my awsome refugium idea! or is it?

[danrw84]

hey hows it going. I thought id ask before i did this
i have a 29 gal reef, with a 20 gal sump underneath. But i was thinking, since i dont have an in sump skimmer, could i just convert that to a big refugium?
I have a CPR CS90 overflow rated at 600 gph. I guess i'd have to ball valve that to slow the flow. return pump is a rio2500 which i dont like, too noisy.
What size tank should i use for a refugium? i could get any all glass , (3gal, 5 gal, 10, 18tall, 20.
how should i set up the tank? so the algaes wont find their way to the pump.
i could use a nice quiet hagen 802 and ball valve it for slow flow.
would this be a better way to go then my current 20 gal sump with only the heater and the syphon for my CS90 and my hang on 12x12x4 CPR refugium?
id fill it with some LS, a little LR (rubble and such, and the algaes.)
thanks!

 

[danrw84]

just looked in the little fuge...the caulerpa in there is turning clear/white in some spots. whats with that! its dying , but why?
12x12x4 Cpr hang on refugium with 13 watts PC florecent 24/7

 

[leboeuf]

what is the caulerpa living in? How long are they under direct light? When was the last time you harvested excess?

 

[maroonclownfan]

I am in the process of adding a 10 gal. refugium under my 29 gal. It fits nicely under the stand. I do not currently use a sump or skimmer. I will move my heater to the refug. and also my mechanical filter which I use to run carbon. Then add the overflow box to the display tank.
To keep LS, algae, and refug. inhabitants from getting into the display tank, just use a piece of plexiglass to seperate the pump from the rest of the refug. This will create a baffle. You don't necessarily need to slow down the flow to the refug. as long as you are not stirring up the sand bed.
I say go for it.
MCF

 

[danrw84]

i can fit the 20 tal under my 29 gal
any pics or setup ideas to make the sump? should i use a 50/50 power compact or just florecnet, or some home depot bulbs? i can get either
any DIY project plans on this?
thanks!

 

[danrw84]

hey maroon, also what filter r u going to use? i cant use mine if the water level is low in the sump/fuge...because it cant get water up that high
as far as the caulerpa, i stated it . in the CPR fuge, just got the algae from afriend. never harvested.
24/7 13watt PC JBL florecent light

 

[maroonclownfan]

danrw,
I am using a Millenium 2000 hang on mechanical wet/dry filter.
I added an extension to the intake, it does suck a little air if intake is not free of debris, but not too bad. Seems to pull the water up well if not too low either.
here is a rough drawing of my plan. Very simple.
HTH...MCF

 

[maroonclownfan]

From the info I have gathered.
N.O. is fine......PC's might be a little better, but really you are just growing macroalgae, so I am using a couple 20 watt N.O. (24")flourescents on a 10 gal. I will buy some decent bulbs though, more than just what come with the fixture.
If you have the means...I have heard that above tank refugiums are better for that reason. I am not worried about my pod population, it is already pretty high in my main tank. And some are still bound to get through unharmed. For example, if you put a bunch of pods in a blender with water and turned it on for one second, I doubt that all the pods would get chopped. Therefore, buy passing by the impeller on a pump, I can't believe all would be lost. Just a thought.
MCF
MCF

 

[jonthefb]

very good ideas to all of you., and if you think about it, even the pods that get chopped up would be nice food for any filter feeders in the tank such as corals and whatnot. i use a pc jbj cheap fixture on my fuge, but you can definately use no, and i would reccommend no with a plant bulb. plumbing the fuge above the tank is a great idea if you have the space/money.
dan, about your caulerpa, it sounds like it either went sexual(is all of it white or just a portion of it) but should be less of a case becasue you run your lighting 24/7, or its just not gettign enough nutrients from the water and is dying off. i had the latter problem in a newly cycled tank. i couldnt get the stuff to grow for th elife of me, until i had some inhabitants in the tank, once they were pooing it started growing......! weird! but from what i gather, your tank is pretty well established.
good luck
jon

 

[danrw84]

id have to get the right sized plexi i guess
heres my lighting deal
ive got 2 extra ballasts and 2 bubls. 55 watt. 21 inch bulbs. one is ACTINIC and the other is 50/50. which should i use?
anyone have any macro algaes they are willing to ship me ? ill give u my fedex #!

 

[danrw84]

anyone got any good pics of their under tank refugiums? pump placement, etc.
as far as the return pump, i should slow it down right? Then i could trash this RIO 2500 that i hate!
i got a bal valve for my overflow.
so i should just have the calerpa floating around?
i will baffle the overflow too, so not to stir up sand, i think... hrmmm
back to the drawing board

 

[maroonclownfan]

The caulerpa will eventually attach itself to the substrate and any LR in the fuge, as long as the current doesn't continually blow it around.
As for lighting like jonthefb stated, you could just use a plant grow bulb. But since you already have the PC's, I would go with the 50/50, better mix of light spectrum. Give it a try, you can always switch later.
1/8" plexiglass is easy to cut yourself. Just scoar is with a utility knife and a straight edge and snap it at the scoar over the edge of a table. The use a little aquarium silicone to hold it in place. Make sure the plexiglass is just below the water line to allow it to spill over into pump chamber. Same goes for the inlet baffle. Hope this helps if you decide to go this route.
MCF

 

[danrw84]

how many compartments should i make?
u say it like its not a good route! am i making a mistake?

 

[maroonclownfan]

I'm not sure which part you are referring to???
The PC's will probably be great for lighting. Especially since you already have the right parts. The 50/50 bulb is actinic and full spectrum, hence the 50/50. Best of both. I was just saying that it is probably more than enough, thats all.
One, two, or three compartments probably doesn't matter. I am using two compartments to get as much usable space I can while still isolating the return pump from sucking up any macroalgae. I am using a 90deg elbow to dircect the inlet water across the tank instead of straight down at the sand. This makes it unneccessary for me to have a baffle at the inlet.
You have the basic knowledge of what to do, how exactly you choose to set up your fuge is completely up to you. There are many ways to achieve a successful refugium.
Good luck...I hope I helped and did not hinder.......MCF

 

[danrw84]

yeah. thanks! how many GPH is going through your sump? what ur return pump?
would u be willing to post some nice pics of your setup so i can see exactly what u've done?
If the PC's are overkill, something smaller would use less energy , right? i could do that just as well.
my cpr CS90 would blow algae around with its flow i bet...i got a ball valve for it though.
if u have extra algae can i take it off your hands?
i'll have to cycle the fuge too...with LR LS..darn!
thanks
ur help is great

 

[maroonclownfan]

To answer a previous question about plant lights. They are in the neighborhood of 8500 k a grolux 20 w bulb says that it is focused in the green spectrum for optimal plant growth. I am not a lighting expert by any means. But an actinic is usually in the blue spectrum. Don't know if this matters or not??
danrw,
I will try to get some pics of my setup over the weekend. I don't have a return pump yet, since my fuge is not inline with my tank yet. It is still under construction, has to cycle still. I am only in the setup phase myself. The information I am passing along is from what I have learned while researching refugiums, months ago. Same as what you are going through right now. Just wanted to clarify.
I am shooting for around 300 gph of flow through the fuge. I will put ball valves on the inlet and outlet in order to balance the flow.
Unfortunately my Emerald Crab devastated the caulerpa I was saving for the fuge. He just loved the stuff. So I have to get some more from a friend myself. Otherwise I would help you out no problem.
PC lights are pretty efficient as they are. Go with it I say. If I had extras I would probably use them too!!
HTH.....MCF

 

[danrw84]

ok. sounds good
im going to ball valve the inlet at the bottom of the hose.
this should work out pretty good..
are u going to skim in your "sumpfugium?"
and put your heater in there to?
Where do you get the cuttable plexiglass?
home depot?
and what do i look for? some thin stuff?
thanks. ur help has got me really moving
see ya!

 

[maroonclownfan]

I currently do not run a skimmer. I have considered getting one, but I always talk myself out of it. I still might once I start adding to my corals. If I do I will put it in the fuge.
Yes I will put my heater in the fuge.
Look for 1/8" thick acrylic/plexiglass at HD. It is usually by the doors and windows. Just measure it out and using a straight edge and a utility knife (razor blade) run a line down it a couple times. Then snap it along the line off the edge of a table. Its pretty easy. Sometimes the acrylic/plexi has instructions right on it, but not all the time.
Glad I could help some........MCF

 

[danrw84]

thanks guys
MCF...i can easily get you a prizm hang on or sea clone skimmer. if u need one, let me know. Im sure i can get it to you much cheaper since you were such a good help. and then u can help me out with my macro algae supply! haha thanks !

 

[jonthefb]

yeah mcf you got it with the temp of those grow bulbs. i personally use 3 65k pc's just cause i had the extra fixture laying around, but it works great for my fuge. the caulerpa grows so dense in there that no light gets to the bottom, thats when we know its harvestin time woooo hoooo!
good luck
jon