ghostsoul
New Member
OK, 2nd post here. Still haven't even started to get close to putting water in my tank yet because I am still in the research phase of the hobby. I have been reading a lot on cynobacteria and how it is caused by a combination of overfeeding and dead spots which cause phosphate that the bacteria feeds on. Please correct me if my understanding is wrong.
What I have been wondering is if it is possible to Sim the flow patterns in a tank using freshwater and food coloring as you are doing leak checks. Would this hurt live rock if I used it that way or would it be better to use dry rock aquascaped exactly as I plan the live rock to be scaped? Is this a feasible way to determine the flow pattern and avoid dead spots or is there an even simpler method?
Also I am putting together a 30 gal sump for my tank and plan to use a skimmer and refugium to aid in filtration. I've looked at a lot of different sump designs and some have the skimmer on the return side, refugium in the middle, and bio-balls on the inlet side. Others are completely opposite without bio balls. My question is which is the most efficient placement or is this just a tank by tank and personal taste decision?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Also, if there is anyone here from East TN, are there any good LFS still open around here? Every store that I knew about located here just a few years ago has closed shop.
What I have been wondering is if it is possible to Sim the flow patterns in a tank using freshwater and food coloring as you are doing leak checks. Would this hurt live rock if I used it that way or would it be better to use dry rock aquascaped exactly as I plan the live rock to be scaped? Is this a feasible way to determine the flow pattern and avoid dead spots or is there an even simpler method?
Also I am putting together a 30 gal sump for my tank and plan to use a skimmer and refugium to aid in filtration. I've looked at a lot of different sump designs and some have the skimmer on the return side, refugium in the middle, and bio-balls on the inlet side. Others are completely opposite without bio balls. My question is which is the most efficient placement or is this just a tank by tank and personal taste decision?
Thanks in advance for any advice!
Also, if there is anyone here from East TN, are there any good LFS still open around here? Every store that I knew about located here just a few years ago has closed shop.
