Sump/Refugium

[maimz]

Thinking of starting a refugium in the meantime while i get my sump for my real tank set up...id like to know what is the best way to get one going..the lighting requirements etc. also what material is the best for a sump/refugium...also i was thinking of making one out of acrylic ....id like to house some beneficial algae in one section....i would like to also have my quarantine tank in the mix as well..what is a good guideline as to the ratio of gallons between a sump and the main tank as well as the refugium....i figure this would allow me more time to research if i just started getting the hardware setup and cycle some water in the meantime...btw..can i start cycling the water in any type of reservoir for now? im assuming lighting isnt that important at this stage in the game..any help as always will be greatly appreciated...thanks

[afss]

I don't know about the ratios, I don't hink that it really matters. The one thing that I am pretty sure of is that you can't have a quarintine part in any given tank, unless it is completly sealed (No water flow) as the idea is to keep the fish and all disease seerate from the main tank. If they share water then it is pretty pointless IMO.
Scott

[ajx22]

maimz

If you're setting up a Quarantine tank...it must not share ANYTHING with your normal system. You can set-up a sump with it, but it will have to be a new stand-alone system.

As for the flow rates...
A sump should have around 7-10 times (your tanks volume) per hour. This will give your skimmer time to work and allow for oxygen/gas exchange.
A refugium should only have about 1-5 (your tanks volume) per hour. This will allow for nutrient exchange, but will still give the water enough contact time for the macro algae to do it's job. Also, if possible, place your refugium ABOVE your tank fed with a powerhead in your tank with a bulkhead overflow (gravity) return to the tank. This is the best way to ensure that copepods etc. don't get flushed too fast into the show tank, and also that they don't have to be pushed through a pump to risk being chopped!!

As for the lighting...standard NO 50/50's on a reverse cycle (off when your tank lights are on, and on when the tank lights turn off) would be perfect. 50/50's and daylight bulbs are good for plants, and the reverse cycle will help keep your ph in check (as the ph tends to change when the lights turn off).

If you have further Housed Above the Tank refugium questions...send a message to REEFIN GEEK, as he just set one up last month or so!!

HTH