Flower's Sump/Fuge Build

flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/1840#post_3345694
Flower,
The bulbs Al posted are what alot of people use. WHat I've found is that they don't work good without a refelctor and with a clip on reflector like the ones posted above they overheat.
I've been using them like this for a while now.
The ones Ive been using recently are just exterior lights with the same curly bulb inside, but its protected by the glass casinga nd tehy also have thier own reflectors built into the inside of the glas casing. These don't seem to overheat and it doesnt hurt if they get wet on the glass.
I can't imagine without the use of some sort of macro or reactor that your nitrates are going to change much unless you start doing really good sized frequent water changes instead.

Can a canister be used as a reactor?
 
al&burke

al&burke

Active Member
That is an interesting concept Flower, I am going to follow along with this one. Did you end up getting a light for your fuge? In all that confusion I think I caused.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Oh there is nothing in need of light right now. I have nothing in the fuge but rock and sand. My Nitrates are dancing between 5 and 10. Much better than dancing between 40 and 20 but still not the elusive 0 I so desire.
Everyone is saying add macro algae, but I hate the stuff. Nonetheless, in anticipation of the inevitable..we were talking about light for the fuge.
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
Flower, what about those mcool looking macros I sent you pictures of from RC a long time ago?
Those were pretty neat looking I thought.
Not sure how well they will really take out nitrates but its something :)
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/1860#post_3345760

Oh there is nothing in need of light right now. I have nothing in the fuge but rock and sand. My Nitrates are dancing between 5 and 10. Much better than dancing between 40 and 20 but still not the elusive 0 I so desire.
Everyone is saying add macro algae, but I hate the stuff. Nonetheless, in anticipation of the inevitable..we were talking about light for the fuge.
I say give it a little more time. It looks like they're already coming down some so that's a good sign. I'd give it a few more weeks and see if they continue to drop. It takes a little time for the bacteria to catch up to the system but it'll get there. The macro would help but I know you're not a huge fan of it. I do agree with Al though and think you'd have more success with it keeping it in the fuge than how you were keeping it before. It needs good flow and should be rotated regularly so that it can get light all over the macro. Some people like to tumble chaeto and some just like to flip it and roll it around every couple days. If the stuff on the bottom doesn't get enough light then you'll probably get some die off and then all those nutrients are leached back into the system. Not sure if that was your issue before or not.
You could use your canister as a reactor for carbon or other media. It's not quite as good as a reactor probably because you can't fine tune the flow going through it but I think it would be better to use a canister as apposed to a bag that you hang in the sump. If you have the room you could just run the canister on the sump and have less clutter in the display tank.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Wow, while I take a nap, I get all kinds of advice coming in...LOL
Anyway, Yes I was indeed hoping on a deep sand bed to bring down the nitrates. The refugium is pretty big and there isn't much room for a light. I can rig one up to shine on the side of it...but it's acrylic and I'm a little worried about heat. It didn't take much warmth when my boss made the bulkheads larger, it has a low melting point for sure. Those spot lights get hot, I used to use them when I did my oil paintings.
jstdv8, That pretty red macro algae I was considering putting in the display tank, not in the refugium. I am a little concerned about it going asexual like Caulerpa and clouding the tank up, I don't know if it does or not and until I'm sure...I don't want to do it. I know there are some like Cheato that won't do that, but it isn't pretty like the red stuff. I love the look Grape Caulerpa too.
My numbers were really bad today:
PH..and I even dosed to try and bring it up..still 8.0
Calcium..again I have been dosing the tank for it..now it is even lower at 300 from 360, it should be 400-500
Nitrates, that were going down are at 20 AGAIN
KH is low too,..now it is a 6 107.4 from a 7 (I dose my RO water with Alkalinity booster and it isn't helping, with the sump should I increase the dose?)
It's time for a water change...maybe this Sunday..I have to get enough water, and then let it churn for 24 hours. My RO unit is slow. I saw a cluster of white dots swarming around the rocks today...copepods??? No stores around me had reef crystals so I have only IO saltwater mix. With all the water changes I was doing I needed salt and that was all I could get...It is almost gone now. I need a better brand of salt mix for sure.
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
ohh, I was thinking you were going to make a show fuge so I was looking for macros to go in the show sump :)
You could always ask the guy that is selling them and see what he knows about them going sexual.
I've only ever heard of Culerpa doing that.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jstdv8 http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/1860#post_3346010
ohh, I was thinking you were going to make a show fuge so I was looking for macros to go in the show sump :)
You could always ask the guy that is selling them and see what he knows about them going sexual.
I've only ever heard of Culerpa doing that.

Actually I did a little research on the macros. I was upset with Cheato because it broke apart and got into the power heads and clogged everyting. Well it seems that is the Cheato version of going sexual. Also Caulerpa gets fuzzy just before the explosion of spores, to remove it if you see it getting fuzzy or has bubbles on it. (good to know)..The article also said that 24 hours of light exposure will stop the macro from going sexual.
I want to do my 30g into a seahorse tank, so the red algae will be going in there, if I could find out about it's nasty habits. The idea of all fake coral makes me cringe
 
slice

slice

Active Member
I sure hope you put Chaeto in your fuge, frankly, I do not understand why you wanted one if you hesitate to use it to its best effect.
I read somewhere that Chaeto breaks up when it doesn't have enough light. I had a ball of it in my DT for a while, before I had good lighting and well before I had my fuge. It broke up a bit and fouled the power heads like you mentioned.
Once I got my HOB skimmer/fuge with good lights, I have not had any problems with it breaking up AND, I have maintained a nitrate level of 0-trace ever since.
You used to do oil paintings?? Is your avatar by chance one of yours?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slice http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/1860#post_3346117
I sure hope you put Chaeto in your fuge, frankly, I do not understand why you wanted one if you hesitate to use it to its best effect.
I read somewhere that Chaeto breaks up when it doesn't have enough light. I had a ball of it in my DT for a while, before I had good lighting and well before I had my fuge. It broke up a bit and fouled the power heads like you mentioned.
Once I got my HOB skimmer/fuge with good lights, I have not had any problems with it breaking up AND, I have maintained a nitrate level of 0-trace ever since.
You used to do oil paintings?? Is your avatar by chance one of yours?

I hate it when my posts don’t post..99% of the time I remember to copy before I hit submit, GGRRRR
The avatar is not my work, it was colorful, had a coral flower and a wave ..it matched me.
My hands are bad and I can’t do like I used to. The only oil on canvas I have in my possession is the third one I ever did, it was of my horse Tokey (neck is too large) and I damaged it with varnish (that’s why I still have it LOL). Just for the fun of it..I’m attaching a pic of my lion pride table and the ram..my favorite woodburnings
.
As for the cheato..originally when a sump/fuge was offered, we were talking about remote deep sand beds. If my nitrates will not go down, I will cave and get the macro…since that is the goal.


 
J

jstdv8

Guest
I agree on the cheato, if properly kept in a minimal flow area it shouldnt break apart. very easy to keep, just roll it over once in a while.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
I've had Cheato since I started my tank. I haven't had any problems with nitrates, and I can assume a part of the reason is because of the Cheato. I do experience a bit of the cheato breaking apart and getting caught in the PH. However, I haven't had any problems with it clogging anything, or causing the PH to fail. I bought it about 3 months ago, and since then it has almost tripled in size... if not more. I bought it as a handful, and it has grown to be the size of a basketball, or close to the size. I have it on a 7 or 8 hour light pattern. Other than that it's dark at all times, I've had zero problems, and think it's probably one of the best, least expensive investments I've ever made for the tank.
One last thing to keep in mind... I don't know if this is common, but many of my critters in the fuge (pods, brittles, feather dusters, stomatella...) all seem to hide away in it, and as a matter of fact seem to love to use it has a hub to reproduce in it. I would highly recommend it for not only your nirate, but also your critters to reproduce in and create a new little home.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Cheato huh...it feels like plastic and nothing eats it, you just toss out the stuff as it grows. I liked the Red graci-whateverthatiscalled at least it was food for tangs.
 
sparty059

sparty059

Active Member
I haven't come across the problem of it getting to be too much yet. I'm guessing once it gets to be too much though you can either throw it out, or send it to people that need it. You can get a handful from a LFS for only $5 if you wanted. Shipping alone would probably blow that out of the water. :)
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparty059 http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/1860#post_3347328
I haven't come across the problem of it getting to be too much yet. I'm guessing once it gets to be too much though you can either throw it out, or send it to people that need it. You can get a handful from a LFS for only $5 if you wanted. Shipping alone would probably blow that out of the water. :)

Don't you have to "harvest" it to remove nitrates? I thought it grows on nitrates and is loaded with it, then you remove a portion and it grows again feeding and absorbing nitrates. That until you remove some you really haven't done much to bring down the trates..Am I mistaken?
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
Just like all macros, the only way to really get the nitrates out of the system are to harvest it and remove.
However if its growing like his is it's growing so fast that the new stuff is sucking up trates faster than they can be made apparently.
You don't want to feed you macros to the fish anyways, doing this is just reinserting the nitrates back into the tank.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/1860#post_3347336
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sparty059 http:///forum/thread/380517/flower-s-sump-fuge-build/1860#post_3347328
I haven't come across the problem of it getting to be too much yet. I'm guessing once it gets to be too much though you can either throw it out, or send it to people that need it. You can get a handful from a LFS for only $5 if you wanted. Shipping alone would probably blow that out of the water. :)

Don't you have to "harvest" it to remove nitrates? I thought it grows on nitrates and is loaded with it, then you remove a portion and it grows again feeding and absorbing nitrates. That until you remove some you really haven't done much to bring down the trates..Am I mistaken?
 
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