Macro Food?

[Bopeep]

I'm about to start up a new system with a 90g display, 40g refugium. Right now I have only 50 pounds of "dead rock", that was once live rock from the gulf, but has since been sitting dry for a month or so. It has lost all it's coloration and any plant/coral life on it has turned brown or fallen off. I want to get my sytem running with no skimmer, and thus will want a fuge full of macro (I'll probably go with all chaeto), and I'll do frequent water changes. I'm going to order another 100lbs of LR, but in order to cycle my sytem with no skimmer, I figured I would need to have my fuge established.

So finally to my questions. If I get a bunch of chaeto and put it in an aragonite sand bed in the sump, will it grow with only the bioload from the dead stuff on my 25 lbs of rock? If not, what should I introduce into the water as food for the chaeto? Also, will I be able to add sand sifting creatures to a refugium loaded with chaeto? I'd like to have biological filtration in the sand bed of the refugium as well as the display. Thanks for the advice.

 

[gregb]

You could sqeeze the juice out of a Wholefish & add a pinch of flake food a couple of times a week, that would help with your biological start. I would use a skimmer though. A letter from Australia.

 

[sjvl51]

You will probably have plenty of "food" on your "dead rock" to start the nitrogen cycle. Monitor your readings and as the ammonia starts to near zero, it is time to start feeding the tank. A little fish food or a raw shrimp or a small piece of raw fish can all be used to keep the nitrates and phosphates up to feed your macro algae (chaeto). A dosing of iron - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/chem.htm - will help the macro algae along.

"Also, will I be able to add sand sifting creatures to a refugium loaded with chaeto? I'd like to have biological filtration in the sand bed of the refugium as well as the display" Per Dr. Ron, the biological filtration of a deep sand bed and sand sifting creatures don't mix. If you still want sand sifting creatures, you can add them as long as you also feed them - a little fish food, a piece of raw shrimp or fish, some nori, etc.

All this will cycle your tank and when you add the new lr, there will be a much smaller ammonia spike. With this in mind, you may want to wait until after the new lr before adding any sand sifting creatures as the ammonia spike may harm them.

Vickie

 

[kmk2307]

Bopeep,

There should be plenty of nutrients on / in that rock. I wouldn't add any more. What kind of "sand sifting creatures" do you want for your 'fuge? Avoid things that sift the sand looking to eat smaller organisms. Instead look for small critters like worms and microfauna that eat detritusl, algae, and bacteria. Be sure to get a cup of sand from someone with an established tank to seed your sandbed.

Kevin

 

[Bopeep]

Thanks everybody for the good advice. Can't wait to get started.