Wet/Dry or refugium??

[nightstalk]

:help: I have a 135 gallon tank that i plan on making a reef tank. Should i use a wet/dry filter like i am planning or would a refugium under the tank be a better idea. Please respond quickly as i will be doing one or the other soon (hopefully for christmas) :help:

 

[stanlalee]

I think wet/dry's have long went out of favor for reef tanks because they are by design made to process ammonia quickly and break it down to nitrate. that is fine for a fish only tank but in a reef tank where nitrates arent desirable a refugium with macro algae and/or deep sand bed is better simply because they utilize the nitrates [and with macro algae phophates which is very important for a reef tank].
the cons are a refugium wont be able to break down ammonia nearly as well as a wet/dry which pretty much dictates a larger/better skimmer to remove more waste before it breaks down. what it amounts to in a nutshell the wet/dry can handle a higher fish load but in a reef tank that is pretty much secondary to ideal coral conditions. get a fuge with macro and dont get too crazy with your fish stock.

 

[russy pelican]

I've never understood why having biomedia in addition to a refugium would be a bad idea. The "bio balls" are populated with nitrosomanas and nitrobacter, ammonia is consumed and turned to nitrite, nitrite is then changed to nitrate, and the nitrate is left for anaerobic bacteria or macroalgae to deal with, right?
So why the big turn around from using plastic media on the way to the sump?

 

[stanlalee]

I think thats more of a "is it really neccessary" issue. alot of people dont want to add something thats going to require maintenence and block flow when a properly functioning system with live rock, skimmer and fuge are effective enough without it. One of the best parts about a refugium is not having to mess with it much. I agree keeping the wet dry aspect going to a fuge would increase the bioload abilities but I dont think a whole lot of people are looking to push the bioload of reef tanks. If you are going to or have an aggressive reef its probably not a bad idea. I see a fair share of e-gay and DIY fuges that have the bio balls so there are other people on the same page as you.

 

[swabearf16]

Thanks, Stanlalee. I've been waiting for a good explanation for quite a while. I understand Nightstalk's confusion. Maybe, I'll buck the system and do both. Won't that "make life easier" for the fuge? Nightstalk, did I just hijack your thread?

 

[nightstalk]

how would i set up a refugium for my tank i have a 135 gallon tank and enough room underneath to place a 35 gallon tank that i have how would i set it up?

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Russy Pelican
I've never understood why having biomedia in addition to a refugium would be a bad idea. The "bio balls" are populated with nitrosomanas and nitrobacter, ammonia is consumed and turned to nitrite, nitrite is then changed to nitrate, and the nitrate is left for anaerobic bacteria or macroalgae to deal with, right?
So why the big turn around from using plastic media on the way to the sump?
It's a matter of local concentrations in my opinion. This is just my guess as to why. I have proven to myself many times that Nitrate is lower without the high efficient biofiltration like a wet/dry but I can only guess as to why that might be.
If the anaerobic bacteria are located in a DSB or in live rock then I think they have a better opportunity of processing Nitrate if the Ammonia and Nitrite were formed by bacteria on the surface of the sand bed or rock. The Nitrate will be more concentrated there because that's where it was formed. Bioballs are far more efficient at nitrification than live rock so most of the Ammonia is going to be broken down in the wet/dry. The Nitrate will be dispersed throughout the entire tank and give the denitrifying bacteria much less chance at obtaining food.

 

[stanlalee]

Originally Posted by SWABearF16
Won't that "make life easier" for the fuge? Nightstalk, did I just hijack your thread?
well if your doing it so you can keep more fish you are in essence creating more work for the fuge. the wet dry will be breaking down the ammonia but will be producing more nitrates for the fuge to process. if you keep your bioload so that there is no risk of ammonia without wet/dry filtration it really isn't doing anything but increasing the safety margin for ammonia.
Originally Posted by nightstalk
how would i set up a refugium for my tank i have a 135 gallon tank and enough room underneath to place a 35 gallon tank that i have how would i set it up?
as for making one its just a matter of adding baffles (preferably glass baffles for a glass tank). the tank should be drained into the skimmer section which should be just large enough to fit the skimmer. you can get by with one baffle or up to three (you can search the DIY forum for some common designs and drain and return options). the second section would be the fuge and should be as large as you can make it. the 3rd section should be just large enough for the return pump. your gonna need at least two baffles to keep bubbles out the return pump. Here's a typical design:

 

[swabearf16]

Excellent! Thank you! Very helpful!

 

[jpa0741]

Here is are few pics of mine with a wet/dry and fuge. It has been working very well. My nitrates stay right around 0.

 

[nightstalk]

How do i run the water from the main tank down to the fuge, and what kind of pump should i get for the fuge, would an internal pump in its own section or an external be better, and do the pumps just suck up the water and i run a hose up to the tank.

 

[nightstalk]

bump