THE SUMP
The sump is a 50-gallon glass aquarium with glass dividers siliconed in to create a refgium chamber and a bubble trap. Water from the main tank goes to the propagation tray where extra coral frags are grown. From there the water exits via two bulkheads to the refugium. A modified protein skimmer tube is used for diffusing fresh water and limewater solution into the system.
Water from the refugium overflows into the sump. A glass divider that goes almost to the bottom of the sump keeps bubbles from getting sucked into the return pump. The sump contains a Won Pro-Heat Titanium 200watt Heater set at 79°F, a Turbolotor 1000 skimmer fed by a MaxiJet pump, and an Eheim return pump.
I considered using just an eggcrate platform to hold frags within the refugium, but I realized that it would be quite a pain to have to retrieve anything that fell off the platform.The plastic storage box just happened to sit perfectly in the tank, with the rim holding it in place, and it keeps frags from getting lost in the tangle of macroalgae that fills the refugium.
The Turboflotor tends to release a lot of fine bubbles with the skimmed water. To keep these bubbles from going to the main tank, the skimmer's outlets are piped to the bubble trap, where the bubbles are forced to rise to the surface and pop before they get sucked into the return pump.
Several peppermint shrimp live in the sump chamber, where they won't be able to decimate the pod population in the refugium. The shrimp produce larvae that (hopefully!) get carried to the main tank through the return pump. The shrimp are also handy for clearing out any Aptasia anemones from new rocks or corals.
