Getting ready to set up my first fuge (need advice)

sharkE

New member
i am going to set up a fuge in my sump (180 gal) the fuge is just going to be a 2 gal. to grow different types of macro (cheato, grape etc...) i was told at the LFS that i NEED mud to be able to get the macro to grow... i was just planning on keeping crushed coral in the fuge so the pods have plenty of breeding room.... any advice will help. what is the best light is to use as well?
thanks for the advice
my tank needs it :)
 
2 gallons is pretty small. What is taking up the room in ur 180g sump? I would of made 100g of the sump the fuge IMO. 2g wont do anything really.....BUT.... Mud is very good to use and a variety of mico algeas will work.... For the light just go to home depot and but a daylight 65k 75w flood light bulb... I have one and it works wonders... Leave it on 24/7
 
i would say don't even waste your time if you only going to setup a 2 gallon for your 240 gallon, it's not going to do anything just more work for you .
 
you don't NEED mud to grow macro algae, but it's nice for macros that have a root structure. for Chaeto you don't need it.

If your only intent is for nutrient export, 2gal is probably not enough to make any noticable difference. however, 2gal of chaeto and rubble coral will be plenty to breed pods.
 
here is my 2g bucket fuge that grows chaeto macro so effectively that i have taken the skimmer offline for the past six months with no detrimental effects noted whatsoever.

the 2g fuge is on my mixed 110g with lps, clams, some softies and nems.

IMG_5120edit.jpg

IMG_5107edit.jpg


here is my 5g bucket fuge that grows macro faster than you can say 'i think i wanted chocolate ice cream...not vanilla'.
KIF_0402edit.jpg


this one was on my 125g office tank before the tank itself sprang a leak and caused more trouble than i would care to mention.

notice that there is no light shining through the bucket...that is because it is filled with overgrown chaeto. this took about a week or two to completely fill the bucket from a softball sized starter.

here it is at the very beginning.
BucketFuge.jpg


you can see all the light penetrating the bucket. phenomenal chaeto growth, yeah? ;)

now, onto the 5g bucket that is on my 180g sps with 250g NET adjusted volume of water. it is the same design: set up for pure raw rapid chaeto growth. you can see how i create a rotational water motion to spin the chaeto for maximal colony exposure to light and nutrients.


flow is high in the buckets. the 5g gets about 120x turnover per hour and the 2g gets about 150x turnover. pod growth in both are explosive. there is no lr, rubble or sand in any of the buckets. tried that before and it just ends up to be an icky mess.

it now takes me about 3 minutes to make a bucket fuge as the plumbing is beyond simple (after refining the design for the past 5 years). cost: well, in most cases, it should be free as i dont know of one reefer that doesnt have a spare bucket lying around along with miscellaneous plumbing fittings, tubing and a spare pump.

lights of america 65w 6500k fixture? $8.50 at costco. the pc bulb i use on the 2g is about $1. the stupid lamp with a clamp cost $10 at fry's...cant believe i spent that much on a light with no bulb!!!

bucket fuges are not pretty and lack the bragging level that comes with custom designed and made compartmentalized acrylic tanks that can cost more than my light fixture for the main display! ;)
 
omg! so sorry...hahaha i ment 20 gallons! i havent read the replies yet just the first one... let me catch up... SoCalSURFrider, sorry for the confusion
 
ok sorry again every one! i ment 20 gallons... im just going to throw a 20 gal tank in my 180 and redirect some water flow from the main tank overflow to do the trick. the 20 gal is going to just over flow into the 180 it is already in. im going to set up a mesh netting around the edges to prevent any large debris from any macro from escaping into the main sump. is it possible to have very effective nutrient export by JUST GROWING CHEATO? or will i be more effective growing other macros as well? i would like to avoid using the mud if i possibly could so i dont have to take any extra time building a divider into my 20 gal. i would rather just throw in 40 lbs of crushed coral and some macro and call it a day but i need to make sure that just growing cheato will be sufficient nutrient export.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12939876#post12939876 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sharkE
ok sorry again every one! i ment 20 gallons... im just going to throw a 20 gal tank in my 180 and redirect some water flow from the main tank overflow to do the trick. the 20 gal is going to just over flow into the 180 it is already in. im going to set up a mesh netting around the edges to prevent any large debris from any macro from escaping into the main sump. is it possible to have very effective nutrient export by JUST GROWING CHEATO? or will i be more effective growing other macros as well? i would like to avoid using the mud if i possibly could so i dont have to take any extra time building a divider into my 20 gal. i would rather just throw in 40 lbs of crushed coral and some macro and call it a day but i need to make sure that just growing cheato will be sufficient nutrient export.

chaeto is more than sufficient for nutrient export. it is fast growing, doesnt form fastholds into the rock, is non-invasive and doesnt go sexual. all the opposite attributes of caulerpa (except fast growing).

plus, you will find that most caulerpa's are banned here in socal:
http://www.sccat.net/#the-caulerpa-information-center-1e86c5

from personal experience and fine tuning the effectiveness and efficiency of small fuges...i 'personally' wouldnt use any crushed coral, mud, sand, rubble or lr.

an ideal situation is to somehow run the refugium macro grow out on a reverse light schedule. this means that when your display lights are out...the refugium lights come on. this way, the chaeto is using CO2 from coral respiration while making O2 and keeping the pH a little more stable. in tank refugiums do exist, sure, but it usually isnt the way that most reefers go...

good luck!
 
I use fiji mud and garf grunge lite for my fuge, combined with cheato and a home dpot light run 24 hours. I have pods growing out the wazoo! Has worked very well for me so far. Its a 20gal on a 70gal system.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12940421#post12940421 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hawaiian_boi
eh brah you need to get some limo and grow dat... then when youget plenty you can make poke

hahaa if i like invite you ova i gonna need a limo farm hahahaa

the reason i am planning on using the crushed coral is so i can have a solid buffer for the Ph all the time.plus the pods will breed like crazy in there. well glad to know that i can just grow cheato. i really did not want to run a mud fuge if i didnt have to. also i have no coral except like a small patch of GSP that is not doing so well i guess...
 
hahahaa... man tell me about it... it was growing just fine, then i moved the location, then it start acting funny... my fish are doing great, my levels are doing great, my temp is perfect (now :( ), i have 250w MH, i have no idea why this stuff wont take off! i think i need to start spot feeding!?
 
I agree, chaeto seems the best standard macro for most fuge's, but you might consider another option, a Turf Algae Filter. It has all the advantages of chaeto (needs no mud; does not go sexual) and caulerpa (fast growing), without the disadvantages of either one. And like bergzy who turned off his skimmer, a turf algae filter is such a strong nitrate and phosphate remover, it will outperform your skimmer too. It would remove your nitrate and phosphate down to zero, but still leave food in the water for the corals. Note that this is the opposite of a skimmer, which takes food out of the water, but leaves in the nitrate and phosphate. Thus the turf replaces your skimmer. A turf algae filter grows pods too, that can drain down right into your tank without going through a pump, like is your plan with your fuge. And with your tank size of 180 gal, you would only need 180 square inches of turf (13 X 13 inches would do)... you could put it in a bucket, or in your fuge, or your overflow/wet/dry area . There's more info here if you want it: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=12931276#post12931276
 
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