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bmac2
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Topic: Refugium/sump contents Posted: October 16 2013 at 3:19pm |
I want to hear what everyone has in their sum. Specifically the following questions. when you answer say why you or don't have that in your setup.
1. do you have any sand in your sump/refugium?
2. Do you have live rock/rock rubble in your sump?
3. Who uses UV lights and why?
4. Any plants in there?
5. What type of lights do you put on your sump at night to grow goodies?
6. Other than a skimmer, what equipment do you run in your sump?
Any other sump/refugium setups you have, and any pictures are welcome. I liked the setup in my old 90 gallon, had a much smaller sump, but it was way more efficient the way I had it set up. Just redid mine today to make it more like the one I had before.
Thanks!!
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aceofspadeskb
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Posted: October 16 2013 at 3:45pm |
1. do you have any sand in your sump/refugium? No, never thought about it.
2. Do you have live rock/rock rubble in your sump? Just enough to pin the macro algae down
3. Who uses UV lights and why? Are you talking UV Sterilizers? I wish I had the money...
4. Any plants in there? Chaeto and ulva macro algae
5. What type of lights do you put on your sump at night to grow goodies? Lowe's worklight - $6
6. Other than a skimmer, what equipment do you run in your sump? Filter socks(changed every other day), Carbon/GFO reactor, heaters
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DMower
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Posted: October 16 2013 at 4:08pm |
1. yes. place for life to live and grow. 2. yes. as much as I can fit. 3. yes. kills some harmful parasites and algae. 4. yes. chaeto,ulva,caluerpa. 5. AI Sol white. reverse daylight cycle. 6. filter sock, carbon and gfo reactor, skimmer, two heaters, two circulation pumps, return pump.
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150 gal reef with 50 gal sump. Reef Octopus DCS-200 Skimmer. AI Sol Blues.
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Bryce
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Posted: October 16 2013 at 5:27pm |
Bmac lives! How is that 300 gallon coming along?
1. Yes, sand in the refugium section of the sump but no other sections.
2. No, I found that live rock/rock rubble traps detritus and caused me problems, tried high flow but in the end I gave up.
3. I use a UV light filter because I see no bad effects from it and it seems to keep algea in check.
4. Yes cheato
5. A 6500K light from home depot, I believe its 12 watts or so.
6. Other than a skimmer I have: heater, ATO float/lazer, gfo reactor pump, carbon reactor pump, UV filter, purigen, power head to keep things stirred up, return pump.
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65g Reef
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: October 16 2013 at 9:50pm |
Aloha, I really like the way you ask the question. Did you see this recent thread, covering pretty much the same topic? http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=66933
Edited by Mark Peterson - October 17 2013 at 9:31am
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phys
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Posted: October 16 2013 at 9:59pm |
All my sump stuff is in the form of a HOB design. I have a UV, it does seem to keep the water a little cleaner (no proof of it though haha), a skimmer that really does pull a lot of crap out of the tank... it would definitely not be as nice without it, a HOB filter converted into a chaeto refugium with some sand in the bottom to help keep nitrates and phosphates down. I have an 5W t5 on the refugium, 3000K... it seems to keep the chaeto growing nicely.
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Molli
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Posted: October 16 2013 at 10:49pm |
1. do you have any sand in your sump/refugium? NO, its tough enough keeping a clean sandbed in my tank -- I don't want the extra work in the sump!
2. Do you have live rock/rock rubble in your sump? live rock rubble in the refugium section of the sump to give bugs a home and it gives me live rock for attaching coral frags.
3. Who uses UV lights and why? No, I think UV kills too much "good" stuff.
4.Any plants in there? Cheato, which I turn over daily. From what I've read, it takes a whole lot of plants to really make a difference to a tank. Only reason I have any cheato is for bugs and to keep my ph levels balanced at nite.
5. What type of lights do you put on your sump at night to grow goodies? Some inexpensive LED light from Lowes that mostly shines over the cheato at nite.
6. Other than a skimmer, what equipment do you run in your sump? Heater, return pump, filter sock and had a Two Little Fishes Reactor but the pump was too loud so I just removed it, a bag of carbon, a bag of phosban, dosing pumps feed to the sump, float for ATO, have a few probes in the sump that record data into my controller.
Edited by Molli - October 16 2013 at 10:56pm
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Akira
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Posted: October 17 2013 at 5:04am |
Ok so call me wrong all my answers here........
1.Yes for sand critters live in it ! 2. A few larger pieces and rubble , Critters live in it ! Plus I hate frag plugs rock frags look more natural when I add stuff to my display. 3. Used to use UV to help with ich but haven't needed it in the last year. Doesn't mean I would'nt use one again but would rather buy coral instead. :) 4. Chaeto and feather caulerpa ( feather gets choked if i don't cut chaeto) 5. Simple reverse lighting think mines a 6100k CF from Home depot $12 a 2 pack 6. In sump filter sock (removed 1 week ago to see if I need it ) Outside of sump simple 1 stage reactor with carbon and GFO mix not tumbling.
And an FYI reverse lighting with macro algae eats No3 (nitrates) not just there for looks :0 check to see the other benefits .......Also if you have porous rock in the fuge you have a home for good bugs in the fuge and they find there way to display and your display sand. And you can actually keep a supply of food in the fuge for the sand sifters in your display . Leopard Wrasse , Mandarin Goby etc just to name a few ..... But thats what I run and why oh and lets not forget the snails in my fuge to help keep the sand clean
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Jacknugget
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Posted: October 17 2013 at 8:40am |
1. do you have any sand in your sump/refugium? Yes, I have less than 1" of coarse crushed coral in my fuge (for the microfauna).
2. Do you have live rock/rock rubble in your sump? Yes, my first chamber is filled with rubble and a skimmer.
3. Who uses UV lights and why? I haven't seen a need for one, yet.
4. Any plants in there? Yes, caulerpa and cheato.
5. What type of lights do you put on your sump at night to grow goodies? I have two 5000K LED bulbs from Lowes and I run them 24 hours.
6. Other than a skimmer, what equipment do you run in your sump? Heater, return pump and float valve.
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125 Mixed Reef
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BobC63
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Posted: October 17 2013 at 9:39am |
bmac2 wrote:
I want to hear what everyone has in their sum. Specifically the following questions. when you answer say why you or don't have that in your setup.
1. do you have any sand in your sump/refugium? No - have had sand in fuge on past setups, though. If I was gonna do it now I would use a remote DSB (5 gal pail) type setup
2. Do you have live rock/rock rubble in your sump? No - have had rock in fuge on past setups, though. Trapped alot of dirt and crap in it; that's why I stopped doing it
3. Who uses UV lights and why? No - have had UV on past setups, though. Helped with water clarity and less algae buildup IMO
4. Any plants in there? Chaeto macro. Have grown mangroves in past; they looked cool but I didn't see any real benefits from having them in there
5. What type of lights do you put on your sump at night to grow goodies? 15 w CF bulb in a Wlamart fixture
6. Other than a skimmer, what equipment do you run in your sump? Heater, Carbon / GFO reactor, probes for controller
Any other sump/refugium setups you have, and any pictures are welcome. I liked the setup in my old 90 gallon, had a much smaller sump, but it was way more efficient the way I had it set up. Just redid mine today to make it more like the one I had before.
Thanks!!
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I'd just add that I think a refugium works best if it is kind of 'offline'; meaning, it is not the middle section of a 3 - part sump, but rather in it's own separate plumbed-in sump... otherwise the water flow through the main sump is generally too strong to really grow alot of good stuff; and then your rock rubble just acts like a big dirt filter and collects all the crap that passes through the sump
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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Molli
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Posted: October 17 2013 at 10:37am |
BobC63 wrote:
I'd just add that I think a refugium works best if it is kind of 'offline'; meaning, it is not the middle section of a 3 - part sump, but rather in it's own separate plumbed-in sump... otherwise the water flow through the main sump is generally too strong to really grow alot of good stuff; and then your rock rubble just acts like a big dirt filter and collects all the crap that passes through the sump
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Bob, I've read that as well -- that the flow to/from the refugium should, ideally, be much lower than the flow in the sump. Have you separately plumbed one? I'm thinking of doing that for my cube. I suppose its one more pump you will need (or two more pumps) to get the water to/from the refugium? Maybe you should add this to your "How to" thread!
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BobC63
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Posted: October 17 2013 at 10:43am |
I did plumb one separately off of the main sump.
I've been so busy with MWRF stuff lately, I totally forgot about that thread
I'll have to get over there and add some more stuff soon!
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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bmac2
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Posted: October 17 2013 at 11:46am |
Well, in my 90 gallon I had previously I did this for the refugum for the Cheato. I bought a small garbage can, put coral in the bottom, cut a hole on one side near the top to make an overflow, then put a small cheap harbor freight pond pump in the sump with tubing to pump the water slowly through the trash can. Hung a light right over the trash can, and I grew cheato like a fool, and had pods GALORE in it. I tried blocking off one section of my sump using huge clamshells to make the same thing and it has failed miserably. Guess what I did yesterday, got me another small plastic trash can and put the outflow from my UV sterilzer into the can so it flows slowly and gently through the can.
So, anyone with extra cheato, I need a gallon or so for my trash can. Also, anyone with any extra macroalgea hanging out, I know a 97 gallon sump that needs some!!!!!
Mac
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bmac2
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Posted: October 17 2013 at 11:52am |
Another question.
At most of the pet stores they sell crush coral and shells, larger than sand, but according to everything I read, very good for the aquarium. I got a screaming deal on 4 bags of it to put in with my new sand in the display tank. Now here is the question!!!
Being an old farm boy (old being the operative word) you feed crushed coral and crushed oyster shells to your chickens. You can buy it for 12 dollars for a 50 lb bag at IFA, or any farm store. if you read the bag, it is simply crushed oyster shells, clam shells and corals. 94% guaranteed calcium content. You feed it to the chickens to improve their egg shell hardness.
Has anyone ever used that in the aquarium? I bought a little 3 lb bag to look at and it is identical to the $30 for 25 lb bag of it at the pet stores. It is very dusty and needs to be washed a LOT, but it would give me a sand type base in my sump. I just cleaned my old sand out of hte sump and all that is in there now is some rock rubble. I want to plant some mangroves in the sump, but need a base to do it and was wondering if that would suffice.
Opinions, gripes, complaints, name calling???????
Mac
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: October 17 2013 at 2:47pm |
Aloha, There are simple yet efficient Sump/Refugium designs where
only some of the water drains into the Refugium and though it may
partially mix in the Skimmer chamber, much of the spawn filled Refugium
water flows toward the Return pump. This can be accomplished with as
simple a design as Teeing the drain to go two directions. Tanks
that I have seen with only Oyster shell had some issues, but some Oyster
shell as part of a greater mixture should be fine. I seem to
remember that the issues with using solely Oyster shell may be due to
the fact that Oysters and other molluscs filter toxins from the
sometimes polluted waters where they live and then incorporate those
chemicals into their meat and shell matrix (hence coastal warnings not to eat
the local shellfish). Mangroves love to root into any kind of
stable substrate. They actually delay sending out leaves and shoots
until their roots are secure. I have used many types of
Aragonite(calcium carbonate) substrate, from Oolitic sand to rubble. My Mangroves grow fast and bushy. My
experience is that a 1/2" - 2" layer of Oolitic underneath other
Aragonite substrate seems to provide 1) the benefits of root stability and
growth, 2) the benefit of a much larger bacterial population per square inch and 3) the known benefit of better Alk and Ca buffering for the entire aquarium system. One more
interesting thing to use in a Refugium is a little mud - not the
sterile expensive kind found packaged at the LFS, but mud from places like ponds and even your back yard garden.
The ocean is constantly being replenished with organic material washed
down from the mountains via streams and rivers. That silt as well as the normal accumulation of marine detritus is where
Mangroves are naturally found. Cool stuff grows in the Mangroves as pictured below.
Mangrove groves are nurseries for 1000's of marine organisms. Hope this is useful info. Mahalo, Mark
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: October 19 2013 at 7:53am |
I forgot to say two more important points about Mangroves. They do terrible in the dry air of Utah. We would think that they are okay because it's more humid near the water, but unless they are in an enclosed area at 80/80, they will struggle and decline. What do I mean by 80/80 Humidity ~80%/Temperature ~80F They do best in very bright light. A daylight twist PC bulb or LED directly above them as close as 1" - 6" will make them very happy, green and bushy. Aloha, Mark
Edited by Mark Peterson - October 19 2013 at 7:59am
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