TankArchitect
Member
Hi,
OK, could use some help with what, if anything, I should do with my refugium. After installing new hardwood flooring in the house, I took the opportunity to redo my 75 gallon softy and fish tank. I used to have a 75 gal with a 20 gal sump. The new tank is 75 gal with a 40B sump. In the past I had a sump with a refugium for nutrient export but never really had much luck with growing the chaeto. Thought I would try again in the new sump. The refugium chamber is about 12"h x 12"w x 18"l with chaeto for nutrient export, noting else in refugium. Refugium is lit 12 hrs per day (opposite the tank lighting) with a Tunze 9w LED Model 8831 eco chic refugium light. Skimmer is an Eshopps Axium X-160 which seems to be working fine at pulling out gunk. Display tank is lit by Reefbreeders Photon V2+ running on their recommended softy settings. Wavemakers are two Reefbreeders RP-Ms set to Reef Mode at 75% power each. Return is a Mag 12 teed off to the fuge. I would guess I'm running about 200gph through the fuge.
My problem, if at all, is the chaeto in the fuge now has a mass of hair algae attached to it. There is no hair algae or any other nuisance algae (at least that I can see) in the display tank. The tank has been up and running since Oct 1 2019, but the fish and corals, along with about 50% of the water, were transferred from my old tank, so I did not really see any new cycling, except maybe a little diatom growth. Occupants are 1 yellow tang, two clownfish, one pajama cardinal and one bicolor dotty. Corals are kenya tree, various mushrooms and one frogspawn. Corals have really shown growth in the new tank and the fish seem happy. They get fed a mixture of Marine S and Seaweed Extreme pellets once a day from an Eheim automatic feeder. Latest water parameters are 1.025sg, 8.10 pH, 7.8 dkh alk, 400ppm cal and 1400 mag. Nitrate and phosphate read 0. Test kits are new Saliferts. I use IO salt supplemented with calcium chloride pellets and a little baking soda. I do about a 15% water change weekly. No other dosing. I use RODI water and have RODI automatic topoff. Regarding the refugium, should I:
1. Just leave things alone since there is no algae in the display tank? In this case should I harvest out what I can of the hair algae in the refugium?
2. Change refugium lighting schedule?
3. Change refugium light?
4. Ditch the refugium and add a Carbon/GFO reactor?
5. Something else???
Thanks for any help/advice. I have attached pictures of the tank from my cheapo cell phone.
John
OK, could use some help with what, if anything, I should do with my refugium. After installing new hardwood flooring in the house, I took the opportunity to redo my 75 gallon softy and fish tank. I used to have a 75 gal with a 20 gal sump. The new tank is 75 gal with a 40B sump. In the past I had a sump with a refugium for nutrient export but never really had much luck with growing the chaeto. Thought I would try again in the new sump. The refugium chamber is about 12"h x 12"w x 18"l with chaeto for nutrient export, noting else in refugium. Refugium is lit 12 hrs per day (opposite the tank lighting) with a Tunze 9w LED Model 8831 eco chic refugium light. Skimmer is an Eshopps Axium X-160 which seems to be working fine at pulling out gunk. Display tank is lit by Reefbreeders Photon V2+ running on their recommended softy settings. Wavemakers are two Reefbreeders RP-Ms set to Reef Mode at 75% power each. Return is a Mag 12 teed off to the fuge. I would guess I'm running about 200gph through the fuge.
My problem, if at all, is the chaeto in the fuge now has a mass of hair algae attached to it. There is no hair algae or any other nuisance algae (at least that I can see) in the display tank. The tank has been up and running since Oct 1 2019, but the fish and corals, along with about 50% of the water, were transferred from my old tank, so I did not really see any new cycling, except maybe a little diatom growth. Occupants are 1 yellow tang, two clownfish, one pajama cardinal and one bicolor dotty. Corals are kenya tree, various mushrooms and one frogspawn. Corals have really shown growth in the new tank and the fish seem happy. They get fed a mixture of Marine S and Seaweed Extreme pellets once a day from an Eheim automatic feeder. Latest water parameters are 1.025sg, 8.10 pH, 7.8 dkh alk, 400ppm cal and 1400 mag. Nitrate and phosphate read 0. Test kits are new Saliferts. I use IO salt supplemented with calcium chloride pellets and a little baking soda. I do about a 15% water change weekly. No other dosing. I use RODI water and have RODI automatic topoff. Regarding the refugium, should I:
1. Just leave things alone since there is no algae in the display tank? In this case should I harvest out what I can of the hair algae in the refugium?
2. Change refugium lighting schedule?
3. Change refugium light?
4. Ditch the refugium and add a Carbon/GFO reactor?
5. Something else???
Thanks for any help/advice. I have attached pictures of the tank from my cheapo cell phone.
John
