2.5 made refugium. What do I need?

[cpreefguy]

I have a mb7 and was starting up a 2.5 minibow, I already retrofitted a bookworm into the filter cover. I decided to run it as a sublevel refugium instead. NOw it is below my main tank. I already have a 4-5 inch DSB and about 3 lbs LR rubble. What all do I need in order to circulate between the two? I'm getting a custom made overflow from mattgecko already(his origonal one) in this thread HERE Do I need to drill, or can I just run a pump in the overflow? What other hardware do I need?

Thanks.

 

[MGXsport]

Is that an exclipse explorer?

 

If so can you show more of the lighting setup?

[cpreefguy]

Yeah, it is an eclipse explorer. Basically what I did with the lighting is.... I chopped the back off of the filter cover so I could still have the fliter, but just move it to the front of the tank. I lined it with foil and used the piece of paper/reflector from the bookworm and put it on the curve(the top and front) of the inside of the filter cover so it would reflect light to the back of the tank. I poked 4 holes in the top and stripped the paper off of some twisty ties and strung the light to the top and viola! I'll try to get some pics up, but my digital camera software is on the fritz right now.

[MGXsport]

very cool.

 

Hopefully your camera will work again. I'd like to see the picture.

[cpreefguy]

Anybody?

[MattGecko]

If the water level on the 2.5 was above the water level on the main tank you could pump the water out of your new skimmer box in to the 2.5 and use a gravity return to the MB7. You would have to drill the little tank though.

 

Probable not the answer you were looking for.

[USFnano]

If you're already getting an overflow, then all you will need is a pump(rated the same as the overflow) in the lower tank to return water to the main tank. Make sure though, if the power goes out, you have some kind of siphon break so you don't overflow the smaller lower tank.