water flow through fuge/sump question

[clowntank10]

i am going to be running 12oo - 800gph through my sump/fuge where i will put macro algea is this bad. and also what is the best macro algea to put in a fuge. give me pros and cons. thanx

 

[sjvl51]

Here is a thread that mentions various macro algae and comments about each - http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=349241

Many people say to have low flow in your refuge so that the plants have longer to absorb the nutrients. I don't agree with this as you find algae in the ocean in high flow as well as low flow areas. I found that with low flow, I had a slime buildup on the macro algae that sufficated some of the macro algae. I have added a power head and will be tearing down the refuge this summer to install a larger bulkhead so I can increase the flow some more. I would say your flow is fine.

I have some macro algae (chaeto & tang heaven) growing in my sump (return pump is Mag 12). The algae is not having any problems growing there.

Vickie

 

[clowntank10]

can some one show me a pic of Chaetomorpha

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

clowntank10, check out the last pic in my second post in this thread(clicky below) for a Chaeto pic. I run a RIO 1700 in a 24gal tub of Chaeto(and a little razor Caulerpa) with 2 65w LOA flourex PC's and a 15w Sylvania flour to maximixe the energy/water circulation. The Chaeto rises out of the water every day, it is producing so much O2 and it increases its mass very rapidly. I totally believe in forcing mega-flow through the algae wad to maximize exchange, and boy does it work well. The tub swirls like a stuck toilet (1700GPH PH with no head) I just have to pull the Chaeto scraps off the inlet grate every couple of days to keep from restricting the flow. I sell a ton of Chaeto too, it reproduces so quickly.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=401480

BTW, I am planning on pulling that 15w flourescent and installing 2 more LOA 65w PCs on the algae sump to really ramjam the seaweed.

 

[Splotto]

Re: water flow through fuge/sump question

i am going to be running 12oo - 800gph through my sump/fuge where i will put macro algea is this bad. and also what is the best macro algea to put in a fuge. give me pros and cons. thanx

Hello:

****WARNING - 100% AMATURE OPINION TO FOLLOW****

While I am new to the macro world (thanks to this forum for all the great info) it seems to me that over a certain minimum flow, the water characteristics of the water in the fuge will be the same as the tank as a whole. Therefore, what really would matter is the total amount of nutrients in the water in general and they will feed accordingly, regardless of flow rate.

IMO, the issue with flow in my fuge that mattered more then nutrients was the effect of the water movement on the macro (pushing it around if it was too high).

My fuge is located above my tank (pics in my gallery) and the sump is about 7 feet below the water level in the fuge. I have an 802 powerhead in the sump pumping up to the fuge which gives me a nice medium flow in the water up there.

Splotto

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

I see what you are saying. My flow THROUGH my fuge is only 2/3 of my Mag7 return pump(2 of the 3 return branches drain into the algae sump, the third, back into the main sump). The RIO 1700 under some LR pieces just jams the water in the tub around in the tub to maximize exposure to the very dense algae wad that I am able to sustain, because (IMO) of the strong flow and the strong light. I am just looking to ensure no dead spots in the algae wad which would possibly founder or die.

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

OK, a pic is worth a 1000 words.

I am attempting to lift the Chaeto wad out of the water with one hand, while operate the camera with the other(and not destroy anything ). About half of the wad in the front half of the tub is out of the water, so that is about 1/4 of the entire wad. That crap is actually pretty hefty weightwise. I'm guessing about 1.5 cubic feet of Chaeto total.

<img src="http://www.rusynyk.com/coral/algaetub1.JPG">

Here is an overall pic of the tub with the lights removed to show how the 2 drain hoses from the tanks above and the general swirling of the water looks

<img src="http://www.rusynyk.com/coral/algaetub2.JPG">

 

[clowntank10]

Frick-n-Frags can you mail me a piece of that. i need some cheato but only have a very small portion of caulerpa nad cheato is better. thanx

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

PM me to discuss this further, thanx

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

better yet, here is a link to my updated selling forum thread to get you started, then PM me, thanks

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=403152