Question about setting up a refugium

[PRinFairfax]

Ok, so I have a 10 gallon refugium currently.  It really doesn't have separate compartments.  I did have it 3rd'd off with filter media but it seemed like too much junk was getting trapped in it.

So I removed the 2 filter media and put my Algae into breeding basket as a temporary band aid.

Now I am ready to insert glass panels BUT i'm not sure how many for each partition, etc.

 

ADVICE Appreciated

 

The first Left chamber will contain the return from the tank above and the skimmer.  

Middle chamber just Algae

Third chamber, just return pump

 

I was thinking the first partition would be 2 pieces of glass; leftmost at the bottom so water flows over, one inch right of that another panel raised one inch (water flows under)

Then another double panel for the 2/3 partition - leftmost raised one inch, rightmost flush with the bottom 

 

diagram below I = on bottom  ! = raised

 

overflow/ skimmer I !   Algae ! I  return pump

 

 

Thanks!

Edited January 10, 2019 by PRinWarrenton
typo

[DFR]

It’ll work fine as laid out. If it were me, I would probably go:

 

Overflow/skimmer l! Fuge l! Return

 

and put coarse sponge getween those 2 baffles to act as bubble trap before water returns to tank.

Your design will probably be better if you are more concerned with keeping chaeto in the fuge section.

[Origami]

3 hours ago, DFR said:

It’ll work fine as laid out. If it were me, I would probably go:

 

Overflow/skimmer l! Fuge l! Return

 

and put coarse sponge getween those 2 baffles to act as bubble trap before water returns to tank.

Your design will probably be better if you are more concerned with keeping chaeto in the fuge section.

Agreed. (I like the old-fashioned line-art approach to this.) The over-under between each chamber acts to trap sediment in the left-side chamber, helping to keep it out of the return pump chamber.

[PRinFairfax]

You both convinced me.  Thanks.  

[madweazl]

Is the sump 10g or just the refugium compartment? If the sump is 10g, that doesnt leave much room for a refugium; depending on the size of the display, it may not be worth running one at all. 

 

This was my last design; it only has the extra over under to support some sort of media (i.e. sponge) before the return pump (I don't run one now but thought it may be useful at some point) but the last piece (furthest right) could be removed as well. 

 

[treesprite]

21 hours ago, madweazl said:

Is the sump 10g or just the refugium compartment? If the sump is 10g, that doesnt leave much room for a refugium; depending on the size of the display, it may not be worth running one at all.

 

That's what I was wondering. It seems to me that the only time a macro refugium ever made a real impact on my water quality, was when I had a 16g DIY AIO nano with 1/3rd of the tank sectioned off and completely packed with caulerpa. My conclusion is that if your macro area isn't at least 1/3 tank volume and isn't fully packed (if only 1/3), then having a macro-specific refugium is useless (of course refugiums can be useful for more than just growing macros).

[madweazl]

I'm not sure what the magic number is; ours is roughly 12% of system volume and has worked quite well up until just recently. Phosphates have been on the rise since I started feeding whole clams with the introduction of the copperband butterfly. It seems to be able to hold them steady but cant reduce them. I imagine that is due (at least in part) to the low nitrates as well (<1ppm). 

[DFR]

Depending on feeding habit, stocking, etc. it can be done.  I just did the math on mine, it comes up to 5% of my DT volume (even less if I take into account the total system) that is lit for about 4 hours opposite.  This is also currently my only source of nutrient export (plus live rock, sand, and marinepure plate).  My nitrates hover around 0.5ppm and phosphates always read 0.00ppm.

[madweazl]

At that size and running only fours per day, I doubt it is making any measurable difference. 

[DFR]

Well my system is lightly stocked allowing me to do this.  But at one point when I was trying to get my nutrients up (when only running socks and skimmer) I changed my skimmer to only 12 hours per day and I was able to get a nitrate readings of 5ppm though it hovered at about 2.5ppm.  Now running only chaeto (no skimmer, no socks) I haven’t gotten a reading above 0.5ppm.  I would call that a quantifiable difference. Every system is definitely different, what works for me may not work for others, but it is possible.