Need some advice

[Meli]

Once we finish selling our 110 (sooner than later hopefully), we're going to convert our 40 gallon hex refugium to our main tank. We're going to set a 30 gallon display refugium beside it and connect the two. My question is, how do we connect the two? I was planning to have sand, rock rumble, and macro algae in the fuge and no divider. I'm thinking I don't need to divide the fuge since I have a HOB skimmer. What I'm thinking of doing is using an overflow box to take the water to the fuge and then a return pump to get it back to the main tank. Since there's going to be sand and macro in the fuge, what is going to be the best way to setup the return pump so we're not getting sand and algae in it? Would the skimmer be better on the main tank or the refugium?

We aren't planning to put a lot of fish in our main tank, but this is what we have in mind right now. Our only surviving fish was a hitchhiker blue green chromis. We wanted a pair of gold striped maroon clowns, an anemone, corals, a clam or two, and cleaner shrimp. Since these clowns tend to be agressive, what other fish would be a good match? We had a fairy wrasse we really liked, but he jumped through the egg crate top and lost him. We liked our coral beauty, but I'm not sure they'd be very good because of the corals and clams. Once the fuge has been well established, we were going to add a mandrine to it. Any other suggestions on what would be good tank mates? Thanks.

 

[kwl1763]

My advise is put the sklimmer on the main tank so you don't skim out the critters or kill them with the skimmer pump. Your overlflow idea sounds fine. You may want to put the refugium above the tank if that's possible put the overflow on there and down to the tank.

This will a) make it so the critters don't go through pump b) you can have the ugly overflow out of your main tank!

In the main tank just get a maxijet or something and stick it to the side and then plumb it up to the refugium/tank (depending on which is on top)

The clowns and your chromis will be good. You don't eant to put a whole lot more in there for sure. Maybe a clown goby, neon goby, or a purple psuedochromis but the maroons will get pretty big. That's pretty small for a coral beauty but maybe OK depending on the dimensions. It won't bother your clams and corals. That would be more then enough fish for the system. Wait a minimum of six months for the manderin and make sure the pod population is thriving. It really is to small a tank for one even with that refugium.

 

[Meli]

Thanks for the input. Glad to know I'm on the right track. Since the 40 gallon is a hex and pretty tall, I'll have to have that ugly overflow on it. Not my first place to put it, but I'd have to raise the 30 probably close to 2 feet to get it to work the other way around.

I was planning to wait at least that long for the pod population. I thought the min tank size for the mandrins was about 30 gallon? Is it a space issue or a lack of pop population that can grow in the 30 gallon fuge? I guess I was look at it as having 70 gallons of food since it was connected to the 40 gallon. Do I need to adjust my thinking? Thanks.

 

[melev]

http://www.melevsreef.com/mandarin_care.html

Your return pump needs to be isolated from part of the refugium to avoid plants being sucked into the pump's intake.