refugium surface scum

[captained]

My refugium is 6 weeks old now, and in the last week its developed a scum on top- whitish with green slimy blobs. I suspect this is OK, but... anyone else have this?
Refugium (a 20 gal aquarium) contains:
* A Caulerpa "Sampler"
Umbrella, Razor Ribbon, Grape, Notched
* "Tang Heaven"
Red & Gold live natural seaweed
* Mysis & Gammarus Shrimps
* Miniature Brittle Stars
* Peppermint Snails
* Micro Stars
* Stomatella Varia (snails)
* Other Reef Amphipods, Copepods, etc.
It has a substrate of CC and LS plus ~25lbs Fiji LR. I also gave it a jump start with a little WonderMud and Live Sand Activator. Water flows through at 40 gph.

 

[kimf]

Can't answer the question about the slime, Mine is only one week old.
Where did you get your "Sampler"?

 

[captained]

I ordered a detrivore kit from Inland Aquatics and another from Indo-Pacific Sea Farms to seed the refugium with 'pods, bacteria, and some macro algae to reduce nitrates. The Caulerpa "Sampler" came from Inalnd Aquatics, and the "Tang Heaven" from IPSF.

 

[nm reef]

yes....I get a regular build up of scummy stuff on top of the refugium.....I look at it as an opportunity to export excess nutrients.....I get a small fishnet and scoop it out and toss it.......I've also got a millinium 3000 mechanical filter on my refugium that gradually acumulates mats of green algae covering the overflows....this stuff I also manually remove.....sort of like having a small version of a algae scrubber...best part is there is no sign of any of these types of algae in the display...just in the refugium...so I figure that if it builds up in there and I remove it I'm a few steps up on keeping the display clear of problem algaes...which was one major reason for adding the refugium to begin with....make sense????

 

[kimf]

Did you get star fish in your detritivore kit from inlandaquatics?
I did and they look like the ones on the GARF site that eat soft corals.

 

[kelly]

Captain Ed,
Try a little more surface agitation, or a protein skimmer. Did you get the Mysis & Gammarus Shrimps from IPSF? if not, where did you get them?
Thanks

 

[captained]

I got the Caulerpa "Sampler" from Inland Aquatics, and their "Fauna Kit" with:
Mysis & Gammarus Shrimp
Miniature Brittle Stars
Stomatella Varia
Micro Stars
Other Amphipods, Copepods, Etc
From ISPF I got a Mix "n Match Special with:
Tang Heaven Algae
Reef Amphipods
Live Sand Activator and WonderMud
Various snails/sand bed clams for the main tank
Since only the very small 'pods get sucked up the return (there's a foam filter) to the main tank, I don't worry about the other larger critters getting into the show tank- a starfish, even miniature, isn't making it up the return.
I think of this as my $200 worth of little white dots wrapped in seaweed.
NMReef- thanks for the info, once I get a little more goo I'll start to skim it out. Any reason to put a filter in the refugium, or just let this stuff grow?

 

[nm reef]

I see no reason to "filter" the refugium.....I have a millinium 3000 mechanical filter on mine....primarily for added circulation in a low flow(70-80 gph) system....plus from time to time its where I add either/or carbon/phosphate sponge....plus like I stated it seems to work as a simple algae scrubber my growing a mass of green algae over the returns.............but it actually doesn't filter the refugium