DIY fuge

[Rcchanlder]

i used weldon for my acrylic. it works really well. i would recomend going over all your seams with silicone though. even after you bond them together. that is where i messed up not i would have to cut the box back apart to seal it

 

[Bifferwine]

Silicone I is fine -- it's Silicone II that has the antimicrobial additives that you want to stay away from.

 

[BL1]

Thanks Biff!! I knew you had said it somewhere I just couldn't remember what thread you had posted that in.

 

[sen5241b]

I'm trying to make some drawings of possible refug ideas but, I need to know how to set it up ... In he baffles do you want the chaeto to come first so it's getting all the nutirents from the tank. Or do you want the chaeto after the skimmer so that the pods in the chaeto aren't going through the skimmer and getting killed?
And I don't know the model offhand, I'll have to look later but, are the 266gph accella pumps that come with the nano cube strong enough to return the water back into the aquarium from the stand, or will I need to upgrade the pump too?

Whatever way --consider the fuge will produce some detritus on its own and you don't want this back in the main display. Water leaving the fuge should go thru floss, sponge or some filtration.

 

[Rcchanlder]

i did my set up where the water has to go through grooves at the top and then a sponge over the return. also one thing i know i want to add to mine eventually is a drain at the bottom of my fuge so i can drain it into the return chamber if i want. with an on off of course. i have been using my fuge for mixing salt and if i had a port at the bottom i could just turn it on to let the new water in instead of using a cup

 

[BL1]

i did my set up where the water has to go through grooves at the top and then a sponge over the return. also one thing i know i want to add to mine eventually is a drain at the bottom of my fuge so i can drain it into the return chamber if i want. with an on off of course. i have been using my fuge for mixing salt and if i had a port at the bottom i could just turn it on to let the new water in instead of using a cup

Do you have pics of it so I can see?

 

[Rcchanlder]

just on my build page. im not too sure you can see much of that though. you cant see the teeth i cut into the fuge wall. they are pretty much what you could expect. and the sponge is not on the return. i will try and get some better pics of it later on. as for the drain the only pics are in my head lol. i could try and draw them and post them

https://www.livingreefs.com/coreys-130-gal-system-upgrade-t24491p4.html

 

[Rcchanlder]

here is an example in pdf it is a little crooked but that will give you an idea of what the drain pipe from the fuge could look like

 

[BL1]

Thanks for all your help guys, after getting the rest of my LR the other day I've decided that my small refugium idea just wasn't going to work. So I got a 20L tank today and I'm about to start trimming the baffles now. I'll post some during and after pics.
Thanks again!

 

[puttycat]

Place a block of wood under the raised baffle it will help keep it help keep it level.

 

[BL1]

great idea, thanks!

 

[Rcchanlder]

i stacked CD's to make my bubble trap. it was easy. just dont do it in the wrong order or get a CD traped in there. turning a 55 gal over to get a CD out is not much fun when the silicone is stuck to it

 

[BL1]

Thanks I've been trying to think of how I'd keep the baffle up. I've got another question now, all my baffles are cut now and ready to go in. I'm trying to figure out how much space I need in each section, and I'd like to get some opinions. I'm thinking about going with this skimmer, Reef Octopus Recirculating Protein Skimmer Images this way I can run my flow directly from my overflow into the skimmer and have more room in my refug for LR and chaeto. If I run the flow directly into the skimmer what will happen if the power goes out? Would you guys recommend running the flow right into the skimmer?

 

[puttycat]

Baffles should be 1" apart if they are to close the water flows to fast for the bubbles to rise and leave the water. Raised baffle should be 1" above bottom. I don't have that type of skimmer but I don't think it will overflow if set up properly.That is supposed to be better than the NW series. Someone with that type of skimmer will have to chime in, I am not sure how water flows thru them

 

[BL1]

Well, here's where I stopped for the night, just have to wait for the second baffle to dry and set before I can put in the third one and test it out. I also went ahead and ordered my pump too, it's got 10' max head and max output of 1057 gph, so I figure that should be enough for my tank, and eventually I'll put in a SCWD to alternate the flow into my tank.

 

[Rcchanlder]

looks good. i would just go ahead and do a double or triple coat of silicone. it will save you a lot of headaches. i probably had to test mine 3 of 4 times and if i just put enough silicone in the first time it would have only taken one

 

[BL1]

Thanks, thats good thinking might as well do it now before filling it with water

 

[Bifferwine]

That looks great -- good job!

 

[BL1]

Thanks Biff, can't wait to get it plumbed and running now

 

[BL1]

So, I finally got my return pump delivered today. Made a trip out to HD to pick up the plumbing parts, I'm just hoping that I got everything I'll need because I was pretty much trying to figure it out in my head while I was in the aisle. Unfortunately, I have to write an essay for tomorrow so I don't get to put anything together tonight. Pics will be up tomorrow though when it's finished!