Newbie question about refugium

T

tbone68

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Jan 1, 2009
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Hello there... I'm new to this forum as well as new to the SW aquarium world. I do have some experience with freshwater tanks but decided I would like to take the plunge into the more complicated and intriguing world of SW. I have been doing a lot of reading and research to decide on the type of setup I would like to do. I have to admit... it can be a bit overwhelming (although exciting too!). I believe I have decided on starting with a FOWLR tank that will slowly transition into a reef tank. I have been looking into the equipment that is required and have decided to go with purchasing some used stuff to save money. I would like to go with a refugium setup because it sounds like the best way to go. I found a pretty decent deal on Craigslist for a 40 G TruVu w/ a platinum series 180 sump. Can a TruVu sump be used for a refugium in a Berlin setup? Thanks in advance for any guidance you can provide.

-Tony
 
Perhaps a link to the type of sump I'm considering would help with my question.

http://www.truvuaquariums.com/mwdpss180.html

Does anyone have any experience with this particular sump model? Would it be better to spend my money on a sump/refugium model instead? If I can't use this as a refugium is this a decent sump design? So many questions...
 
IMO a sump/refugium is so easy and cheap to make yourself I have never even considered one of those expensive $200+ type of sumps. You say it is used though, so the price may be too good to pass up, which I understand. To make a sump though, all you need is an aquarium (size of your choosing), it can even be an old used scratched up acrylic one, and just put in your own baffles as you see fit. I like using glass tanks and glass baffles myself, but it is personal preference. Still, depending on the size of your display tank, say a 55-75G tank, you can pick up a 29G glass tank cheap, have 3 or 4 pieces of glass cut at your local glass shop for probably around $20, and a tube of silicone and your good to go for under $100 and you get to design it exactly how you want to fit your equipment you decide you use. I highly recommend you look and pick out a protien skimmer that you will most likely buy/use if you don't have one already, just to get the footprint of the skimmer so you know it will fit properly in the sump. You don't have to buy the skimmer right away, but it is a good idea to get one picked out and sized right for your setup.
 
Thanks for the reply Ace! The price is a factor in purchasing the sump. The system I'm considering is the tank (40 gal tru vu), sump (tru vu sump) and stand w/ canopy for $350. I've been considering going the DIY route but I'm somewhat intimidated and I'm not sure I could do the entire setup for less than this. It's tempting though because I would have complete control on how my sump/refugium is set up. If I purchase the used setup, I'm somewhat limited. Hmmm.... (this is a subject that keeps me up a night)

If I did decide to go DIY how hard would it be to customize a standard tank for a reef setup? I'm assumming I would have to add an overflow that would involve drilling holes in the tank. Is this hard to do? Also, could it be done cheaper for the price I mention above?

BTW, I'm eyeing an ev-180 protein skimmer that I can pick up used for $175. I think it would be a decent choice for whatever route I decide to go w/ regards to my tank and sump (within the 40 to 75 gal range). Any comments you could provide on this would also be appreciated.

-Tony
 
350 buck is a great buy, but i am not sure about the acrylic tank. I've heard that they scratch easily. if the money is more important then go ahead.
are you getting the refugium series for the platinum series?
a overflow does not require drilling. see link below
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/overflow.htm
you can find overflow for really cheap online.
the ev-180 is a little way too strong for your setup. you can get cheaper one than that. http://www.aquatraders.com/ they got them for really cheap but i am not sure if they are any good. maybe i would talk to the guy and push it down to 150.
 
CritterManiac said:
the ev-180 is a little way too strong for your setup.
Click to expand...

That is impossible.. that is like saying you have "too much money". You can never have a sump, refugium, or skimmer that is "too big" for a tank. It may be highly over rated for the size tank it is going on (If an EV-180 is rated for a 180G, that really means 90G in standard bio-load, 45G in heavy bio-load) but never too big.
 
CritterManiac said:
350 buck is a great buy, but i am not sure about the acrylic tank. I've heard that they scratch easily. if the money is more important then go ahead.
are you getting the refugium series for the platinum series?
a overflow does not require drilling. see link below
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/overflow.htm
you can find overflow for really cheap online.
the ev-180 is a little way too strong for your setup. you can get cheaper one than that. http://www.aquatraders.com/ they got them for really cheap but i am not sure if they are any good. maybe i would talk to the guy and push it down to 150.
Click to expand...

I'm actually considering another tank now. I found another deal for a 100 G Tru Vu tank w/ wet/dry filter, protein skimmer (ev-180), stand and halide light unit for $375 total. It's a bit of a drive but I think iit may be worth it.

-Tony
 
anything that holds a decent amount of water and that you can mount a light on can be transformed into a refugium.
 
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