[MHenderson5581]

Building my own refugium out of either a 20 gal tall or a standare 29 gal tank. Just wondering what kind of pump I should use to get the water back to the DT.

[WorkinMan]

A true refugium actually sits at or above the level of the DT. Water is pushed from the DT by a pump or powerhead placed about midlevel of the tank, then taken back to the DT by a syphon tube or an overflow box of sorts. The reason that the pump is placed in the DT is that the pump pressure/impeller will kill a mojority of the copepods that you are trying to transfer alive to the DT for the tank inhabatants to graze on. Low flow and macroalgae is ideal for a refugium so the pods have a safe, easy invironment to multiply in. More information about refugiums can be found at Building A Refugium - Page 1 - What Is A Refugium? - About Saltwater Aquariums Featured Article by Don Carner

Good luck!

[kbk7478]

using a siphon tube to bring water back to the DT is a mistake. if you lose the siphon, then the pump will drain your dt to the level of the pump into the refugium and onto the floor. i think it would be a better design to have the refugium directly flow (ie. overflow)into the dt.