Quote Originally Posted by clay View Post
I am still very nubish on all things to do with the sump/refiguim :( and the whole filtering in general. I have been reading alot and tryin to get my head wrapped around it tho. What i gather is that a refigum acts like a bioligical filter. Tho i see where is is used to proagate critters too. I don't really know where to start on designing this part of the project. I though i would like to have some kinda mechanical filters(sponges, media, carbon) but i want my lil copods and such to be able to move and not die b4 getting to the sump or tank.

I am just a lil confused still about the roll of each filtering and the "BEST" setup for a tank of this size.
It is a bit much initially, but the more you read the better off you will be. After my research I came away with the impression that the best filtration was provided by the live rock itself. I made my design based on surface area and pourous volume area for filtration. I used a lot of pond foam between rock to create a rock wall on the back of the tank, and then used several hundred pounds of live rock itself. Nitrate/Nitrites have never been a problem.

I also think that protein skimmers are important, but that is research you should do for yourself as well. There are those that feel that protein skimmers take too much out of the tank to make it worthwhile to use.

Personally I feel that if you are going to have a mixed reef then a refugium that has macroalgae and Mangrove trees will provide a great environment for pods to grow. I have mine beneath my display and I often wonder how many pods get chewed up on the way to the display. Thing is, the display itself will also house a lot of pods (live rock is a great natural place for them to be anyways).