Adding additional tank to my SPS system

[ganjero]

I have an empty 120g tank that I was planning on plumbing to my 110g SPS system, and using like a big refugium. Pretty much making the 120g a saltwater planted tank. Can this expanding my system this way create more issues than benefits?
Remember this is an expansion to my system, I'm not too interested in hearing the common answer that if one tank crashes the other one does too.

 

[SPSEMPIRE]

You'll be fine but it will go through a cycle even though it is plumbed in with your existing systems. The new tank will cycle much faster though than your 110g.

Benefit > Cost

 

[ganjero]

I was planning on cycling the tank for a month before opening the flow between the two tanks.

 

[MammothReefer]

Seems a bit counter productive. Not adding the additional water volume which always helps stabilize things if you are up for the additional cost of water changes, more top off, heating more water, ect.. But running a massive "planet tank" in conjunction with an SPS tank. Either your tank is clean enough to be able to support SPS or has large enough amount of nutrients to support a large refugium. If you are going to share water it's a bit though to plump together tanks that have different demands... Can it be done, sure.. but you risk your "plants" going sexual and wiping out your sps.

 

[ganjero]

I don’t agree. This would be about balance, like in nature. Having a planted tank doesn’t mean having extremely high nutrients and/or having an SPS tank doesn’t mean zero nutrients. The planted tank will add more water volume, live rock and sand for biological filtration. Having plants mean I can have more fish in both tanks and feed more often (fish and corals) with less water changes as a mean of nutrient removal.
I’ve read a few articles where the small refugiums most people use in their tanks don’t really do much, they need to be big to properly work. Another key point is choosing wisely the plant diversity, avoiding those plants that are more prone to going sexual i.e. caulerpas.

 

[MammothReefer]

Well good luck. I've found in all my SPS tanks macro aglea dies off. I've tried it a few times without much success. In my old 500g system, I had a 60g plumbed in for a while I tried to use to grow algea.. no dice. The only time it did grow is when my Acros were unhappy.

 

[LifeAquatic]

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I think it would be a good idea to add the 2nd tank. It will increase the overall water volume in your system providing greater stability. Adding some cheato and live rock will help you reduce the nutrients. I have a 180 gal system that uses 40 gal refugium packed with Cheato and live rock. Not until very recently did I pull out the cheato just to experiment with Nitrate accumilation. You could plumb the new tank to your system right away and slowly introduce pieces of live rock into the new tank until you have the desired amount. I dont think this will cause any cycling problems long as the main tank bacteria can make up for the new rock introduced.

 

[LifeAquatic]

sps and refugium

sps and refugium

One of the best reef tanks Ive ever seen in my life is at Vivid Aquariums in Canoga park. They have a 800 gal SPS dominated show tank with massive colonies of everything. They also have a 200gal refugium plummed to their system that on its own would make a really cool tank. The refugium is full of different macro algeas and sponges. I dont belive the refugium houses calupra though. It is possible to have a thriving refugium with a Beautiful SPS tank.