Is there a way I can turn a 5.5g into a refugium for my 10g Nano? Is there a way that this can be done without drilling the tanks? The cabinet that the 10g sets on has enough space to place the 5.5 but it would be tight. Wouldn't evaperation cause a disaster with that kind of situation? Just an idea rolling around.
Possible 5.5g Refugium
- Thread starter Jennie
- Start date
I think I've found a solution! The cabinet next to the SW tank has a 30 gallon tank, which currently houses yellow labs (which I'll take to work). With that tank removed, the 10 can be placed with the 5 next to it (just won't be forward facing). Any more tips for making this an effective set-up? I'll have to figure out a way to get some acrylic cut for the baffles, but unless I'm missing and more important steps, I think that will be the hardest part! Any opinions/suggestions welcome.
Here is the cabinet (sorry about the clutter)
Here is the cabinet (sorry about the clutter)
How wide is the top of the cabinet? If it's wide enough I'd place the 5.5gal up top, so that you can see it as well. Fuges can be fun to look at with all the little critters in them. You can run a PH pumping the water up to the 5.5 and then just let an overflow drain it back down to the 10. Congrats on figuring out a way to get it done. 
Narkon'n'more
New Member
Its perfectly fine, in that you are pumping into the refugium, and if the pump goes out then it does a little drain form the overflow, but stops after that so it doesn't flood the tank.
It really doesn't matter where the refugium is as long as you have enough pump power to get the water to it.
Nathan
It really doesn't matter where the refugium is as long as you have enough pump power to get the water to it.
Nathan
Like Nathan said, it should be fine. One important thing is that you either have the line pumping into the fuge right at the top of the tank, or a hole in it right at the top of the water line as a siphon break. That way if your pump fails due to a power outage it can't siphon a lot of water from the fuge back into your main tank and flood it. You don't have to worry about that if the tanks are both side-by-side and level.
Update:
We had to go with the overflow idea, so I went looking for a container to make one and came accross a shower caddy (for bars of soap). It's made of clear acrylic/plastic, my husband is sealing off the bottom to make the drain hole. It already has suction cups, but I believe he is also going to make a hanger that I can silicone to the back of the tank. Pretty much a ready made overflow. I went to the hardware store and purchased a few feet of hosing. But now that I think about it, should I make the hosing coming from the fuse to the main tank (via overflow) a larger size verses what is going to be used from the main tank up to the fuge?
We had to go with the overflow idea, so I went looking for a container to make one and came accross a shower caddy (for bars of soap). It's made of clear acrylic/plastic, my husband is sealing off the bottom to make the drain hole. It already has suction cups, but I believe he is also going to make a hanger that I can silicone to the back of the tank. Pretty much a ready made overflow. I went to the hardware store and purchased a few feet of hosing. But now that I think about it, should I make the hosing coming from the fuse to the main tank (via overflow) a larger size verses what is going to be used from the main tank up to the fuge?
I'd go with a somewhat smaller than normal hose. A normal 1" overflow drains approx 600gph. This worked fine for me when I was pumping from maxi-jet 1200 horizontally about 18inches into another tank, a maxi-jet 900 wasn't enough flow to keep the overflow U-tube near full. Going up to the 5.5 your'e going to have some head pressure, so you won't be pumping at the full capacity of the PH, and you might have the same problem of not being able to keep the u-tube primed. A smaller gauge u-tube and drain pipe should help with that.
You can look at the ViaAqua 360 specs here.Jennie said:
http://marinedepot.com/aquarium_powerhe ... sp?CartId=
Since the ViaAqua 360 only has a max rate of 152gph I'd say it's much too low. Once you pump up to the fuge it's going to be barely a trickle. I would guess that you want closer to 300gph through your fuge. If it was me, I'd buy one of these, and plumb a line out of the main tank to the pump, then up from the pump to the fuge. It would get more flow to/through your fuge and you wouldn't have a powerhead in your nano tank, which just adds heat and takes up space.
http://marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=DP1117
B
Progress report:
We moved the ten into it's finall resting place, moved the fuge over, and started the flow. It looks like I have finally adjusted the flow to where they balance, but I have a god awful 'flushing' sound. I'm off to figure out how to stop it. Will post pictures later tonight.
We moved the ten into it's finall resting place, moved the fuge over, and started the flow. It looks like I have finally adjusted the flow to where they balance, but I have a god awful 'flushing' sound. I'm off to figure out how to stop it. Will post pictures later tonight.