Refugium and sump

[Sushiman]

You want to remove waste from your system, not just move it from one place to another. Cannisters are great vacuum cleaners, but I think they're completly unecessary in a reef set up.
large particulate can easily be removed by the following:
1) tank turn-over. 10-20x per hour, or greater! the more the better.
2) a decent skimmer. Most skimmers are overated on the tanks the can handle. Overskimming your system will strip all sorts of crap out of the water colum & give you crystal clear water.
3) put your carbon in a media bag, toss it in your sump near your return pump & relax. It will clean your water just fine in this method.
4) If you still have particulate, buy some bulk filter floss. Stick it in your sump where the h2o comes in from the display. Change it frequently as it will quickly be filled with detris that will just pollute your tank.
Also, anything trying to migrate from your refugium to the display will have a hell of a time getting by this barrier. Buy a big ass skimmer & increase your tank turn over & you'll be fine. Try an Aqua C 180 or a PM Bullet 1.

Think of exportation of waste as simple math: there has to be at the very LEAST a balance between the producers of waste (fish, corals,etc...) & consumers of waste (live rock, deep live bed, clean up crew...). If there are more consumers than producers you are giving yourself a safety net.
By over sizing your filtration componets you guarantee that if anything goes wrong, your system can hopefully handle it, & that your everyday tank conditions are prestine, not just adequate. By using natural methodology, your tank will stabilize & your required maintenace chores actually will be less. The more biodiversity the better. at least 1-2x/week. There are better ways.