Need advice for Sump/Refugium setup

[pulpfiction1]

The argument in my comments was never about if or if not a fuge works. This is the frustrating part. lol

I said there are other less invasive and more efficient (imo) ways to remove the same nutrients.

One downfall that does seem to be agreed upon in regards to fuges, is that once the nutrients are consumed and there is nothing for the algae in your fuge to feed on, they break down and simply re-release all the said nutrients back into the system as they are not \"consuming\" it like a biopellet reactor does, but rather binds it up.

hogwash,in a fully operational setup with live fish there will always be somethig for a fuge to consume,always,and so we are not to faroff what you were trying to get at tony,a fuge would be more efficient than pellets,the best part is when you combine both you can increase the bio load and feedings

 

[walshliam]

So, I've ignited some great debate which has been great. But back to my original question. If I do go with a fuge, with my current Sump I would need a new skimmer to move into the first part of my sump which is 5.5"x15". So it's tight. Any suggestions on a skimmer that would work in that space?

 

[theyangman]

[quote author=theyangman link=topic=8649.msg92794#msg92794 date=1399398157]
The argument in my comments was never about if or if not a fuge works. This is the frustrating part. lol

I said there are other less invasive and more efficient (imo) ways to remove the same nutrients.

One downfall that does seem to be agreed upon in regards to fuges, is that once the nutrients are consumed and there is nothing for the algae in your fuge to feed on, they break down and simply re-release all the said nutrients back into the system as they are not \"consuming\" it like a biopellet reactor does, but rather binds it up.

hogwash,in a fully operational setup with live fish there will always be somethig for a fuge to consume,always,and so we are not to faroff what you were trying to get at tony,a fuge would be more efficient than pellets,the best part is when you combine both you can increase the bio load and feedings
[/quote]

 

[theyangman]

So, I've ignited some great debate which has been great. But back to my original question. If I do go with a fuge, with my current Sump I would need a new skimmer to move into the first part of my sump which is 5.5\"x15\". So it's tight. Any suggestions on a skimmer that would work in that space?

5.5" is a super restricting dimension.....

 

[pulpfiction1]

lol  agreed

 

[AdInfinitum]

I think you will find definite consensus that you should not sacrifice skimmer size to gain fuge space.  The importance of a good skimmer out ranks anything else that lives under your DT.

 

[theyangman]

Skimmers are over rated. Make your entire sump a giant fuge and you're set. Don't listen to these guys.

 

[Poseidon]

I don't see any cons.....

 

[Neopimp]

They are two different ways to accomplish the same thing.. Starving the algae of nutrient. If it's through a bacteria farm or a huge ball if chaeto, same thing.

I also seen a trend away from a Refugium set up.  I had extra space in my sump so I made another compartment.

Argue which is more effective if you want but by simply making another chamber and hanging an incandescent bulb over chaeto I ca. Guarantee it is cheaper and can do no harm.

I would still look at pellets in the future if ha is still a problem.




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[Neopimp]

I think you will find definite consensus that you should not sacrifice skimmer size to gain fuge space.  The importance of a good skimmer out ranks anything else that lives under your DT.

bingo



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[theyangman]

I don't see any cons.....

The cons are that he doesn't have the space. It would be sacrificing the current skimmer and trying to find one with a dimension of 5.5" on the one side.

 

[MrHermit85]

I think an important question would be what kind of skimmer are you running currently? If there's nothing wrong with it don't waste money on a new one. If you are bent on the extra space though, there are plenty of small footprint skimmers like bubble magus, reef octopus and I think vertex makes some awesome small footprint skimmers. But as the others said if you can't match or trump the skimmer you currently have with another that fits in that small area don't do it.

 

[walshliam]

The skimmer I have now seems to do a good job, although it's the only one I've had so nothing to complare against. I empty the collection cup every couple of weeks, so not sure if it produces enough or not. I'd obviously prefer not to have to drop $400+ on a new skimmer.

What I'm getting out of todays conversation here is I may be best looking at increasing the size of my sump. designing something that can house the skimmer I have in the first chamber and leaving room for a fuge in the centre.

Thanks for all the input today!