Completed New Sump Area - Refugium ideas?

[Tenshoa]

Finally got as far as I'm going to go for now. At least I until decide whether or not to hard plumb.

Right now, I just have some Chaeto, LR, and pods and rotis that I have put in the refugium area.

Anyone else have anything else in their refugium that they find beneficial?

I was teetering on the idea of sand but for the time being, decided against it since I don't see the purpose given that I have plenty in the tank.

Any advice is appreciated!


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[raidendex]

I just keep macro algae in mine. I do have a big rock in there at the moment, but will be moving it to the frag tank once it's running.

I do find that rock/sand in the sump may be a detritus trap especially without filter sock. I do filter sock now however, so will see if detritus will still be building up there.

As far as advise, you could try to add more types of macro algae. I have fern caulrepa in mine along with chaeto. It grows in the ball of chaeto as well as creeps along anything it can attach to such as rocks.

 

[raidendex]

Could probably feed fern caulrepa to tangs as well, it's much softer than chaeto is.

 

[reret10]

Mangrove pods are for sure cool. I have a few in my fuge and they look cool. And I have no Nitrates or anything and I dont run GFO

 

[raidendex]

I have some mangroves if you want. Removed them from the sump as they got too tall. There are in the overflow box now. Although they are not that great for nutrient export. May be more suited for a shallow tank as part of the display

 

[Easttuth]

Why do you think you have enough sand in your main display?

Not questioning the fact, just curious as to how you decided that.

 

[trialanderror]

I think Pete's statement means that add small volume of sand to the fuge compared to what currently in DT would not make much difference.

 

[Tenshoa]

Good info here, guys.

I have some mangroves if you want. Removed them from the sump as they got too tall. There are in the overflow box now. Although they are not that great for nutrient export. May be more suited for a shallow tank as part of the display

How tall are the mangroves you have? I will look into the fern caulerpa.

Mangrove pods are for sure cool. I have a few in my fuge and they look cool. And I have no Nitrates or anything and I dont run GFO

Are mangroves the only thing you're running?

I think Pete's statement means that add small volume of sand to the fuge compared to what currently in DT would not make much difference.

+1

 

[Boostable]

Only other thing I have seen in some sumps is a more dense "mud" style substrate. Not so affected by flow.

 

[trialanderror]

I really like the look of fern caulerpa. However, it fouls up water badly when it dies or goes sexual.

 

[Tenshoa]

Only other thing I have seen in some sumps is a more dense "mud" style substrate. Not so affected by flow.

It's low flow in the refugium area but as I understand it, the purpose of a sandbed (or mud) in the refugium is a place for denitrifying bacteria to reside. I've found no other purpose outside of a livestock habitat. So my thought was that since I already have a sand bed in my tank, why would I need another habitat for the bacteria?

 

[raidendex]

Mangroves are like 1-2 feet tall, too big to be inside of most stands.

I think reason for sand in the sump would be that you can create a fairly deep sand bed that would lack oxygen and allow for a different type of bacteria to thrive. These can be potentially dangerous and you wouldn't want to ever stir it up. Would it be beneficial, likely not enough to make a difference.

As far as fern caulerpa, had it now for over a year, never really had a problem with it dying or trying to bloom. Perhaps this is dependent on the light you use to grow it.

 

[dson78]

Looking good, im still cycling my tank but its tanks like yours keeps me motivated. Keep up the good work.

 

[Tenshoa]

Looking good, im still cycling my tank but its tanks like yours keeps me motivated. Keep up the good work.

Thanks! Stay motivated!

 

[Russ750]

Looks like you've got a good bit more room to work with in there now!


I know I was just there, but I didn't notice - how deep is the sand bed in your display?

 

[Tenshoa]

Looks like you've got a good bit more room to work with in there now!


I know I was just there, but I didn't notice - how deep is the sand bed in your display?

About 2 - 2 1/2"

 

[Swirlygig]

I wouldn't put sand in the sump since you have it in your display with lots of live rock. I know people that did that and then months down the road sucked it back out. The cheato will take over anyways.

 

[Tenshoa]

I wouldn't put sand in the sump since you have it in your display with lots of live rock. I know people that did that and then months down the road sucked it back out. The cheato will take over anyways.

That's what I'm thinkin

 

[IM24TankTeam]

Have you ever looked at using a MarinePure bioblock in the sump instead of live rock? http://www.cermedia.com/marinepure-products.php

 

[Russ750]

About 2 - 2 1/2"

The only reason I can see to add sand to the sump then would be to add a true deep sand bed to facilitate nitrate reduction. There's a ton of debate on the topic, but most literature indicates that the denitrifying bacteria that perform this function are only (or mostly) present in true anaerobic zones, which most agree are not truly reached until the sand is deeper, typically agreed to be greater than 4".

Sand grain sizes, among other things, can influence what depth is required to facilitate significant nitrate reduction. There's often a lot of debate as to whether deep beds are useful or not, and as always, a ton of accounts that should be taken with a grain of salt. I personally think a lot of issues have been unjustly blamed on them. Not sure if you have a preference, but it might be worth considering. Having a deep sand bed in the sump is always easier to remove down the road if you choose to than one in the display would be.

Your choice for sure, and if you are always on top of your water changes, the benefits may not outweigh the risks. For what it's worth, I had a 6" bed in a 55 for over three years with no negative effects. The sand bed was teeming with micro-fauna, and I never once had any detectable nitrates. On the other hand, I had one in the sump of my 125 that never seemed to establish, and I removed it after about a year. I currently have 1"-2" in my 300. I have the sand to add a DSB to my sump, but for now it's in bags in the closet as I still haven't decided on it myself....

I hope this rambling was somewhat useful!