Refugium Sumps: Basic Information

Refugium sumps are being used more and more in aquariums today. The reason behind is that a lot of the required equipment such as protein skimmers, heaters, calcium reactors etc. can be hidden from view in the aquarium sump. A lot more people are using refugium sumps as a place to install either primary or additional filteration methods. Generally a refugium sump is a separate tank that is kept below the aquarium. The refugium then becomes part of the tank's filtration system consisting of a submersible heater, pump, protein skimmer and saltwater aquarium filter sock. The reef sump gets connected to the main tank by two pipes like one to pump water into the tank and one to pull water out of the tank. It can be called as work tank type of refugium pump because it becomes part of the filtration system and it is the place where pumping action takes place.

Attaching a refugium sump:
A refugium sump pipes to the main tank can exist in one of two forms. You have to drill a hole beside the main tank and run a drain tube from that hole to the refugium sump for the first form. On the main tank an overflow sump is used for the next step and attaches it to the tube running down to the refugium sump for the second form. After that you need a pump that returns water to the main tank at a rate of speed that's consistent with the drain or siphon. In order to regulate the flow of water, place a valve in the "return" tube, after the pump.

Refugium Sump Pros
A reef sump or refugium sump may act as a separate tank for small organisms even as part of the saltwater aquarium filter system. You can use this to maintain and breed feeders, such as copepods or as a holding tank for young fish you have hatched. In addition, you can also use it hold aggressive fish until they settle or new fish while they adjust to water temperature and salinity. In order to further filtration of water, you can place a deep layer of sand in your refugium. You can also grow algae in your refugium to oxygenate the water. Plants in a refugium keep the main tank clean to give your marine environment the benefit of plants' filtration. Finally, the refugium sump gives you a place to hide the tubes and machinery of your tank's filtration system.