[Jeremy0322]

I dont have a tank yet but i am not planning on going over about 75gallons. I have something like a 20 that i wanna use for a sump, i might go a little bigger but it was free and will work for planning purposes. I wanna have the intake on the left side and the return in the middle and a little fuge on the end. All the sump will really be for it to house the refugium and the skimmer, thermometer, and maybe the carbon. I guess i will get to my real question now...

Do you need to have live sand when you set up a refugium or will "dead" sand work. I think that eventually it will build up the organisms to do its job but i didnt know how long it would take. If it is going to take like 6 months then i will just go with live sand but if not then i think that not live sand is cheaper. Also....How do you get live rock rubble. Can you just take a rock and hit it with a hammer or is that not the way to go with that. Also, anything that i may be overlooking here i would love pointed out. I will be the first one to admit that i dont really know alot about this stuff which is why im waiting so long to set one up, that and the money side. So suggestions, comments, anything will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance people...

[glampka]

Congratulations on learning before doing! I wish everyone was that way.

You can use a mix of LS & "dead" sand or better yet get yourself some Grunge from Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation Home Page & mix that with the dead sand. That stuff is full of all sorts of life.
You can either buy the rubble at your lfs or you can take a hammer to a piece of rock & make your own.

[Jeremy0322]

Thanks Gary. Appreciate the speedy reply

[stephaniesquires]

I also second the conrats on learning first. It takes a lot of time to do this right... Read as many threads as you can, even if they dont seem relevant to you now, you will learn a lot!!
As for live rock rubble - depending on where you buy your LR you may get some rubble with it. I bought LR off e-bay, many of us here have purchased from mrmarine on ebay with good results, much less expensive even with shipping than my lfs. In my shipment of 50 pounds there were several big pieces, some smaller pieces and some "crumbs" that probably broke during shipment.

Take your time, read, read and then read!!!

[Jeremy0322]

Thanks guys. 2 books into it and about 2 hours a night on this site. It is odd though, just when you think you have the hang of it you read something and realize how little you still know.lol As for mrmarine, i have seen that in so many threads here that i actually bookmarked the link for his eBay space or whatever it is called. Seemed to me like the smart direction to go. The last question that i have is this. I know that alot of people put "Cheato" algae in there refugium but i am not quite sure yet what it does. Also, where can you get that and how expensive is it. I cant imagine its alot but this stuff keeps surprising me

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Algea in a fuge is used for nutrient export as it eats nitrates.You can also uae feater or grape calurpa but many complain of these going "asexual"and dieing off.There are a few types of algea that can be fed to fish such as yellow tangs that are generally vegetarian.Cheato may be the best bet.As far as saving things I save every article I read,in fact I am just about jammed up them lol.

[Jeremy0322]

Alright, that was what i needed to know. The next question that i have concerns the return pump. I am wondering what kind of pump you guys use to return the water back into your display tank. I will be using(hopefully) the 1400GPH overflow box from Hang-on Continuous Siphon Overflow 1400 gph w/ 2 Bulkheads - 704009 but i dont know what water pump to match it up with. I looked around last night for about an hour and the information provided on most sites did not give me what i needed. I am looking for something that does not require much maintenance, is reliable, and quiet. The tank is going to be right next to my bed so there is not a huge amount of traffic around it all of the time. I have a 3 year old in the house and i can just picture him "tapping" the glass everytime he walks by it. Any suggestions would be awesome. Thanks again for all the help guys, you really are awesome.

[stephaniesquires]

Originally Posted by Jeremy0322

Thanks guys. 2 books into it and about 2 hours a night on this site. It is odd though, just when you think you have the hang of it you read something and realize how little you still know.lol

So true, I know a lot more than when I started but mostly I know that I dont know enough!!

[jvharding]

Originally Posted by Jeremy0322

Alright, that was what i needed to know. The next question that i have concerns the return pump. I am wondering what kind of pump you guys use to return the water back into your display tank. I will be using(hopefully) the 1400GPH overflow box from Hang-on Continuous Siphon Overflow 1400 gph w/ 2 Bulkheads - 704009 but i dont know what water pump to match it up with. I looked around last night for about an hour and the information provided on most sites did not give me what i needed. I am looking for something that does not require much maintenance, is reliable, and quiet. The tank is going to be right next to my bed so there is not a huge amount of traffic around it all of the time. I have a 3 year old in the house and i can just picture him "tapping" the glass everytime he walks by it. Any suggestions would be awesome. Thanks again for all the help guys, you really are awesome.

Ok well after reading your PM and Following up with this thread. The way you want to section off Sump is good Idea. Figure on T off to Refugium about 10% of your tank capacity an hour for your refugium to be successful. I like Gary's Idea for seeding it. Having it T off with a Ball valve will help with routine maintenance of your RDSB.

Look at RDSB for Info:

DSB article - CALFO

I had a better link for RDSB but I can not find it!

Ok for Pumps If you are going with a 75G Tank and you can not drill your sump then a mag 12 will give you good water movement for the overflow you plan on using. If one of two bulkheads is being used for the flow to Refugium Please review Flow rates that are best for a Refugium as mentioned above, 10% of tank capacity is what is being recommended these days to be an effective solution. A Mag 9 would work if this is the case

[gimmito]

Congrat's on doing it the right way ! I recommend checking out melev's reef for sumps and checking out his reefcast podcast. I have a 75 aga with a 40 gal sump/fuge. I previously did a 20 long with a design by melev. I highly recommend mag pumps and I use a mag 9.5 for my return. Wetwebmedia is a great source of information and the founder robert fenner's book "the conscientious marine aquarist" is a must read for anyone getting into the hobby. I also recommend finding a local club where local aquarists can further help you in this fascinating hobby !

[plecosword]

Originally Posted by Jeremy0322

I dont have a tank yet but i am not planning on going over about 75gallons. I have something like a 20 that i wanna use for a sump, i might go a little bigger but it was free and will work for planning purposes. I wanna have the intake on the left side and the return in the middle and a little fuge on the end. All the sump will really be for it to house the refugium and the skimmer, thermometer, and maybe the carbon. I guess i will get to my real question now...

Do you need to have live sand when you set up a refugium or will "dead" sand work. I think that eventually it will build up the organisms to do its job but i didnt know how long it would take. If it is going to take like 6 months then i will just go with live sand but if not then i think that not live sand is cheaper. Also....How do you get live rock rubble. Can you just take a rock and hit it with a hammer or is that not the way to go with that. Also, anything that i may be overlooking here i would love pointed out. I will be the first one to admit that i dont really know alot about this stuff which is why im waiting so long to set one up, that and the money side. So suggestions, comments, anything will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance people...

i have a similar case.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

here is a really cool [lace to buy stuff for the fuge and the tank.
: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

[rlcline76]

I just ordered from there. We'll see how that goes.