Refuge idea help~

Back into the game after some time off, wow a lot has changed in the past 7 years! Anyway, my idea/setup...55 gall FOWLR. I will have many fish, so I want a wet/dry, but also want to build a refugium. Right now I have a 20 tall sump, a 17"x8x8 wet/dry premade filter simply setting in the sump. Rio 2100 return pump. My dilemma is with this wet/dry being the size it is, how can I shove this, a skimmer (yet to buy) refuge, and return sump into the 20 gallon tank? Could the skimmer be placed in the return sump area if need be? Should there be a baffle between the wet/dry base and the refugium? Right now I threw a little sand and live rock in there with no baffle, put a simple poly-type thick pad after the sand area to help it not go into the pump. Seems to be working, but not what I want.
Also, if I make baffles, what type of glue or sealant should I use to make the sections? Plastic or acrylic as from Lowes. Simple aquarium epoxy? Thanks

 

Hi Scooter!

Welcome to 3Reef! I was in the same boat as you! Tore my tank down about 6 years ago and just set it back up in Sept. this year!

There is a solution perhaps you are unaware of ...There is a refugium that can hang on the tank...Check this out...

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...roduct_Code=ECO-40M&Category_Code=Special

or

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...oduct_Code=CPR-RF18&Category_Code=Special

The benefit being , if you are trying to grow pods, for fish food, they will be gravity fed over into the tank...not chopped up in a return pump.

Plus, I have heard good things about the mud stuff. Some people run the mud filter fuges without skimmer....I don't know about that, esp with a FO.....lots of waste.

With a Hangon fuge, you can watch it as well!
Hope this helps some

 

Additionally, you could get along without the wet/dry if you are using enough LR. You could do a sump/fuge combo, here is mine

http://www.3reef.com/cgi-bin/album.pl?photo=birdlady/fuge.jpg

I made it myself from an old tank I had laying around. It is a 20 gallon fuge on a 58 gallon tank. (more pics in my gallery if you care to look)

 

Yes, a hang-on would be nice, but I forgot to metion, I am running a 55 gallon HEX acrylic, argh I know, but its what I ahve to work with. I am sure the sump with wet/dry right now would be enough, but man the refuge idea is cool! It has to be a sump type set up.
And thanks, this eems liek the place I wanna be! I tried posting on a few forums and was simply ignored, from looking at all the posts, etc everyone seems to want to help and what i really like, no one shoots down ideas just because it is out of the oridinary, good sound advice has always worked best.
Birdlady, I am basically going for your setup, but with the addition of the wet/dry. I coudl do it, but woudl nto have the room for a kimemr or fuge, so after seeing different one son here, looks liek I can make my refugium about any way I want, and simply add a hang on skimmer to the sump section! I never woudl have thought of that! Any other ideas? I liked the one that had everything built into the back of the sump with the refugium running along the whole front side! Anyoen have luck with this design?

 

ScooterGuitar


[glow=red,10,300]WELCOME TO 3REEF[/glow]

 

How about this idea! Get a hang on refuge and hang it on my sump? That way I can build up my sump however I want, hang the fuge ont he front to block out all the other items? Make sense? Shoudl work as long as the intake goes low enough, right?