Refugiums

[Nanook]

Not sure how advanced this is, but wanted some input. I have 1000 gallons of saltwater in two large aquariums (375 and 470) and about 150 gallons of sump/skimmer water. The 375g is softy and LPS, quite a few fish and the 470g is SPS and clams, quite a few fish. I tend to feed heavy as well.

To date, I have used several hundred $$$ of GFO and carbon, a humongous protein skimmer and monthly water changes of 225 gallons. I am also dosing vodka and still ramping up the dosage each week as my nitrates have not dropped below 8.8 on my Lamotte test kit. Phosphate has been controlled with GFO but I recently took the GFO offline and am just using the vodka and increasing the dosage. I can always put GFO back online if phosphate jumps too high.

Now to my question, the space I have in the equipment room has a room for a 116g, 30x30x30 cube that I could grow chaetomorpha in for nutrient export. Would a fuge of only 100+ gallons make a significant difference in nutrient removal???

Thanks.

 

[Pike614]

I would add another skimmer, or a buiger one, insted. FWIW, I have a 45g cheato tank on my 450 gallon reef with a 150g sump filled with live rock. After adding the cheato, my nitrates did not drop at all, still at about 10ppm. I feed heavy for about 30 fish inlcuding large tangs. I also run carbon in a reactor and have about 400lbs of LRF in the sump. I did the cheato for fish food, not nitrate removal.

 

[Nanook]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14656761#post14656761 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pike614
I would add another skimmer, or a buiger one, insted. FWIW, I have a 45g cheato tank on my 450 gallon reef with a 150g sump filled with live rock. After adding the cheato, my nitrates did not drop at all, still at about 10ppm. I feed heavy for about 30 fish inlcuding large tangs. I also run carbon in a reactor and have about 400lbs of LRF in the sump. I did the cheato for fish food, not nitrate removal.

I did the second skimmer thing and it didn't make much of a difference. I am thinking a biological solution is in order, just not sure if the 1/10 water volume fuge would make a difference.

 

[Pike614]

What skimmers are you running?

 

[Nanook]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14656805#post14656805 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pike614
What skimmers are you running?

Both 60" tall. The larger one is 18" diameter. The thinner one was a quad beckett MTC HSA 5000

 

[Pike614]

to answer your question, I have a fuge with cheato at 1/10th of my display...and it does not lower the nitrates. Those skimmers seem big enough, not sure why you're still getting nitrate readings.

 

[Nanook]

Well, I do feed heavily Lots of anthias and mysis. Skimmers only do so much though.

 

[ctenophors rule]

i think that the refugium would be a great idea, but intead of chaetomorpha, use ulva. i am only saying you should use ulva because it is a much better nutrient exporter, from my data.

if anything when your system levels out this will help keep it level.

(besides it cant hurt)

 

[Freed]

Have you considered running the skimmers a bit wetter so the necks don't cake up with sludge? That would allow the foam to push more junk up out of the neck and probably increase efficiency of the skimmers.

 

[username in use]

I am a fan of using a combination of plants, just like mother nature. While they all remove nitrates to some extent they all take away i different ways and at different rates. You could use a combo of chaeto and ulva, and than i would grow some mangroves out of the top. I dont think that there is any one thing that will get rid of your nutrients, so you need to figure out the combination that works for your system.

 

[hollback]

I also agree that you won't have much luck with a fuge that size on your large system. I ran a cryptic sponge tank for filtration which worked better than my previous lit fuge but it took about a year for the sponges to grow enough to make a difference.

I got rid of my fuge and went with vodka dosing to lower my nitrates about 1.5 years ago. It worked like a charm.

On a side note, I see you're a Zappa fan. That bumps you up in my book! :smokin:

 

[mrbncal]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14702808#post14702808 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by hollback
I got rid of my fuge and went with vodka dosing to lower my nitrates about 1.5 years ago. It worked like a charm.

Did you use any filter socks or mechanical fltration with the vodka dosing? Considering going this way myself from teh duplex idea.


Sorry for barging in on your thread Nanook. :rollface:

 

[Nanook]

No probs

 

[hollback]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14708956#post14708956 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mrbncal
Did you use any filter socks or mechanical fltration with the vodka dosing? Considering going this way myself from teh duplex idea.

I run an oversize Geo skimmer but no filter socks. I've been thinking about using them but I don't know if I want one more thing to mess with.

 

[mrbncal]

Thanks Jason. I hear ya on the maintenance of filter socks.

Hey Nanook, what about an algae turf scrubber? *ducking and running for cover*