Your 2nd design is much better. You can do it with one pump and tee off to fill the fuge. Might keep some heat and or noise down from the system.
Different refugium/sump idea...
- Thread starter Conner
- Start date
　Conner;3919520; said:
That’s actually what I was going to suggest… I’m picturing a 6” wide x 6” deep well the length of the tank built into the canopy…water pumped in on one end and overflow leading down to the tank on the other end. It would be low volume enough so the weight of the water wouldn’t demand that much structural support…
　
That is not to criticize your main idea. My only ‘complaint’ is it takes up additional space or adds another tank to the room. I like the idea of combining/condensing. I’m in the midst of building a lizard cage that will double as a stand for a 125/180 gal tank with two snake cages built into the canopy
(of course I'll post pics if/when it comes togehter).Awesome idea Bro! I like the 2nd design, too. Saves money since the 2nd pump could just be a powerhead or something & you can turn it off while you watch TV or whatever.
nc_nutcase;3921816; said:　
Thats actually what I was going to suggest Im picturing a 6 wide x 6 deep well the length of the tank built into the canopy water pumped in on one end and overflow leading down to the tank on the other end. It would be low volume enough so the weight of the water wouldnt demand that much structural support
　
That is not to criticize your main idea. My only complaint is it takes up additional space or adds another tank to the room. I like the idea of combining/condensing. Im in the midst of building a lizard cage that will double as a stand for a 125/180 gal tank with two snake cages built into the canopy
I understand completely what you're saying, and I feel the same way. I haven't been able to talk to my fiance yet about it. I kind of like the idea of a refugium/hydroponic setup right next to the tank, with lots of nice flowering plants visible in the room. It will make the room look nicer, if I do it right. However, it IS another "tank" in the room, albeit one without fish.
I actually have thought about turning one half of the inside of my stand into a lizard cage, since it would basically be 30"x26"x20". Nothing huge could go in there, but it would make it so I wouldn't need another enclosure for a herp...
I do like the idea of having the refugium in the canopy though... maybe I could use water lettuce, or something else that is very low growing (height wise).
Maybe something that will drape over the edge of the refugium and dangle down into the aquarium?
Connor... You know darn good and well if you use the side tank/refugium idea within 2 months of it being set up it'll have some kind of fish/animal living in it. lol.
If you went with the above tank refuge in canopy I would use moss as it's low light and is documented to be a decent nitrate eater. Then I would put lilies or lotus flowers in that would stand up above the water line being decorative and visible to the room. It's also going to be easier to pull it off with your girl's blessings if you pick pretty flowers...
The side tank would be more traditional as far as th eplumbing/design goes. I'm not very well versed in high end planted tanks. I know a lot can be done but I wouldn't even know where to start. I'm sure if you put the reading/planning in you could go as elaborate and decorative as you want.
Dane, if you put the refuge at the same level as the main tank the water levels will have to be equal. It could work, although all of the overflows would have to be perfectly level and the sump below would have to be able to hold a lot of extra water when the pump is turned off...
You've got a lot of options to do what you're thinking... you might want to take your girl out to dinner and buy her a new skirt or something before bringing it up ;-)
If you went with the above tank refuge in canopy I would use moss as it's low light and is documented to be a decent nitrate eater. Then I would put lilies or lotus flowers in that would stand up above the water line being decorative and visible to the room. It's also going to be easier to pull it off with your girl's blessings if you pick pretty flowers...
The side tank would be more traditional as far as th eplumbing/design goes. I'm not very well versed in high end planted tanks. I know a lot can be done but I wouldn't even know where to start. I'm sure if you put the reading/planning in you could go as elaborate and decorative as you want.
Dane, if you put the refuge at the same level as the main tank the water levels will have to be equal. It could work, although all of the overflows would have to be perfectly level and the sump below would have to be able to hold a lot of extra water when the pump is turned off...
You've got a lot of options to do what you're thinking... you might want to take your girl out to dinner and buy her a new skirt or something before bringing it up ;-)
nc_nutcase;3923688; said:
I actually bought her 2 bouquets of flowers last night (NOT related to anything fishy
). She had to work from 9am to 10pm, and will be working the same hours all week. Plus her birthday is just over 2 weeks away, so she's got a b-day present coming soon.I'm thinking more and more an inside-the-canopy refugium with smaller lower light plants (although I could easily make it high light inside the canopy if I wanted). Or I could do an inside-the-canopy algae scrubber, although I'm not sure about that one.
The only problem with putting it in the canopy, is I'd have to make a pretty large canopy (like 16-18" tall). Does anyone see any problems with that?
I'm gonna try a couple of different designs while I'm at work today (if I can). I'll post them up as soon as I'm done.
