Refugium Sizing

[matt]

Gary;
The advantage of having the refugium gravity feed to the main tank is that any critters from the refugium that you want to make it to the main tank will not have to go through a pump impeller to do so.

[GaryP]

Duh! Thanks.

[Instar]

Its funny to say the sun will heat a tank by the windows. That little bit is nothing compared to the MH or even PC's. My 125 is in front of 10 feet worth of windows. Highest water temp is 83.

[GaryP]

Larry,

I don't think I'll get a lot of direct sunlight anyway because of the position of the window, a wide eve (sp?), and trees outside. I'll take what I can get though. I'll take all the "free" 5500 K I can get.

Gary

[captexas]

Larry -
I'm not sure what is funny about it. Just because your tank doesn't get warm doesn't mean others won't either. It all depends on which way the windows face and if there is shade (which would take away the sunlight Gary is seeking to benefit from). It also depends on how well insulated the windows are as well. Some windows are single pane and others are double insulated to help keep the outside air temps from affecting the inside temps.

I do a lot of work installing anti-shoplifting equipment so I happen to spend a lot of time at the front of stores, usually made of glass. Sometimes the glass front makes that area of the building into a sauna. The rest of the building is nice and cool due to a/c, but the air around the windows is much, much warmer. Kind of like when you are driving and the sun is on your side of the vehicle shining down on your window, but not on the other side. It will be warmer by your window than it will be by the window on the other side of the car. Usually most people discover this simple concept when the are kids and go on long trips in the car. End up fighting with your bother or sister about who has to sit where! lol
I know in my house, the front room is in the sun the majority of the day. This is where I had my 58g tank set up and I was always dealing with temperature problems even with the a/c set at 77 and a ceiling fan running all day long. The back side of the house was cooler. I noticed even more as my desk sits in front of the front room window! I have insulated windows on my house, but not much help. I took the tank down and converted to a 75 gallon in the back room of the house and have no problems temperature wise even with running more metal halides.

In my opinion, putting a tank in front of a window that does not receive direct sun light (due to shade or not facing the sun) will not really get you the benefits you are seeking. The coral propogation companies have large tanks that are outdoors and open above so they get full sunlight when they want.

Again, just my 2 cents and not intended to sound funny to anyone either :-)

[GaryP]

Chris,

As I said in my previous post, I think that the light from the window will be a supplement, not a substitute for artificial light. I'm planning on using PC's unless I find a good deal on a 175 MH so I don't forsee a major additional heat problem. The PC's that I'm considering are the coralife that have built in cooling fans. Anyone have any alternative suggestions?

Gary

[captexas]

Gary -
I have the Coralife 96watt quad PC fixture on my fuge right now. I like it much better than the old Lights of America fixture I had from Home Depot. What dimensions are you looking at for the fuge? Depth will play a factor in how effective PCs will be and the size of course also affects how many you can fit over it. With the 30gallon long the depth isn't a problem, just the width to allow for the lights. If it is a fuge only with no pumps and such in it you might be alright but once you put a couple of baffles in there or a sumberged pump, you start to limit what can be done.

Hope that helps, if not just tell me and I'll shut up! LOL :-)

[GaryP]

Chris, since I'm going to retain my sump the fuge isn't going to have a lot in the way of baffles and no pumps. I'm planning on pumping to the fuge and gravity feeding back to the tank. That brings up my next question, what sort of flow rate through the fuge do I need to plan for?

Gary