Sump Vs Fuge the Gloves are off! lol

[Vinnie71975]

Ok could you please discuss the pros and cons of a Sump Vs A Fuge? i am adding a 10g Sump or Fuge to my 20g FOWLR but im having trouble deciding Which i want to add. I Do know that it will set Above my main tank and will be a gravity feed return(im not risking a flood) it will be a single pump system(one pump feeding water to the sump or fuge) and the tank will be drilled for the return water.

[Giga]

Why not just put a fuge section in your sump?

[Gooli]

you cant really compare the two because they serve different purposes for the most part.

A sump is a place to put your return pump, heater, skimmer, etc...
A fuge is a refuge for small critters to thrive and for adding macroalgae to suck up nitrates

Ideally...u want both.

[an411]

Yeah I have dividers in my sump to have a dedicated area to put my live rock rumble along with my chaeto. HTH

[Vinnie71975]

Originally posted by Gooli
you cant really compare the two because they serve different purposes for the most part.

A sump is a place to put your return pump, heater, skimmer, etc...
A fuge is a refuge for small critters to thrive and for adding macroalgae to suck up nitrates

Ideally...u want both.

Ok but i wont have a return pump lol, my return is going to be gravity fed, the only pump will be the one pumping water UP into the fuge/sump.

[virginiadiver69]

Apples vs. oranges the Gloves are off! lol

[Vinnie71975]

Originally posted by virginiadiver69
Apples vs. oranges the Gloves are off! lol

thats kinda why i wanted a comparison on them lol

[virginiadiver69]

You can not compare two things that are functionally different. Is that clearer?

[papagimp]

If someone was twisting your arm and making you choose only one or the other, I'd say get a fuge. The added live foods and/or macro algae competing for nutrients is just too good a benefit to pass up. But personally, go for both. It's too easy to mod a sump with a refugium section that I feel it's just plain silly not to. Even with the way you plan to plumb it above the tank, just as easy, the basic plumbing will be identical, just reversed tanks. No major differences than doing a typical under the stand type setup. I would like to say that doing it this way, with a return pump pushing water UP to the sump will cause any evaporation taking place to drop the level in the display portion of the tank and not the sump. The sumps/fuges water level will stay consistant. For this reason alone i'd recommend using some form of auto top off. When my sump level lowers from evap, it's very simple to refill to the mark i've made, doing the sump above the tank though, I'd find it more difficult to keep water level and salinity constant.

[Vinnie71975]

Originally posted by papagimp
If someone was twisting your arm and making you choose only one or the other, I'd say get a fuge. The added live foods and/or macro algae competing for nutrients is just too good a benefit to pass up. But personally, go for both. It's too easy to mod a sump with a refugium section that I feel it's just plain silly not to. Even with the way you plan to plumb it above the tank, just as easy, the basic plumbing will be identical, just reversed tanks. No major differences than doing a typical under the stand type setup. I would like to say that doing it this way, with a return pump pushing water UP to the sump will cause any evaporation taking place to drop the level in the display portion of the tank and not the sump. The sumps/fuges water level will stay consistant. For this reason alone i'd recommend using some form of auto top off. When my sump level lowers from evap, it's very simple to refill to the mark i've made, doing the sump above the tank though, I'd find it more difficult to keep water level and salinity constant.

But if you do it below the tank you add another pump at could fail Here is the what i am trying to advoid. I leave the house th run to the store, the return pump fails but the pump going into the sump keeps working, i come home to find most of the water from my display tank on the floor, See my system idea avoids this altogether cause if the pump fails it simply stops pumping water into the sump NO FLOODS.

[kmf507]

Get both.

[kau_cinta_ku]

Originally posted by Vinnie71975
But if you do it below the tank you add another pump at could fail Here is the what i am trying to advoid. I leave the house th run to the store, the return pump fails but the pump going into the sump keeps working, i come home to find most of the water from my display tank on the floor, See my system idea avoids this altogether cause if the pump fails it simply stops pumping water into the sump NO FLOODS.

if you do it below the tank you only need 1 pump. and that will be your return pump. to get water to the sump you use an overflow box.
if the pump dies then no water gets into the overflow box, so no more water going to the sump.

[Drock169]

What i'm doing to my BC is doing a two pump system, with an autoshut off to the feed pump if it exceeds a specific water level in my sump/fuge. Thats how I plan on preventing a flood

[Randy1]

fish only you wont need a fuge

[Vinnie71975]

Originally posted by Randy1
fish only you wont need a fuge

Not sure how long it will stay FOWLR lol

[Dr Begalke]

i'd plan for both...

[uscharalph]

Both.

[mskohl]

To prevent your tank from overflowing, you drill holes in your return line at the water surface or just below to stop the suction in the event your pump fails.

See...

water leaves the main tank through the teeth in the overflow - gravity feeds down into the refugium/sump. It flows from either to the other through a series of baffles and is then returned to the main tank by a pump. The water is coming out (presumably) through some flex tubing. You just drill some holes there and it won't suck the water back down. So, if the power or pump fails, the water in the main tank drains to just below the teeth on the overflow and/or the holes in the returns.

Now, to keep the sump/fuge from overflowing, you do a power test. Fill the sump tank up a few inches - enough to get it to run. Make a temporary mark. Then, cut the power and see how much is drained. Make another mark. Measure the difference between the two and then take that difference from a comfortable height on the sump tank. That will be your maximum fill line. Clear as mud? lol.

So, to the point of your question... Since you only want one pump, I assume you don't want a skimmer since that would require another pump. Also, cleaning out the cup and skimmer that sits above the tank would be a pain. So, go with a refugium. No point in a sump if you don't want a skimmer. You can put the rest in the fuge as well.

FWIW, I run a 75 and a 45 with just refugiums containing a dsb of aragonite, a layer of crushed coral, rubble, a few pieces of rock, and chaeto. Works like a charm. I just can't have a heavily stocked tank.