refugium sump

[fishcrazy101]

Hi, I need some advice...currently I have a sump with bioballs and no matter what I do I can not seem to keep nitrates down. So I bought a berlin sump bs-2 and not sure how to section everything off for refugium and what to put in refugium? Here is a picture of it and also on marine depot.
http://i10.ebayimg.com/01/i/001/2c/da/59af_1.JPG

[fishcrazy101]

Thanks everyone..........Looks like I will be joining another forum

[Amphiprion]

Thanks everyone..........Looks like I will be joining another forum

With all due respect, this is an ignorant statement. Please allow people time to post. A) You only allowed ~3 hours for someone to post. B) The time frame during which you posted is not the "prime time" for this forum, per se. Everyone here is kind, patient, and more than willing to help--you just have to be understanding enough to give them a chance. I'll ask that you please keep all of this in mind and change your attitude toward posters here.

Now for your question. If you plan on having a refugium, you'll want to place it in the first, larger compartment. That will limit other options, however, such as a protein skimmer, which will need the space that the refugium would occupy. However, the refugium would probably do your tank a bit more immediate good than the skimmer, the latter of which only indirectly reduces nitrate and phosphate (and takes much longer to have an effect).

[Reefscape]

:popcorn:

[excuzzzeme]

I set up my refugium/sump as follows:
Section 1: Filter media
Section 2: Bio Balls
Section 3: gravel substrate 'fuge area
Section 4: Sponge Filters
Section 5: Reservoir and return pump

This is a DIY sump/refugium made from an aquarium. My water parameters are fine. I also have a DIY spraybar on the return.

[Sploke]

some better pictures of the sump would be good to identify exactly what was intended when the builder put it together. From my understanding, you don't want to put your skimmer in the flow path between your fuge and your return pump. I have my sump split into 3 compartments - the skimmer gets about 75% of the flow from the drain, on the left end of the sump. The fuge gets the other 25%, on the right end of the sump. They both overflow into the middle compartment, where the return pump is.

[fishcrazy101]

Thank you sploke will try the three compartments, do you know where I can get the pieces to make more compartments, also watt should I use for light?

[Sploke]

I used 1/4" plexi from Lowe's I just cut the sizes I want and used Weld-on #4 to glue it together. Over my fuge I use a 14w screw-in CF light in one of those clamp on reflectors, but mine is only about 1/3 of a 20-long tank. You may want something mroe powerful depending on how big that thing is.