Want to add a refugium. Questions

[ryan]

I have a 46 gallon tank, and would like to add a refugium to it. Right now I am running a canister filter, and I have room under my tank for a 20 gallon(tall) tank which I currently have. I have a couple questions on what I should do though.
1) Would the 20 gallon be big enough to put my coralife skimmer, 150 watt heater, an area for media, and a refugium?
2) Would it be better to keep my canister filter and use the 20 gallon as a refugium?
3) If I were to keep the canister filter and make the 20 gallon a refugium could I put my skimmer in there?
4) Any other ideas on what I can do with this I would like to hear.
Thanks

 

[squidd]

Run the skimmer HOB on sump side, skip the "media" (keep your rocks in the tank) and make the fuge area as big a possible...

 

[ryan]

I have read many threads of people who use no media and let the rocks do all of the work. In my canister I run ceramic bio, purigen, and carbon. It kinda scares the crap out of me to remove it. Im afraid of my system crashing. For those of you who use only your liverock as bio do you ever use carbon ect. Would I be able to put carbon and purigen in on my sump side of a setup like you are suggesting squidd?

 

[squidd]

I've tried Purigen...didn't seem to do anything I could measure....
I do run carbon, in a seperate canister filter for 24-48 hours or so.. once a month...
Only good for a short period anyway, so no need to let a bag "soak" in the sump...
I have a Magnum 350 set up as a "shop vac"...fill chamber with carbon, let it run to polish water then "vac" the sump, settling chamber, and lightly over the sand bed to pick up semi-bouyant deitrus when done..
Clean and reset for next time (or next tank)

 

[ryan]

For those of you who have built a sump/fuge what do you think would be the min. amount of space in inches that would have to be taken up with inlet, output, and baffles? Also wondering when setting up the fuge how deep should the sand bed be? I have read anywhere from 1" to 8 inches. Also what is the best type of algea/plant to put into the fuge?

 

[squidd]

Originally Posted by ryan
... Also wondering when setting up the fuge how deep should the sand bed be? I have read anywhere from 1" to 8 inches. Also what is the best type of algea/plant to put into the fuge?
Depends on what you want the fuge to do..What is the "Goal" of the fuge...?
Algal scrubber, pod production, Nitrate recuction, cryptic zone, just doing it because everybody else is...?
I go for the Algal scrubber effect (malnutrient export thru the harvesting of Macros)
1/2" sand and Calurpa...

 

[ryan]

I would for it to add food to my tank for corals, inverts. I would like to do this with it adding more pods, and I have seen a couple articles talking about it producing phytoplankton which I really dont understand, but if reletively easy would like to have the fuge for this process. Nitrate reduction would also be nice, if I could do that along with producing more pods.

 

[sign guy]

I have a 20g fuge on my 46 bow with 3inch ls 5lb lr and chato all for the trates. work great but its all about the flow.pods come shortly after

 

[jc85]

Originally Posted by sign guy
I have a 20g fuge on my 46 bow with 3inch ls 5lb lr and chato all for the trates. work great but its all about the flow.pods come shortly after
What do you mean about the flow? And pods shortly after? Please clarify... JC85

 

[sign guy]

At first I was trying to get more water volume so I placed my bulkhead at the top of the fuge, Resulting in most of the water flowing above the chato and not through it. I have since lowerd the exit bulkhead loweing my volume but getting the flow I need through the chato. As far as the pods go they came from the chato. I got It from an established fuge and within a week they were cralling all over the sides.

 

[cougar]

Squidd, have you had problems with Calurpa getting into your display tank, I have heard they can take over the tank. That is why I have some chat being shipped to me. Could I put both kinds of algea in there? Also, Is sand okay, or should I buy refuge mud? I already have fine sand in my aggresive tank.

 

[ryan]

So what is the best way to set-up a fuge mainly for pods, but if I could do nitrate reduction with it?

 

[sign guy]

I recamend a deep live sand bed, chato,it dosen't go sexual at night and getting a handful of sand from an established fuge would help speed up the pods. Copods are hardy and will showup in no time even if you can't get ahold of ls with the pods in it. The're in your main tank alredy but your fish will eat them before they get large enough to see. and mud is only good for rooted plant, chato is like a ball of vines with no roots. Yea chato and calurpa go together but they both can get in your main tank without a prefilter on your exit bulkhead. BTW both plants (1) previde a good place for the pods to hang out and (2) clean up the trates but calurpa emits them back in the water when the lights go out (goes sexual ). one more thing a single fish in your fuge can eat every pod in there, I found that out the hard way.

 

[squidd]

Originally Posted by cougar
Squidd, have you had problems with Caulurpa getting into your display tank, I have heard they can take over the tank.
>>>Absolutely none in main tank...I work hard at keeping it happy (forced growth) in the Algal Scrubber, so it never wants to leave...or go sexual...<<<
That is why I have some chat being shipped to me. Could I put both kinds of algae in there?
You could, but they require different flow rates and lighting schedules to be most productive and happy... Which leads us to the many "different" kinds of fuges and fuge advise out there...<<<
Also, Is sand okay, or should I buy refuge mud?
>>> Again, different Macros, and different medias, and different lighting and flow rates work best with different setups and different results.....Not that one is "right" and the other wrong...It's just we're not comparing apples to apples or even apples to oranges...More like apples to say...a grilled cheese sandwich...:thinking:
Different setups will do one or maybe two "Goals" rally well... but if you try to combine too many functions in one system...you may find it doesn't do any of them well at all....!!!<<<
I already have fine sand in my aggressive tank.
Again, I do Macros (caulurpa) and 1/2" sand...for malnutrient export thru harvesting of mass quantities...Pods seem to grow every where, but that's a "secondary" function to me...
If I wanted to capitalize on pod production I would run less light more flow and more rock...if I wanted to optimize anaerobic denitrification (and had the room to properly set up and maintain a "true" living DSB, I'd run RPD...
Neither of which works well with my Grilled Cheese Sandwich...

 

[hardcrab67]

Originally Posted by Squidd
Depends on what you want the fuge to do..What is the "Goal" of the fuge...?
Algal scrubber, pod production, Nitrate recuction, cryptic zone, just doing it because everybody else is...?
I go for the Algal scrubber effect (malnutrient export thru the harvesting of Macros)
1/2" sand and Calurpa...
cryptic zone? Haven't come across this. I built mine to lower nitrates. So I guess that the same as algae scrubber? I run my lights 24/7

 

[sign guy]

RDP ?? :notsure: Could you explain the sexual part I got lost. I was under the impresion that you could not prevent it. THX

 

[squidd]

RDP: Reverse Daylight Photo period Can help pH balance by maintaining respiration in separate/congruent time slots...
Running Caulurpa under 24/7 lighting cause causes it to "clone" itself to maintain accelerated (forced) growth rates and NOT go sexual release gametes or otherwise deteriorate and release stored malnutrients...Harvesting Mass quantities on a regular basis allows continued propagation and "exports" (actually "removes" from water column, not just stores) absorbed nitrates, phosphates, heavy metals etc...

 

[sign guy]

kuweel! would u recomend rdp for chato as well

 

[hardcrab67]

I've got a mix of cheato and calupera and trim it once a month. Thats ok Squidd I understand

 

[ryan]

Sorry to be a pain, but I have some more ?s. As Ive said before the reason why Im wanting the sump/fuge is for pods and nitrate removal. Let me know if a fuge would benifit me or not for the following reasons.
1- The corals I have in my tank are toadstool, kenya tree, sun coral, xenia, anemone, brain, clam, mushrooms, yellow polyps, and buttons. The fish I have are two clowns, two pajama cards, and a dwarf lion. Would pods help my system out?
2- My current nitrates are 20 ppm and have been that way for a year. I believe the problem is my substrate though it is crushed coral. I might be moving within a couple months which will make a good time to switch to sand. However I would like to get them to about 5 ppm. If I have a fuge would it be good to put a little micro in there to keep it around this level or a little lower?
Should I go with the fuge/sump, or just a sump?
Another queston if I do end up going with a sump what are the opinions out there as far as: inlet/fuge/outlet, or inlet/outlet/fuge?