Massive refugium ideas/ guidance

[rklima3]

So I have decided to build a new aquarium setup in my office.
Been tossing around a few ideas but this is what I have come up with.
I plan on making a plywood aquarium with 8' glass sheets on the front.
this would be in an L shape roughly L 240"xW 28"xH 24" on one side and L 120" x w28" x H 24"
the height may end up being shorter as the top of this tank will be bench seating.
The display tank will be a glass tank around 300 gallons sitting on top of the bench refugium.
Over the years I have always tried to run a tank with as little mechanical filtration as possible.
The refugium is going to be about 1000 gallon with a deep sand bed, live rock, multiple macro algae's, possibly some xenia, sponges(once tank is established), a mangrove stand in the L corner, and who knows what else.
The display is going to be a peaceful reef tank.
What are your opinions? Is it possible to run this setup without a protein skimmer or any other mechanical filtration???
Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[AlexG]

For my last aquarium system that was about 1600gallons in water volume the lit refugium was 150gallon tank but the rest of the sump tanks acted as more of a dark refugium. In my new system I have a 700 gallon lit refugium tank and several other tanks that will serve as a dark refugium space. I still use a skimmer but its possible to go without one with the right balance. I do not use filter socks or filter pads unless I need to increase my nitrates as they make good nitrate factories. It takes some time to find the sweet spot for balancing a refugium to the nutrient load of the system. I found that changing the intensity of the refugium lighting and the hours the lights were on was a great way to keep nitrates and phosphates balanced along with keeping the nuisance algae in the refugium instead of the display.

 

[Lavey29]

Man this is sea world size stuff but I really like the natural approach aspect.

 

[rklima3]

For my last aquarium system that was about 1600gallons in water volume the lit refugium was 150gallon tank but the rest of the sump tanks acted as more of a dark refugium. In my new system I have a 700 gallon lit refugium tank and several other tanks that will serve as a dark refugium space. I still use a skimmer but its possible to go without one with the right balance. I do not use filter socks or filter pads unless I need to increase my nitrates as they make good nitrate factories. It takes some time to find the sweet spot for balancing a refugium to the nutrient load of the system. I found that changing the intensity of the refugium lighting and the hours the lights were on was a great way to keep nitrates and phosphates balanced along with keeping the nuisance algae in the refugium instead of the display.

I was not planning on any dark refuge space, what would that add? I am planning on keeping the refuge on the opposite lighting schedule of the display. I was thinking with the 3:1 ration refuge to display and the deep sand bed I would have plenty of denitrification and balance for the display tank.

 

[AlexG]

I was not planning on any dark refuge space, what would that add? I am planning on keeping the refuge on the opposite lighting schedule of the display. I was thinking with the 3:1 ration refuge to display and the deep sand bed I would have plenty of denitrification and balance for the display tank.

In a dark refugium area NPS sponges, tunicates, can thrive without competition from algae or other photosynthetic organisms that can out compete them easily. I use large sump tanks with no baffles so this makes an ideal area for extra food to settle where micro fauna of all kinds will also grow a large population that in turn feeds the display tanks with new life continuously. I keep my light cycle during the day for my refugium tanks the lights are just on a longer photo period up to 16hrs max so they turn on early in the morning and go off later in the evening. I want a complete period of darkness in my systems so I can observe bioluminescent activity without having change any lighting schedules on the fly.