Refugium flow question

[recliner]

How many Gph do I want going through my refugium? I have a 150 gallon tank. Does my bio load have anything to do with it?

My levels have all been good except for nitrates, been fighting high-ish nitrates and having algae issues but water is always clear.

 

[Bifferwine]

Is your refugium a part of your sump, or is it separate?

 

[FishyReef]

If it is separate from your sump, what do you plan to put in your refugium or use it for? I ask because it really depends on what you plan to put in there as to what type of flow it needs - for example, if you are planning to culture pods, they will need lower flow, but if you are using it primarily for live rock and chaeto, then it needs fairly strong flow.

 

[recliner]

It has a bunch of small live rock in the 1st chamber my overflow drains in to. The middle section has a bunch of chaeto, some red worm things, sand/mud, and some snails. I want to maximize the nitrate it absorbs.

It is a 29 gallon tank that sits below my main tank. I have a submersible pump sitting in the last chamber. I'm not sure how many Gph it's putting out now (need to look up the model # cause it doesn't say) I have 2 other external pumps that I'm not using now. A 1500gph and a 650gph

 

[Bifferwine]

You shouldn't need any more flow than you already have. In general, flow through a refugium should not be as strong as the flow in the display tank, but still strong enough that the chaeto moves around a bit and the water doesn't get stagnant.

 

[tritan]

Ive always wondered this also. I feel like there should be a calculator: like 120g main + 30g sump = 600gph flow rate. Something like that.

 

[Nonfamous]

I also run a small "nano" powerhead in mine. 240gph IIRC.

 

[recliner]

You run a powerhead in one of the compartments of your sump?

 

[Nonfamous]

Yes. I believe in the concept of treating the sump like another small tank. The PH keeps the water moving through the chaeto and help with gas exchange to support the pod population.

 

[recliner]

Huh, I have 2 small power heads I'm not using and was actually trying to sell cheap on craigslist. I guess I'll put 1 in my sump

 

[sen5241b]

I have a 3 G fuge and I run 260GPh thru it. I run 350gph thru my new 2.5 fuge. I would not run any less gph. For that 29G fuge I would see if you can put that 600 gph on it. I have seen over and over situations where my cheato turns purple with cyano because of weak flow.

 

[recliner]

I just looked up the submersible pump. It is an eheim 1260, so it is rated at 635 Gph. I run about 3 feet of 1" inside diameter tube off it and connect it to a pvs fitting and then through a 1 1/4" check valve then up the rest of the tank u over the top and down about a foot with the 1" PVC. So it seems this should be fine for my sump and no reason to need any other filters.
I haven't put the weak powerhead in with my algae in the fugue yet. What is everyone's opinion on that?

 

[Bifferwine]

I don't think you'd need another powerhead in the fuge. The flow through the fuge is supposed to be gentle.

 

[ErinCahir]

+1 Biffers. Mine had gentle flow and worked beautifully.