This is our standard configured sump kit for a 55 gallon glass aquarium. It can be configured so that the water flows from left to right, or right to left, depending on your needs. Unlike off-the-shelf acrylic sumps, ours can be installed so that each chamber is the exact size you need to fit your equipment, while maximizing the area of your refugium.
The first chamber houses two 4″ x14″ filter sock holders. These holders use industry standard filter socks. Included with the holders are plates that allow for different flow rates and multiple configurations. It will operate silently without socks, or with one holder capped off when only using two socks.
The refugium section features our algae blocking plate and adjustable bypass system. This allows you to adjust the amount of water flowing through the baffle below the surface of the water. 1000s of GPH can be processed through the system with only a small trickle of water flowing over the top of the baffle. Reducing the noise and bubbles created to almost zero. The blocking plate sits 1/2″ away from the baffle, so that water is drawn in from the bottom, and along the sides, reducing any dead zones in the refugium, while keeping the teeth from getting clogged when it becomes densely packed with macro algae.
Because most of the water flows through the baffle under the water surface, the skimmer section can be set drastically lower than the refugium section. In a standard configuration where all the water flows over the top of the refugium, having the skimmer section 8″ lower than the fuge would make your living room sounds like Niagra Falls. Ours is completely silent.
The refugium depth is set at 17″ and the skimmer chamber is user adjustable anywhere for 7″ to 11″ of water depth.
