Refugium question

Hi,

I am planning on starting a refugium, but I need a little advice. I have a 58 gallon with a oceanic sump model 1.

The sump has 2 chambers, one large with a protein skimmer in it and a smaller one with the return pump.

Can I just add a light and make the large chamber a refugium or do I need to make a third chamber? I really don't want to go through the aggrivation of emptying the sum and cutting and gluing acrylic inside the sump.

The other option I was considering was buying the CPR In Tank refugium just sitting that inside the large chamber of the sump. I heard that you don't want a lot of flow in a refugium, and using a sump has a lot of flow.

What does everyone think?

Thanks!

Paul

 

I would suggest getting a 20L or a 30Breeder and doing a setup like this.

 

I am sure this is a better approach, but it involves plumbing and adding a new baffle. Is there any harm to just dropping in the in tank refugium into the large chamber of the sump? It has its own power head to feed it.

 

Using the CPR in tank refugium sounds like a clever idea and would likely work, but building a proper design would be a much better way to go. One issue you will need to deal with by just adding the CPR to your sump is going to be proper lighting without a lot of spill over; otherwise you are going to have growth all over your sump…

 

I don't think the in tank refugium will be big enough to properly filter the water. It may be more difficult, but I think the way to go is to redo your entire sump with a refugium in mind. You mine as well spend the money on doing it right the first time. I would buy a 20gal long tank about $20-30, then buy some acrylic or glass, add the baffles, let it cure and then just replace the entire sump. You may not even need to replumb the drain or return if you plan it out correctly. You can just shut off the return empty the sump, save that water, put the new sump in place, fill it up and start the return again.