Refugium

[JKLUSAF]

All,

I have a 65gal RR tank but not the space for a refugium in the sump area so here's my idea......

the over flow is 6"x5"x30" tall, my pipeing runs up through this area. this was my idea - 4" of sand, cheato then the egg crate 3 to 4" in the overflow below my overflow pipe. which then goes into the wetdry into the sump threw the sump into my skimmer then returned back to my display????????? what do ya think i can post pictures later if needed...

Justin

[seatrueblue]

This sounds interesting..one request for pictures:D

[jc]

As long as you don't ever have to redo your plumbing it sounds interesting. With the pipes installed it would be hard to get the sand out of that tight space.

[JKLUSAF]

well i thought of that too, but wasn't sure. it would be one of those things i wouldn't move it i put the sand in. what if i only put the cheato in without sand? helpful for my tank or not?

Justin

[captexas]

Going to be kind of hard to work on/service. With the sand and everything in there, you won't be able to pull the plumbing apart to clean or change it. Also, my concern would be having all that stuff so close to the overflow drain input. I would think you would end up with more sand and stuff going into your sump and therefore into your return pump which shortens the life of the pump. I think it would be best to try it without the sand if you do it. The cheato just needs light and the nutrients it absorbs from the water. Still you would run the risk of clogging your overflow drain pipe and flooding your tank. Even if you covered the intake with some filter floss to keep the cheato from getting intot it, you would have to change it very routinely to keep it from getting clogged up. If it doesn't completely clog it, it could slow the drain down just enough to where the pump is feeding water faster than it is draining into the sump and you could overflow the tank.