sump/fuge for freshwater

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
wsstacks07 said:
What did you mean by the middle opening for the fuge
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If you look at your picture a current is going to form from the top of one partition of the refuge to the other minimizing the water circulation around the plants. By lowering the first partition to about half your height the water will flow through the plants.

Another option would be to drill a bunch of holes in your tall partition to evenly distribute the flow path of the water.

I drew this partition to be relatively low. This should minimize the disturbance of any medium you want to put in the bottom of the refuge for the plants to grow in but still provide a lot of water circulation through the plants maximizing their expose to the nutrients you want them to filter out of the water (Nitrates).
 
Wiggles92 said:
Here's my redesign (not to scale) for your sump along with an explanation:

View attachment 783035

The water enters on the right and goes into a filter sock; the water then travels under & over a pair of baffles to the biological drip filter where it drips over the biological media. The water then goes under & over another pair of baffles to the refugium where the bare-rooted plants (easier cleaning & maintenance) are located; after this, it goes over a baffle and through a sponge & your chemical filtration (carbon, etc.). The water then goes under & over a pair of baffles to the pump which then pumps the water back to the main aquarium.

This layout is designed to allow for maximum filtration & water quality improvement. The filter sock accounts for the majority of your mechanical filtration & will eliminate particulates down to a certain micron depending on what filter sock you purchase. The biological drip filter will help eliminate most, if not all, of the ammonia & nitrite by converting it to nitrate, and the plants in the refugium will eliminate pretty much all of the ammonia, nitrite, & nitrate that remain. The sponge that comes after the refugium is for collecting any particles & plant pieces that happen to make it out of the refugium, and the chemical filtration will polish off the water before it gets pumped back out.

The various baffles are arranged in such a way to minimize, if not eliminate, the number of bubbles that make it back into the main aquarium. It's imperative to ensure that the final baffle is low enough to minimize bubbles yet high enough to maintain a sufficient water level for the pump. Also, be sure to allow for enough space in the sump in order to prevent it from overflowing in the event of a power outage.

I hope that helps.

View attachment 783035
Click to expand...

Would this style run the risk of the pump pulling water faster than fed by the design?
 
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