Do sump additions require a cycle?

[TonyV]

So about 3 months ago, I added a sump/refugium to my tank in an effort to increase water volume and have a place to add a bigger skimmer. The sump/refugium contains my skimmer, a small amount of rubble, chaeto, sock of carbon, sock of GFO, ATO, and my return pump. My chaeto is lit on a reverse cycle. Within about 2-3 weeks, I noticed my sump is getting full of red slime and green hair algae, none of which I have in my main display tank. My chaeto is full of it and so are the walls of the sump/refugium. Is this normal? Should I be cleaning the sump/refugium as well? If I kill the lights, it seems to disappear but then I fear my chaeto will die. I am thinking that I may just remove the chaeto and light and just use it for the extra water volume instead of a nutrient export. Thoughts? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[mfinn]

Just clean out the rs and the ha out with regular mantainace.
You might want to add a small powerhead to the refugium for some extra flow. Cheato seems to grow better with good flow.

 

[Reefman29]

A sump added after the main tank like that shouldn't cycle. Was the tank already cycled? How old is the tank? If the tank has extra nutrients and there are always lights on around the sump then the algae would have a perfect spot to grow.

 

[TonyV]

Main tank is coming up on two years and has been doing great. Phosphates are un-detectable with Elos test kit.

 

[Reefman29]

Nitrates maybe? The sump would not have cycled then, since the tank was already cycled. The hair algae does consume nitrates or phosphate or something. Do you overfeed? Has the algae continued to grow? It could be the light combined with some extra food or something.

 

[TonyV]

No it's not really growing, it's just kind of an eye sore. I prefer to keep my main tank immaculate. I am thinking more and more it's got to be the lighting over the chaeto. i'll check Nitrates but last time they were zero. It's also time to change the GFO. I wonder if it leaches out after it's been exhausted.

 

[mfinn]

Main tank is coming up on two years and has been doing great. Phosphates are un-detectable with Elos test kit.

one of the reasons for that is the algaes in the sump are consuming them.

 

[Reefman29]

Rightl, the algae is growing because of excess nutrients in the water which makes the levels undectable. Get it??

 

[TonyV]

So what's recommended?

 

[mfinn]

I'd try adding a small powerhead to create a little more flow in the fuge area.
I put a maxi-jet 1200 in mine when I had some of the same problems.
Cured my problem.
I did have to diy a sponge over the suction to keep the cheato from clogging the powerhead.

 

[outy]

actually what is happening is that its not cycling but since there is no benificial bacteria on the sump and other surfaces, other bacteria and algea attaches on to the clean bare surface of everything just like going through that new tank phase.

this will pass as bacteria grows on all the new surfaces.

manual removal is fine but again it will pass as benificial bacteria grows

 

[schwa6970]

It sounds to me like your fuge is doing tis job since there isnt any algae in your display.
I have seen a lot of really nasty Refugiums but the displays always looked great because of it. You say its an eyesore? Is your fuge sitting out in the open next to your display or something?