refugium

C

Chago09

New member
Ok my 90 gallon is having a cyano problem. I seriously hate algae so badly that it almost forces me out of the hobby(i know cyano is not a algae although it grows from the same problems)

Now I know there is a lot of issues that can cause algae. Although I'm looking for ways of lowering the organics and phosphates. Would adding a refuge to my system really make a difference??

I think what I'm asking is, if my tank stayed identical, but I added chaeto and a light to my sump, would I be able to meassure the difference in phosphates, nitrates????
 
How measureable a difference depends on how much chaetomorpha you have. Even a little will export phosphate when harvested.
 
ok so lets say a Power compact light over a 30 gallon tank full of chaeto????

also I have heard people say that if the chaeto dies it can release more junk into the tank which will actually be extremely dangerous for the tank. Is this true??
 
Hmm... Never heard the chaeto thing before. Will watch for a reply.

Are you using RO/DI water? I used to use jugs from the store, but the rodi unit I bought has improved my situation a bit.

As Im sure you know, flow is a contributing factor. I also added powerheads, worked for the areas Im pointing them at but still didnt cure the whole problem.

As I have been told, flow is as important as light. Spend the same on the two to help with the problems.

Hope that helps a bit.
 
A 30 gallon ought to help alot. Chaetomorpha algae does not sporulate in the same fashion as caulerpa. The later is th macroalgae that can cause problems. Caulerpa is a single celled algae . Even a lrge buch of it can be one cell. When it sporulatesall the nuriewnts it has absorbed are dumped at once turning the tank into a milky mess. Chaetomoprpha is multicelled and does not pose this threat.
 
WOW,

Can someone translate what tmz just wrote there? I can only put 25% of the pieces of that puzzle together ..

..but thanks tom!
 
I'll go slower. Caulerpa can tox a tank when it realeases it spores it often dies. Chaetomorpha wont. Sorry didn't mean to be unclear.
 
i think that caulerpa can go sexual and then some bad things happen. if you get cheato it doesn't do that. i think adding a fuge is totally the best thing that ever happened to my display tank. my fuge has 2 mangrove pods and some weirdo red macroalgae that looks awesome and a lot of cheato.

basically i think adding my fuge did a bunch of things that i dunno if they're measurable but this is what people say... a) adds more water volume to your system, b) if you run it on a reverse lighting schedule from your DT, the ph stays more stable (photosynthesis or something, ha!), c) nutrient export (cheato+mangroves) d) more live sand to system (i put live sand in my fuge, some peeps put mud but i dunno about that idea) d) more diversity (provides a refuge for lil critters since the fuge is supposed to be predator free)

my bottom line is i had a green hair algae problem and a cyano bacteria problem that went away in like 3 weeks (seriously) with noticeable results from my eye but no measuring tools.

xoxompty
 
If it helps, my friend has a 20 gallon with a 10 gallon sump. He had hair algae problems and as soon as he added cheato algae, his hair algae problem disappeared. If cyano is caused by the same things as hair algae, it might be worth a shot.
Another benefit that mpty didn't mention is that algae will add more oxygen to your tank. Oxygen is the "waste" product of photosynthesis.
Finally, regarding cheato going sexual, I've heard that leaving the lights on all the time discourages it from doing so-I've only heard it and can't say it's a fact or not. Maybe someone more experienced can chime in.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13742023#post13742023 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fender4string
If it helps, my friend has a 20 gallon with a 10 gallon sump. He had hair algae problems and as soon as he added cheato algae, his hair algae problem disappeared. If cyano is caused by the same things as hair algae, it might be worth a shot.
Another benefit that mpty didn't mention is that algae will add more oxygen to your tank. Oxygen is the "waste" product of photosynthesis.
Finally, regarding cheato going sexual, I've heard that leaving the lights on all the time discourages it from doing so-I've only heard it and can't say it's a fact or not. Maybe someone more experienced can chime in.
Click to expand...

yeah i heard that too. if you want to stop the caulerpa from going sexual you leave the lights on all the time. that's for the caulerpa. i also read somewhere that caulerpa is illegal in some states and some places. anyways, after reading about the caulerpa going sexual and the illegal thing i just went with cheato. the dudes at the LFS just gave to me for free cuz you gotta harvest it anyways...

harvesting is like the word they use which just means taking some out after 2-3 weeks. its grows like crazy anyways so i;m guessing its sucking up the nutrients to grow. when you "harvest" then you're taking the nutrients out of yer system. i sound like i took lessons in geek, haha!

xoxompty
 
No strong lighting is needed. Most reefers use a compact floruescent in a "daylight" color. If you get the floodlight style, then you have a built in reflector. I use a 13 watt (65watt equivalent) that I bought at Home Depot.
 
I use the equivalent type bulbs as well. They look like spotlights with a spiral flourescent inside.At $ 7 each and low wattage they are a treat expensie wise and work quite well.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13744581#post13744581 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by _E_
No strong lighting is needed. Most reefers use a compact floruescent in a "daylight" color. If you get the floodlight style, then you have a built in reflector. I use a 13 watt (65watt equivalent) that I bought at Home Depot.
Click to expand...

oh you mean like those normal contruction lighting fixture steel round reflector and just a normal compact flourescent bulb?? the ones they sell and tell everyone to replace for enviromentally friendy???

I thought that was all incadescent light and would not be any good. ok nice
 
yeah me gots that light too from home depot. i got the daylight flourescent for it. under 10$, they're the environmentally friendly ones. i read somewhere that putting crazy lights like metal halides, wouldn't be so good for cheato and the daylight flourescents that you can get at home depot are better spectrum for plant growth anywayz.

xoxompty
 
Actually both can cause a problem if and when there is die off.
All of them will give off some form of debris and fowl the water if a lot dies. If your cyano is on the sand a sand star will help by eliminating the food source for the cyano.
Refugiums were developed in the 50's and have the same problem as any other filter. They collect junk from your tank and need to be cleaned periodically. If you put a clean up crew in there this will help prolong the process but it WILL eventually become a problem.Use nature to help this, Hermits and snails and a star or 2 depending on the size of the tank. 1 star for 30 g and so on.just don't over do it so they don't run out of food too
 
I have found that a bare bottom refugium with chaetomorpha macroalgae is easy to maintain. Sand or other substrate under the macroalgae tends to get very messy and is for me difficult to maintain. The chaetomorpha provides habitat for pods and such without the need for the sand or rubble. The denitrifiaction you might get from a little extra substrate is not worth the detritus and algal exudate you get in my opinion.
 
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