Your thoughts on sump/refugium

[Rambozo1]

I have a four foot sump that is gong to go under my 6 foot tank. It is going to be a low light, low tech tank. It has sand substrate and a twin four foot light.

The sump that I have has been out of action for some time and was on a salt tank. During its down time it got a crack on the rear side and I am in the process of repairing it. To repair it I have to take out a baffle. So there is now a large section that the water flow from the top and exits from the top. I was going to put some substrate in it and have a grow out section.

But as I was fixing it I was thinking that if I took out another baffle I would have a larger section for plants to grow and the water would enter from the bottom and exit from the top. Therefore the water would have to flow through a media. Maybe matrix or pee gravel.
This would be at the start of the sump, water in through a sock, to get all of the large particles, then through the planted section. Then on to the rest of the sump.

Has anyone done this before and is there any benefit of either method or should I just fill it with media/matting?

[thelub]

Do you have pictures? I will be going with a 55g sump/fuge on my 200g. I plan on having a media section as well as the refugium. Technically the plants should provide enough filtration but you can never really over filter.

[elbandito78]

I've been thinking on setting up a refugium as well. I have a 125 gallon aquarium that I'm about to set up and was planning on this as my method of filtration.

I've looked around a lot and have found varying opinions on freshwater refugiums. Some people like them, while others ask why you would need one on a planted aquarium (as the aquarium itself is the refugium). I figure as long as you have some good media for bacteria and fast growing stemmed plants (maybe some floaters) you would be good.

[In.a.Box]

A refugium is like a tank full of fast growing plant ^^
You use fast growing plant to suck up no3.

If you run a filter and fast growing plant I don't see a use in a refugium.
A sump will be better for a plant tank.

[Rambozo1]

That was my thought before as why would you need refugium on a fresh water. However I thought that due to fact that there is a large space where water enters and exits from the top there was nothing else for it.

I have heard that plants grow faster in a freshwater refugium than a tank did to the large amount of bacteria when there is water forced through the media.

[farrenator]

Depending on the type of fish OP plans on keeping I can see the value in a refigium. Say, for example, OP keeps non plant friendly fish such as cichlids, silver dollars, etc. or keeps lots of fish and slow growing plants like ferns and anubias (good for low tech tank). The refigium would act as a nitrate sink - e.g. a bunch of duckweed or some other fast growing plant. I guess it depends on what OP wants to achieve w/ the display tank.

This is neither here nor there, but the whole reason I got into planted tanks (and CO2 etc) was to keep nitrates low in my heavily stocked tanks. Now I ADD ferts, haha........

Originally Posted by Rambozo1

That was my thought before as why would you need refugium on a fresh water. However I thought that due to fact that there is a large space where water enters and exits from the top there was nothing else for it.

I have heard that plants grow faster in a freshwater refugium than a tank did to the large amount of bacteria when there is water forced through the media.

[Rambozo1]

Haha. I would love to start adding ferts and co2 to the tank but due to its size. 6x2x2. I just don't have the funds.

Give me a couple of months and I'm sure I'll find the money some where. Lol.

The only reason that I thought of this is I have several tanks and a nice grow out/ hospital would be good to have. The section would only be small but enough to make a difference.

Thanks everyone for you thoughts. I think that I am going to take out the other baffle and have the water enter from the bottom and exit from the top so that the water wil lee forced through the substrate.

Any thoughts in the media. I was thinking matrix but I do not want to have the roots clog the pours so I will use it in the rest of the sump.

I need some thing small enough to hold the plants but big enough for flow. I was thinking cracked pea gravel.




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[elbandito78]

You could go with safe-tsorb, or another one with a high cec count. Or the expensive route and use miracle mud.