Taking another shot at DIY Fuge!!!!

[9supratt4]

I'm going to try and attempt my DIY refugium once again. here is a picture of what I propose.

I have a drain line going into the fuge. Then I will drill a hole into the side, near the bottom, of the 10 gallon and insert a bulkhead and connect a line to the sump from there. Will that work as long as the water level in the fuge is higher than the level in the sump??

 

[ukman]

I think there will be to much flow as well as creating an escape for your critters and copods.

 

[steamman]

What size is the green line connecting the fuge to the sump?

 

[mr_X]

the water level in the refugium will be the same as the water level in the sump. what will stop the macros from clogging that connection between the two tanks?

 

[9supratt4]

I've been talking to some people and it seems that I should drill the hole toward the top of the tank this way I do not have to worry about the water levels wanting to be equal and the water from the fuge will "overflow" down into the sump.

I'm only talking the tank will be about a foot from the sump.

I will also install acrylic "walls" tonear the drain and then again near the pipe to the sump to stop the macro and bubbles.

 

[steamman]

IMO your design will work. Your equalizer line (green line) should be larger than the line you supply the fuge with. The equalizer line has less head pressure to move water to the sump so you need to make that up with volume (a larger line). It should also be drilled low in the fuge so the little head pressure it has on it helps move the water to the sump. If you drill the hole high in the fuge you are getting more of a waterfall effect. The fuge and the sump should be at the same level so nothing overflows in normal operation. You can regulate the flow to the fuge by throttling back the supply to the desired flow rate. The water in the fuge can not become stagnant. If you are adding water to the fuge it has to pass to the sump because water seeks it's own level. That is why it's called an equalizer line. It makes the levels in the two vessels equal. This design seems it would work better it the fuge and the sump were the same depth.