refuge, sump, skimmer combo question.

[gajeep94yj]

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**new guy, go easy please
The above is a Sump I have set up on my first fish tank ever.

To the right is where the bean animal type overflow dump into. A bubble trap, then in the Middle is the start of the refuge, then the pump return chamber.

While watching this system work it would appear to me that the water in the refuge never gets cycled. By that I mean the water seems to just flow over the to of it to the return section.


Wouldn't I want the water in the refuge to get stirred up in there and then go to the return section?

Should I move the sand and rock from the middle section to the fast right section so the water blasted over the live rock? I could them move the skimmer to the middle section.

Am I over thinking this?

 

[northgahillbilly]

You could throw a small PH into the fuge and get some movment going on, in the future you an have your 1st baffle open on the bottom of your middle section, to force water to go down through that section before entering the next section.

 

[gajeep94yj]

I thought about that.....but wouldn't that just get stopped up with sand? I wouldn't think it would be able to flow.

 

[northgahillbilly]

Couldnt see the sand in the pic, a 2" piece of glass, then a gap, then the rest of the baffle would work, but its always hind sight with setups. Just throw a PH in there and your good to go IMO.

Im going to have to pick your brain about the bean animal overflow setup, as Im going to be going that way with me new tank. Got a tank thread going?

 

[myreefclub0070]

I think one the rock is too big, I'd go with more rubble and If you can get another small piece of glass just over the tstat, it will direct the water down and won't have to use a power head.
Also if you have sand in that fuge, it won't help ph swing( fuge to small), just go for micro algae.

 

[gajeep94yj]

That would have been a great idea....last week!

So what about my current idea? Dealing the skimmer and rocks?

And I guess this proves my theory about the refuge needing flow right?

 

[gajeep94yj]

MYREEFCLUB0070;988292 wrote: I think one the rock is too big, I'd go with more rubble and If you can get another small piece of glass just over the tstat, it will direct the water down and won't have to use a power head.
Also if you have sand in that fuge, it won't help ph swing( fuge to small), just go for micro algae.

Rubble: I do need. So far that was all I had.

Sand: so remove it? What would you recommend for the micro algae? I actually thought I was wanting macro algae not micro....

Glass: are you saying to put a piece vertically or horizontally? Am I trying to force the water to slash off of it (horizontally mounted), out force under it (vertical mounted)?

 

[myreefclub0070]

1 - just smash that rock you got and there is all your rubble
2 - vertical glass, just like all the rest of the baffles or just remove the one one the fuge side and the n the water has to go from down to up across the whole section.
3 - typo, macro and I have entermorpha when your ready for some.
4 - you can leave the sand, it would help with critter but not with ph, don't hurt anything.