Refugium sump

[Biotoper]

I recently got into the hobby, doing FW with the hope to setup a reef tank down the line. I've been researching sump set-ups and had a couple questions. Web-surfing I've seen a lot of really complex designs with mazes of plexiglass panelling and am a bit confused.

I'd like to setup a sump below my tank with skimmer, refugium, and return submerged pump. The simplest set-up would be just to put your skimmer, pump, live rock, DSB, macroalgae all in sump with no compartments. What problems would that create? I've read skimmers put a ton a microbubbles into the output water - so do you need a bubble wall (3 walls cut equal height with the central one raised up 1") between the skimmer and the return pump? Now, it seems each skimmer needs to have a constant water level to work correctly, so another reason to separate it with the bubble wall? Why does the refugium - DSB, live rock, algae - need a separate compartment - can't you just put all of it in the pump and/or skimmer compartments? Also, is there any reason why the sump or the separating walls have to be clear?

Thanks for reading. Please correct me on anything totally off the mark I might have said - most of this stuff I've never seen in person.

 

[mogurnda]

Keeping the compartments separate does several things:
First, as you mention, it means the level will vary only in the compartment with the return pump.
Second, keeping the pumps out of the refugium means that your critters and macroalgae won't get sucked into the pumps.
Third, as you also point out, it keeps the bubbles that are generated from water entering the sump, and from the output of the skimmer, from entering the return pump and sending microbubbles into the main tank.
I under-designed the baffles in my sump, so I am still working on dealing with some fizz in the main tank.

 

[Liquidcfour]

just outta cerosity, are micro bubbles that bad? or just a "bad" thing to see?

-brandon

 

[Biotoper]

Thanks, Dave.

On point 1, do refugia need constant water level? And if you have a auto-top off set-up, will the pump compartment have constant water level?

On point 2, I thought you want the refugium species to slowly migrate to the main tank, particularly copepods? Do you use a mechanical filter on the sump pump intake, like with powerheads?

With a standard 3-compartment sump, has anyone tried putting live rock and/or DSB in the skimmer or pump compartments, as well as the refugium compartment? Maybe some organisms like these more turbulent environs compared to the relatively calm refugium?

Also, what about the overflow compartment? The tanks I've seen on the web have sterile overflows, but if you have a durso pipe, can you put live rock/DSB in there, too?

Just throwing around ideas as I dream of starting a reef tank of my own...

 

[mogurnda]

On point 1, do refugia need constant water level? And if you have a auto-top off set-up, will the pump compartment have constant water level?

The level doesn't need to be all that constant in a refugium. And, yes, the level in the return compartment will be relatively constant with an auto-topoff.

On point 2, I thought you want the refugium species to slowly migrate to the main tank, particularly copepods? Do you use a mechanical filter on the sump pump intake, like with powerheads?

Plankton from the fuge will go to the display via the pump, so you don't want to use a prefilter. However, you want them to slowly overflow into the pump compartment. Having a pump and/or skimmer inside the fuge will tend to create havoc.

With a standard 3-compartment sump, has anyone tried putting live rock and/or DSB in the skimmer or pump compartments, as well as the refugium compartment? Maybe some organisms like these more turbulent environs compared to the relatively calm refugium?

Some do it. Just be sure it doesn't get in the way of maintenance. As far as the durso overflow, I keep a heater in mine, but live rock would clutter things up too much and make it hard to maintain, I would think.

are micro bubbles that bad? or just a "bad" thing to see?

Mostly just ugly. They interfere with light reaching the corals to a certain extent. Some argue that the bubbles may get internalized by corals, sponges or clams and harm them, but it seems unlikely to me. Also, if you have ever been diving on a reef crest, you know there are a lot of bubbles there.