Creation of the fuge pic thread

[ReefSparky]

I'm creating a fuge so I can grow some chaeto under full light 24/7. I've got limited space under my 55 gal tank, so I'm making this fuge out of a 10 gal tank. (Don't flame me, I've given this thought, and forgive me this small experiment before I go to a 120 gal tank; then my 55 will be the fuge. . )

Since I can't fit my hands inside the 10 gal. b/w the glass baffle and the end, I had to run my beads of silicone before the glass baffle was put in place. This sounds backwards, but it was a necessity since I couldn't get my hand/caulk gun into the space between the glass baffle and the end of the 10 gal. tank. So step one was to put the baffle in place, level it out, and draw lines exactly where the beads of silicone were to go. I did this by placing a book under the baffle and drawing the lines with a sharpie.



I then made the beads of silicone that would go in the short end that prohibited entry of my hands with the glass in place.


Then I placed the book back in, put the glass in place, and gently pressed it into the existing beads.



Once I again achieved level, I ran a bead on the top (large end).



Lastly, I removed the book and set it all to dry.



Tomorrow I'll put the next baffle, which will help hold in place the eggcrate material to help stop microbubbles from getting into the cheato condo.

[smallcrpt]

ya i just went thru that exact thing. its hard to use an existing tank. i did that with the lines and silicon, but todays water test day so i dont know if it will hold, we'll see, i hope she does.

[ReefSparky]

Originally Posted by smallcrpt

ya i just went thru that exact thing. its hard to use an existing tank. i did that with the lines and silicon, but todays water test day so i dont know if it will hold, we'll see, i hope she does.

I don't follow. Isn't it a lot easier to use an existing tank? Good luck with the water test. If it doesn't work, you'll know exactly what NOT to do next time!

[smallcrpt]

i mean trying to silicone between the existing wall and your baffle if you put it close to the first side.
BTW my water test was successful... w00t w00t
i can't wait to order up some parts and get it going
-chris

[ReefSparky]

Yeah, it can be tricky. Good deal on the water!!

[Tangster]

Word of advice you mention 24/7 lighting LOL Why ? what living thing can run 24/7 ? you know how a plant works ? They need time to convert their waste to usable oxygen thats the timer of day when the main tank is dark and the plants giving off their waste product 0'2 is what keeps the P.H stable at night. Cheado is tough but not that bullet proof I think it still gets dark in the ocean at night ?You guys are taking this refugium thing way way way over the top.. If you are going to the trouble to set up a fuge then why not get all the benefits from it .

[jbaker]

I agree with Tangster. Tank lights on during the day, fuge lights on during the night. A cycle for them both, just like nature. They both get he needed light. Rotating the lighting also helps keep the ph level 24/7 if I'm not mistaking.

[ReefSparky]

Continuing on, next is to make sure the gloves are worn!



Remember, I have to do this a bit backwards, since I can't fit my hands on either side of the glass to run beads of silicone once the glass is in place. So, I'm setting a bead, pressing the glass into the bead, and running another bead on top of the glass. I explained the rationale for this last post.

I set the return powerhead in place, and gave about an inch of play to the left.



Then I made my mark.



Using a combination of boxes and books, I get the height right, and level it out.



Make sure it's level on all planes,





Then I draw the lines again.



Make the beads under the lines.



Put the books and boxes back in. .



Place the glass on the bead and level. .



Run a bead on the glass. .



And let it dry.









Next time it's the installation of the baffle next to the one just done--it will maintain the water line in the main compartment (the cheato condo).

[ReefSparky]

Sorry about the lack of pics, but I've been putting in some hours at the real job.

First the Cliff Notes:
At first,terrible failure, nothing worked.
Now, everything works like a charm.


I've fit the last baffle on the fuge. I also had it drilled to accomodate the overflow from the display tank, and I gave it a test run. In an attempt to create a leisurely water flow in the fuge, I tried a QuiteOne 1200 as the return. With a 4 ft. head, the pump is supposed to return approx. 150 gal/hr, but the return stream had less force than a waterfountain. The fuge took in water faster than it could return to the display tank, the water level in the main sump (Wet/Dry) would plunge and begin to pump air. If left unattended the fuge would have overflowed within 15 min's.

So I tried my old Rio 1700 and placed that in the fuge. After playing around with the return valve (had to dial it down a bit) I had everything where it was supposed to be.

In a power outage, the wet/dry can accomodate about 5 gals of overflow. The fuge, itself a 10 g tank, operates at 7 gal with room to accomodate nearly 3 gals of overflow safely.

After letting it run for a couple of hours, I pulled the plugs on all pumps and observed. I was stoked to see fuge stops filling almost immediately, and is motionless at about 8 gals. The wet/dry sump becomes still with about 5" below the danger zone. So everything is great. Cant underemphasize the ability to sleep well at night.

Today I'm going to hit a LFS for some chaeto and Home Depot for a clip-on light and bulb.


Pro's:
1. I've just about doubled my tank turnover,
2. I've added more water to the system, stabilizing the chemistry,
3. I've added a good chunk of surface area for O2 uptake,
4. The chaeto will harbor pods for the fish to eat,
5. The chaeto will also compete with tank algae for nutrients.
6. More turbulence in the display tank.

Possible Cons:
1. Water movement in the fuge may be to great.

[omard]

Nice job!