Sump vs. Refugium?
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:17 am
What is the difference and what are the pros and cons of each?
My sump:
Fuge:
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Sump vs. Refugium?
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Re: Sump vs. Refugium?
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2011 11:41 am
Sump is just extra space for more water & somewhere to store your heater & skimmer & chemical filtration. A refugium is much, much more: http://kb.marinedepot.com/article.aspx?id=11089
My sump:
Fuge:
My sump:
Fuge:
Re: Sump vs. Refugium?
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2011 10:06 am
A sump should be just about any water-holding container connected to and sharing water with a display tank. The term "sump" is most often used for a tank below the level of the display and holding equipment not wanted in the display, such as mechanical and biological filtration, heaters, skimmers (foam fractionators), etc. So pretty much what PP said.
Refugia are just highly specialized sumps. They are most often used to protect life forms which could be at risk in the display tank, or which need specialized conditions. One common example is the 24/7 lighted macroalgae refugium, which uses constant lighting to keep certain macroalgae in vegatative growth phase, or to provide more waste product removal from the display water, and to generate more 'pods for the display tank (that last may require passive return to the display from the refugium). But any veggie filter is technically a refugium.
I use lots of sumps. Some are refugia, some are simply remote filters. Neither is "better" than the other. All are variations on a theme Some of my set-ups have filter sumps, veggie filter refugia, fry-rearing refugia, or other specialized refugia such as live rock, DSB, or a plenum, all connected to one display.
Technically you could argue that canister filters are specialized and generally smallish sumps, but nobody calls them that.
Some sumps are primarily used to increase the total water volume in the system. I have done that for certain tanks with high masses of rocks in the display, or to avoid overflow in power-off situations.
HTH
Refugia are just highly specialized sumps. They are most often used to protect life forms which could be at risk in the display tank, or which need specialized conditions. One common example is the 24/7 lighted macroalgae refugium, which uses constant lighting to keep certain macroalgae in vegatative growth phase, or to provide more waste product removal from the display water, and to generate more 'pods for the display tank (that last may require passive return to the display from the refugium). But any veggie filter is technically a refugium.
I use lots of sumps. Some are refugia, some are simply remote filters. Neither is "better" than the other. All are variations on a theme Some of my set-ups have filter sumps, veggie filter refugia, fry-rearing refugia, or other specialized refugia such as live rock, DSB, or a plenum, all connected to one display.
Technically you could argue that canister filters are specialized and generally smallish sumps, but nobody calls them that.
Some sumps are primarily used to increase the total water volume in the system. I have done that for certain tanks with high masses of rocks in the display, or to avoid overflow in power-off situations.
HTH