Fuge pics

[SaltLife]

Looking for some ideas on how to set up my new fuge under my tank (don't have the room to go anywhere else except under the tank). Anybody interested in sharing their fuge pics? Looking for ideas to get the most out of what I have, and use my ASM skimmer. I can't decide if I want to try to run the ASM external (if possible) or eat up space in the fuge and run it in there.

Thanks

[MechanicalEngineer]

I'm sorry to show this photo, but oh well...here goes.  This is my frag tank/rescue tank setup...so excuse the junkiness of it (it was made with scraps from around the house.)  You can see the sump in the bottom.  It's a 10g fuge that used to house my Tunze 9002 skimmer.  It's nothing thrilling...just houses some macro algae.

In my main tank's sump, I have a deep sand bed, my skimmer, a macroalgae section, and a frag tray section. 

[UD Flyer]

Here’s a picture of my fuge that I finished last week. There’s nothing but tap water in it for now while I’m still trying to get the pluming figured out.

It's pretty basic; I just cut some acrylic to fit the 20 gallon long then I used aquarium silicon and let it dry. The water drains to the left side where the skimmer will be, then there are three baffles with 18in of space where I plan on having sand, rubble, and Cheato. On the far right side is my return pump where I plan on keeping my heater too. The water level will not be as high as it is now because the second baffle does not go all the way to the top.

Reef’d Up how does that Tunze 9002 skimmer work for you? That’s what I am planning on using because all the reviews say it is nearly silent.

[ohioreef]

Here is a pic of my fuge/sump.

[Amstar]

its looks alittle different now.  The three mangroves are about 2 1/2 feet tall with several limbs and leaves.  I have VHO lighting (you can sort of see the lighting just under the stand)  Auto-top off is the blue container.  Then I have a 5 gallon jug that catches my run-off from the skimmer.  There is a DSB (should be deeper) with macro algae as well.  the sump is a 30 gallon breeder tank with three baffels

[rmstevensiii]

With a sump/fuge bigger is definitely better!  More water volume = a more stable system.  Also, the larger the fuge, the easier it will be to house the equipment that you want to keep out of your display. 

My sump/fuge for the 75 is a std 20 and the sump/fuge for the 29 is a std 10.  If I had more space, they'd be larger.  If you are running a skimmer, I really like the setup that Gary (ohioreef) has with the skimmer on 1 side, the return pump in the center chamber, and the fuge section in the opposite side.  With this setup, you can set the water level to the level that works best for your skimmer and since the fuge is totally separate, you can keep flow thru your fuge chamber slow enough for your macro to serve their purpose.  Since the fuge is not in-line with the skimmer, you are not skimming out the beneficial micro-organisms that live within the fuge, the majority of which can (and will) pass safely thru your return pump and into your main display.  These "critters" provide the bio-diversity and supplemental food that you want/need (IMHO) to have a successful reef setup.  I do not run skimmer so my returns dump directly into the fuge section of my sump/fuge providing a food source to the "critters" living there.  I'm not sure if Gary periodically feeds anything in his fuge directly or if this is absolutely necessary.  Maybe someone else can chime in on that particular topic.

As always... just my .02,

Mitch

[Midwest Express]

Here is a pic of my fuge/sump.

I have seen this on a few setups.  The line that Tee's off of the return that goes back into the sump and is throttled by either a ball valve of a gate.  What is the purpose of doing this?  I ask cause I see it in this photo here.

[rmstevensiii]

It kind of depends on what purpose you want your sump fuge to serve.  If you using it primarily as a place to store extra equipment and to increase your overall system volume, then it really doesn't matter.  If you're using it as for nutrient export or as a breeding area for pods and/or critters, then I think it matters. 

Tee'ing off the return line to feed the fuge allows you to control the flow of water thru the fuge with either a ball or gate valve (Gary's setup).  If you place your fuge in line with your returns from the main tank on 1 side, and your return pump on the opposite side with your fuge in the middle, the flow rate thru your fuge is determined by the flow-rate of your overflows and return pump.  If you're pushing 1200 GPH thru the overflows and return pump, you're moving the water thru your fuge at the same rate.  The impurities in the water from your main display serves as food for the macro in the fuge.  At the higher flow rates, the macro in the fuge may not be able to remove the these impurities from the water column.  In this scenario, you may want the ability to control the flow rates thru the fuge the way that Gary did.  If the flow rate for your return pumps are relatively low/slow, you may not need to do this. 

Just my .02

[MechanicalEngineer]

UD Flyer, I'll PM you about the Tunze 9002...I don't want to hijack the thread! 

[Secondgen]

Sorry I don't have a pic, but my fuge is most like Gary's except I made it out of a 20L glass tank. I have my overflow split so that it empties into both the fuge, and skimmer section. I have my return in the middle. As for my return pump I have the return line split with a valve inline to get rid of the backpressure on the pump to extend pump life.