I am Refugium Newbie

[montepora]

Guys:

Due to high nitrate(15ppm via Salifert), I set up a 10gallon refugium to help export nitrate. It is my first refugium.

I use Southdown sand to set up a 5" deep sand bed. I use some live rock to seed the sand and grab some bristle worms from my main tank and throw them into the refugium. I added some pepermint shrimp too. I then bought some culerpa algae from the LFS and that was a week ago.

I came home to see patchs of green slim algae on the sand bed today. It is normal because the sand bed is band new. But when I looked closely, the culerpa algae is also covered with green slim alage. My question is would the culerpa sophicate?? Should I do anything about this?? I know the refugium is cycling right now but I am also wondering would this cycling process affect my main system??? TIA.

 

[mrscheider]

montepora,
The cyano algae is definitly normal and since I had asked the same question about the macro being choked off from the cyano, I was told yes. It will kill the macro algae if it engulfs it.
Mine is about 6 weeks old and I had put in a queen conch, since this is the only animal that reportedly eats the stuff. It also stirs the sand bed too which is an added bonus.
I would also recommend a sand sifting starfish which will help keep the sand healthy because if you haven't already noticed, the cyano makes the sand clumpy which is not good for the sand bed.
Otherwise, you're on the right track to lowering the nitrates. When you change your water, try to remove as much of the cyano as you can with a turkey baster just to keep it in check but eventually, when the macro and DSB is established, it will outcompete the micro for nutrients and most, if not all the cyano should disappear.

 

[montepora]

Thanx.

Thanx.

I put a serpent star in the refugium but my pepermint shrimp ate it.

I will do a little water cahnge tonight and siphon out the cyano.

I am planning on putting in the nassarius and cerith snails to move the sand. I will also be on the look out for a Queen conch.

Thanx.

 

[mpdharley]

Just a note on the sand sifting starfish. I used to have one in my reef tank and never had any luck developing a good population of critters. After removing him, I started to see some life show up. I have also read that a sand sifter will decimate a sand bed. I'd go with bristle stars and bristle worms instead.

 

[JPerkins]

Yep, in actuality, you want algae to grow in your refugium.

Hopefully, you get an easy to harvest algae to get the nutrients out of the water column.

Slime likes low water flow.