Equipment Review and Discussion :: PVC Overflow and Refugium

[papoopeepoo]

Here is my current project, which is about 3 weeks old. I built a DIY PVC overflow out of 1-1/4" PVC piping, and an air/liquid check valve.




^^The water is not really that green, it's just the way the picture came out because of the flash.^^

The water overflows into the syphon, which leads into a 10 gallon tank I have setup for freshwater plants and inverts:



You can see in the back-right the QuietOne 1200 water pump that is averaging about 225-250GPH. I also have my second heater in the refugium to free up room in the main tank.

There has been a noticable improvement in levels of ammonia and nitrates since adding the plants about two weeks ago. Once all levels are stable, I will be adding small shrimp and possibly fish.

Any questions, comments or concerns are welcome. This is my first refugium, so I'm short on experience.

[BullDog]

That's totally sweet! I really like that idea! I might think about doing something like that.
Do you have any special lighting for the plants?
Is the 10 gallon below your main tank, or at the same level?

[papoopeepoo]

Thanks BullDog!

The 10 gallon is in the stand, below the main tank.

I bought a flourescent tube that advertises a good light spectrum for aquatic plants. It's the Glo brand Flora-Glo bulb. I also have a generic 23watt CFL bulb that seems to be helping. That brings my ratio to about 3 watts of lighting per gallon of water, which is perfect for many plants.

This project has worked really well for me, I recommend trying it. Including plants, gravel and piping, it's up and running for under 50 bucks. I had the 10 gallon tank already, so the pump was the most expensive part at around $30. The PVC overflow cost me about $10 altogether.

Search google for "DIY PVC Overflow" and there will be plenty of things to read about, including plans to make your own.

[papoopeepoo]

These are my first real plants. I was unaware of the snails that often hitch rides from the pet store, until i threw the plants into the gravel. These small snails have begun to reproduce like rabbits, and I have an assortment of sizes taking over my refugium.

I have read about certain ways to eradicate unwanted snails, but I'm going to keep these around to see how big they get. If worst comes to worst, I can transport the larger snails to my turtle's tank as a nice meal.

My chemical levels are optimum, but the window the tank is next to leaves me with green water that I'm most likely not going to bother with.

I'll have an update with pictures soon.

[elwray]

This is fantastic... probably my next project.

I love how live plants help with water chemistries. Except out of spite, my RES will rip any and all live plants in the tank to shreds.

I currently have a 10 gallon planted tank with mystery snails and ghost shrimp in it... it wouldn't take much to actually use this is filtration for the "main event" in the room (75 gal RES tank) instead of just a stand alone tank.

My plants had some of those little snails on them too, and they reproduce like crazy. Every once in a while if I see one on the side I'll scoop it up and send it to the RES tank, helps keep the population down. They should really only eat dead/decaying plant matter and not kill live plant growth so it's not a big deal.

[Drake33535]

Thats a cool set-up. Does your turtle ever get stuck on the drain pipe?

[papoopeepoo]

Drake-

No she's never gotten stuck. The flow isn't very fast, and the opening is only 1 1/4" so I'm not too worried. I have seen some feeder fish magically end up in the refugium though. Pretty smart fish kept on swimming right to the drain.

[rsour24]

wow, thats awesome. thanks a lot for this idea. how did u knwo what pump to get? and will it work if i set the 10 gallon next to the tank? (id be usuingit on a 65)

[papoopeepoo]

I just did some research on PVC overflows and found that that pump would work well with that pipe diameter while creating a minimum amount of noise.

The siphon works by the force of gravity, as long as the lower point of the drain (the part that's inside the water) is above the level of the water in the sump it should work. If that's not exactly clear let me know, because I'm not sure I'm describing it well enough.

[rsour24]

i think i under stand. like the 10 gallon need to sit below the PVC intake? and what pumps/size pvc would u reccomend for a 65? like what gph pump

[papoopeepoo]

Think about the sump as a type of canister filter. The top of the sump should be well below the surface of the main tank.

I think a 1" inner-diameter PVC would work well. You don't want to go too small because it will gurgle if overwhelmed, and you don't want to go too big because the siphon will be hard to maintain without a large flow of water. The pump I have is on the small side, so you'd probably be fine with one about that size. It has settled at about 175GPH after pumping 4feet vertically. Just remember that since the pump won't be pumping as far vertically for you it will pump more, so expect a higher flow if the vertical distance is less.

[rsour24]

the distance willprobably be about a foot. the 65 gallon is 2 feet high and the 10 is on. although i might use a clear plastci bin. but that will stillbe around 1 foot high

[rsour24]

could u also show me the exact plans you used?