Help with Refugium

[philip_r5]

Hello, I currently have a 55gallon fish tank. I have a MegaFlow Model 2 Sump. Picture below. This is hooked up to a overflow box on the back of my fish tank. I want to put a refugium into my cycle. Now I would like suggestions on where to put the inlet line. I was thinking about taking the water right form the overflow box into the refugium. Then returning it to the return part of the sump. However, im not sure what to do, thats why im here Any suggestions would be great. Also what should I keep in the refugium? I have read about Caulerpa and Amphipods. I also think I should use about 3inch bed of sand. Anything else or what should i put in there? Thanks very much

[JayLloyd73]

You will want to put some Chatomorpha Macro algae aka chaeto in the refugium. Chaeto lowers phosphates and nitrates, and it wont go sexual. It looks like this.

[Matt Rogers]

Is this a fish only tank or do you want coral and have a lot of live rock? If it's the latter, you could slowly remove the bioballs and make that area a refugium.

Otherwise, you could make do with the rest of the sump but I would not personally want a bunch of sand near my return pump.

The other option is to add the refugium external to your sump and have a powerhead feed it and drain back into the sump.

[philip_r5]

The tank has about 60lbs of slowly growing live rock. The tank is about 2months old right now. I have algea growing like crazy. Well before I put the sump on. I will have corals and inverts going in there.

[Deano]

I kind of had the same problem. I got rid of the bioballs in the my sump and placed an square plastic box that I purchased at walmart. I cut it dow to a 6inch hight, filled it with 4 inches of sand an placed it in back in the section of my sump where the bioballs were. I did have to change the intake line into the sump and add more water to accomodate the Chatomorpha.

[philip_r5]

Thanks for the input. However after setting it up and reading a little more and talking to some friends. They insisted I take the bio balls out so i did. I have noting in the sump now other then a bag of ammonia remover and a bag of carbon. I will prob put some calupa or other macro in there is this suggested? Then we come to the refugium. Where should I pull water from and where should I return it? What macro should I put in the refugium. I was thinking about putting it on the stand that the printers on next to the tank. (can be seen in pic) I want the tank to look a little cool if i can. Idk open to many suggestions please help me out. Thanks The links below are for pictures of my sump. The refugium tank is about 8gallons or so.

[Deano]

What ever makes it work so that you have a refugium for the copods and macro algea. Considering all the equiptment I have in my sump/refugium, skimmer, uv sterilizer, protein skimmer, lighting, cuprisorb, return pump, I even have a carbon filter connected to the intake to the sump. It's quit a challenge to get to fit.

[dlaclo]

NOte i do not inteand on stealing this thread but i have a quick question. Can a refugium be completly serate to the sump and if so can i t off my returne line into my tank and have 2 return pumps going into it one for the refugium and one for the sump????