Wet/dry conversion to refugium?

[JohnnyBoy]

First of all, I'm new here, this is my first post and the sight is great! I have had my 75 gallon for about five years until a couple of years ago when a hurricane came through and the battery backup on my tank died and everything died. I am in the process of rebuilding now but had some things I want some input on. I've always ran an overflow box into a 75 gallon wet/dry sump system. I have a protein skimmer also. I was thinking about modifying the sump to convert it into a fefugium of sorts.

This is the plan:


This is my skimmer and return pump. I'm still wondering who invited my son into the picture.......not I!

[reeffreak]

Welcome,sounds like a good plan.

Careful,skimmers so close to the return pumps tend to cause alot of microbubbles.You may need aditional baffles separating the two,good luck.

[cgoodman381]

Id get rid of all the bioballs, put in a nice amount of sand, throw some chaeto or something else and put the light up top.

[cgoodman381]

I was checking out the pics again and I would almost just not put sand in there because it wouldnt really help out all that much.

I would silicon the plasic piece still, but drill some holes in it or somethingfor better flow on the bottom. Just rock and chaeto with your return on the top. and the light on the side I guess, as theres no where else for it.

[JohnnyBoy]

Thanks for the advice but I decided to scratch that idea. I just found an old 10 gal. tank that I can use as a ref. This is what I'm planning on instead. Seems like a plan for me except I don't know if it's better with the protein skimmer area and the ref. area switched around. All comments and suggestions are welcome.

[daugherty]

you could drill the two and hook them that way with a bulkhead it would be better than a u tube they can cause probs and make floods.

[JohnnyBoy]

That's true. This is my way of avoiding having to get my tank cut into but any glass shop should be able to do that huh?