks like you have the top one in the second picture, this will make working with the bottom one alot easier so you would be able to fit a taller skimmer in it.

[stmccool]

i would turn both tanks like you have the top one in the second picture, this will make working with the bottom one alot easier so you would be able to fit a taller skimmer in it.

 

 

I did something similar for my old 150gal reef, it overflowed into a fuge that overflowed into the sump. I highly recommend 2 drains from the fuge to the sump in case a snail or suction cup or murphy cause one to plug up.

[Biotoper]

Or get a 16x16x16 acrylic tank like one of these:

http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=25

[Mustang Boy]

i wouldnt trust anything that came from glasscages ive heard and seen way too many horror stories

[straydog]

What size is the display tank ? You may be abel to use only one 5 gallon if you were to use a HOB skimmer, or maybe a rubermaid container as the top tank that would be more forgiving than the thin glass when drilled.

[pyrocreep]

Either way, you will need the overflow, such as a glass-holes nano overflow, on the fuge tank, so the only additional cost to my suggestion is a T piece and a ball valve.

 

I actually have the nano overflow and a 1/2" return sitting next to the tank as we speak. Just got it this afternoon. I will be T'ing off the overflow though as 5-6 hundred GPH seems a little steep through a 5G fuge.

 

i would turn both tanks like you have the top one in the second picture, this will make working with the bottom one alot easier so you would be able to fit a taller skimmer in it.

 

The skimmer I will be using is actually one I have had for a short time and is meant to go into the tank. The name escapes me atm and I am at work so I can't look it up, but it will simply be in the tank rather than plumbed in line or as another piece.

 

Or get a 16x16x16 acrylic tank like one of these:

http://www.glasscages.com/?sAction=ViewCat&lCatID=25

 

I like the overall idea of doing just a single sump/fuge, but there are to main things here, cost and dimensions. While I don't really want to do this tank on a budget, there still is some money constraint, especially on things where I can work out a cheaper method. I also wonder about the dimensions and how everything would be setup to maximize the usage. It just seems to me like 2 shorter tanks would probably be a bit more efficient than a single tall tank. Also the 2 5G's leaves me a little bit of floor space to play with in case I add a phosphoban reactor or the like.

 

What size is the display tank ? You may be abel to use only one 5 gallon if you were to use a HOB skimmer, or maybe a rubermaid container as the top tank that would be more forgiving than the thin glass when drilled.

 

The display tank is 30G. I probably could do a HOB, but I'm also looking to keep as many bits and pieces out of the tank as I can. I do really like the idea of a rubbermaid container though. I may have to look into this if I have problems drilling the tank.

 

Also someone mentioned that I should probably drill two overflows into the top tank. I do plan on doing this and setting it up as a herbie (correct name right?) style overflow.