Does the refugium need to be on the same level as the sump?

[LunaWolf98]

I've been eyeing the Seamless Sump system available on customaquarium.com, and am quite in favor of the system called the 1200 low profile 40, which includes a single drain sock tub, media tray baffle tub with return pump chamber, and separate refugium box connected to the return pump chamber with bulkheads and tubing. However, any stand I'll be getting will be about 24"-30" wide, while the entire sump system is 40" wide. I want to know if it would work if I set the sump system, from the sock tub to the baffle tub including the return pump chamber, on a lower shelf in my stand and placing the refugium on a higher shelf. It might be a foot or a foot and a half of tubing to connect them at most, with the possibility of 1/2" tubing or 1-1/2" tubing to connect them. If I put them on separate levels like this, I would set my emergency drain line into the refugium, which I figure would drain into the rest of the sump system via the connected tubing. Is this a possible set up, or should I just stick with in-sump or hob refugium? I plan on adding a mandarin dragonet, so a refugium of some sort for 'pods is a must. 

[mcarroll]

I'm sure it would work if you get it assembled correctly.

 

Sounds pretty complicated though.   Didn't I read another post where you were interested in keeping this simple?   (Maybe that was someone else?)

[Tired]

Yeah, you generally want to have as little plumbing and transfer of water going on as possible. It should work, but it might be a pain in the... neck. I'll say neck. 

[LunaWolf98]

12 hours ago, mcarroll said:

I'm sure it would work if you get it assembled correctly.

 

Sounds pretty complicated though.   Didn't I read another post where you were interested in keeping this simple?   (Maybe that was someone else?)

That probably was me, lol. I do want to keep it simple, but I want to explore whatever options are available to make sure I end up with happy and healthy fish. At the time I wrote this, I hadn't been really considering much else in kinds of sumps, as I am currently. Overall more worried about having enough available refugium space to keep a good culture of pods growing. 

[mcarroll]

12 hours ago, LunaWolf98 said:

I hadn't been really considering much else in kinds of sumps, as I am currently. Overall more worried about having enough available refugium space to keep a good culture of pods growing. 

..for the Mandarin, right?  

 

This is a good time to remember Julian Sprung's "Everything is a refugium" idea from (I think) this talk.

 

After you watch that...

 

Your tank will kinda be on the margin of being big enough to support a Mandarin (assuming it never trains onto frozen or prepared foods).

• You could be strategic in your layout of liverock so there are plenty of refugium zones right in the tank (at some cost to available swimming space).  
• You could add an external hang-on refugium (at some cost in $ and looks).  
• You could do something in your sump (at the cost in $ and complexity).  
• Or some combination of the above.  
• Other options might occur to you!

I don't think you need to do all of those things though!!  🤪 Pick the one that makes the most sense for you or your situation.  Maybe that means the simplest one.  But maybe not. There are associated costs of one kind or another with every option. 🙂  (Some folks end up deciding againt a Mandarin once all is considered.  That's OK too.)