OK, so I am planning on getting my sump going soon. I found a great deal on a used 55/60 gallon tank for $40.00. It's small enough to fit into my stand with the dimensions of 36" X 18 X 20. The skimmer I found is a CoraLife Cone Skimmer for a 300 gallon tank so the skimmer area is going to be 13" wide, and the refugium is going to be 10 X 18 with an 18 inch baffle between the refugium and the return section in the middle.
Here is a SketchUp of what I am thinking. (To give credit where credit is due, I took the skimmer, water pump, heater and ball valves from a SketchUp model by Eric032990)
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So here are the questions...
1. The refugium is only going to be approximately 15 gallons, is that going to be big enough if the DT is 150 gallons. I have heard that 10% if the DT is just the bare minimum that should be done. I could make it bigger but that would make the return area smaller and I don't want the pump to be able to drain that area.
2. What all should be put into a refugium of this size? I eventually want a Green Mandarin so I want to make sure that pods have what they need to grow. I was thinking three or four inches of sand, live rock, and some Chaeto or other greenery.
3. For reactors, is it normal to drive them with the return pump or should I consider adding a second pump for the reactors?
4. Do I have it correct that the reactors should be supplied with water from the return area then return the water from the reactors to either the refugium or the return area?
Let me know if you see something that I need to change in this design.
Thanks
Tim
Here is a SketchUp of what I am thinking. (To give credit where credit is due, I took the skimmer, water pump, heater and ball valves from a SketchUp model by Eric032990)
So here are the questions...
1. The refugium is only going to be approximately 15 gallons, is that going to be big enough if the DT is 150 gallons. I have heard that 10% if the DT is just the bare minimum that should be done. I could make it bigger but that would make the return area smaller and I don't want the pump to be able to drain that area.
2. What all should be put into a refugium of this size? I eventually want a Green Mandarin so I want to make sure that pods have what they need to grow. I was thinking three or four inches of sand, live rock, and some Chaeto or other greenery.
3. For reactors, is it normal to drive them with the return pump or should I consider adding a second pump for the reactors?
4. Do I have it correct that the reactors should be supplied with water from the return area then return the water from the reactors to either the refugium or the return area?
Let me know if you see something that I need to change in this design.
Thanks
Tim