Refugium Setup

[tebriel]

Hi, lots of questions, sorry .
I just purchased and had delivered a very nice refugium (the medium Aquafuge MP by CPR) and am waiting on my overflow box and mag 7 pump. After I do the plumbing I need to stick some kind of substrate and algae in this nice box.

1. But what kind of substrate? I have 110lbs of Live rock and 55lbs of LS in my DT (a 55gal). I was thinking more LS but I don't know where I should get that and if it'll cause a new cycle. Should I just get dry sand from PetCo and scoop up some substrate from my DT and put it down there? Also, should I leave my refugium as a separate tank for a bit before i connect it up to the DT?

2. I am planning on buying some Chaeto Algae but is there a better option? It seems readily available and good at what it does.

3. Where do I get "pods" would those likely come as hitchikers on the chaeto or can/should I buy them somewhere.

4. Should I put a mini cleanup crew in the refugium, what about LR or rubble?

5. There is a small amount of CPR's bio-bale in-between two of my baffles in the refugium. Since I have so much LS and LR should I remove this so that it doesn't become a nitrate factory or would it be beneficial to my tank?

6. Is there a benefit to using pvc piping over clear water hosing? I would prefer the hosing because it is flexible and easier to plumb for someone bad at DIY like me.

Man, thank you so much if you even answer just one of my questions. I'm new to ARC and am hoping to attend the Dec. meeting. I had been on swf.com for a while but have been turned off by their censoring of outside links which i believe is detrimental to the learning process. If someone has the information why not let them see it? Hopefully the same rules do not apply here. Sorry for the long post!

 

[tnyga]

Welcome!

 

[tebriel]

Thanks!!

 

[tnyga]

tebriel;106296 wrote: Hi, lots of questions, sorry .
I just purchased and had delivered a very nice refugium (the medium Aquafuge MP by CPR) and am waiting on my overflow box and mag 7 pump. After I do the plumbing I need to stick some kind of substrate and algae in this nice box.

1. But what kind of substrate? I have 110lbs of Live rock and 55lbs of LS in my DT (a 55gal). I was thinking more LS but I don't know where I should get that and if it'll cause a new cycle. Should I just get dry sand from PetCo and scoop up some substrate from my DT and put it down there? Also, should I leave my refugium as a separate tank for a bit before i connect it up to the DT?

2. I am planning on buying some Chaeto Algae but is there a better option? It seems readily available and good at what it does.

That would seem to work fine...Im sure others will chime in with more...Ill assume youll have LR in the fuge also...

3. Where do I get "pods" would those likely come as hitchikers on the chaeto or can/should I buy them somewhere.

I would think most LFS will have some I got mine when I was at Blue Planet in Mcdonoug

4. Should I put a mini cleanup crew in the refugium, what about LR or rubble?

Theres the LR

5. There is a small amount of CPR's bio-bale in-between two of my baffles in the refugium. Since I have so much LS and LR should I remove this so that it doesn't become a nitrate factory or would it be beneficial to my tank?

6. Is there a benefit to using pvc piping over clear water hosing? I would prefer the hosing because it is flexible and easier to plumb for someone bad at DIY like me.

Im a firm believer...If it works and I can do it then do it...I dont think theres nything wrong with flex tubing...not as "clean looking" but does the same...

Man, thank you so much if you even answer just one of my questions. I'm new to ARC and am hoping to attend the Dec. meeting. I had been on swf.com for a while but have been turned off by their censoring of outside links which i believe is detrimental to the learning process. If someone has the information why not let them see it? Hopefully the same rules do not apply here. Sorry for the long post!

Im sure many will hime in...Im no pro...im an experienced noob

best of luck in your new venture!

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Ok lets see if we can point you in the right direction, and again welcome...

1. <span style="color: black;">But what kind of substrate?</span> I have 110lbs of Live rock and 55lbs of LS in my DT (a 55gal). I was thinking more LS but I don't know where I should get that and if it'll cause a new cycle. Should I just get dry sand from PetCo and scoop up some substrate from my DT and put it down there? Also, should I leave my refugium as a separate tank for a bit before i connect it up to the DT?

<span style="color: red;">Any substrate will work but you would be better off with a fine to med grain sand. Any of the "live sand" in a bag will work but there are cheaper ways to go. It should not cycle your tank at all.</span>

2. I am planning on buying some Chaeto Algae but is there a better option? It seems readily available and good at what it does.

<span style="color: red;">Cheato would be the ONLY macro that I would suggest, even more so if you are not sure the pros and cons to different macros. Instead of buying it from a LFS (some people have had recent problems with pests in LFS macro) I suggest finding it free from here in the club.</span>

3. Where do I get "pods" would those likely come as hitchikers on the chaeto or can/should I buy them somewhere.

<span style="color: red;">Your pods should be in your tank already if you have live rock in there, they will find their way to the macro too. But yes, any macro that you get from an established tank will have more then enough life in it.</span>

4. Should I put a mini cleanup crew in the refugium, what about LR or rubble?

<span style="color: red;">LR or</span><span style="color: red;"> rubble would be a great idea if you have the space for it but I would not add a clean up crew at all. Any crab you put down there will eat your pods and snails have a funny way of clogging things up. A fuge is going to get nasty and ugly looking, that is just what they do and that is a good thing!</span>

5. There is a small amount of CPR's bio-bale in-between two of my baffles in the refugium. Since I have so much LS and LR should I remove this so that it doesn't become a nitrate factory or would it be beneficial to my tank?

<span style="color: red;">Will the bio-bale be exposed to air? Can you remove it once everything is up and running to clean it if need be? If the answer to the first question is no and the second is yes, then I say leave it.</span>

6. Is there a benefit to using pvc piping over clear water hosing? I would prefer the hosing because it is flexible and easier to plumb for someone bad at DIY like me.

<span style="color: red;">I use clear tubing for most of my plumbing, it is just quicker for me and I am a measure once and cut twice type of person. With that being said, It will get algae inside the tube if light is allowd to get to it. This does not seem to be that big of deal, my tubes have been on the tank for over a year now, and they still run fine with no loss in flow and no clogging.</span>

Man, thank you so much if you even answer just one of my questions. I'm new to ARC and am hoping to attend the Dec. meeting. I had been on swf.com for a while but have been turned off by their censoring of outside links which i believe is detrimental to the learning process. If someone has the information why not let them see it? Hopefully the same rules do not apply here. Sorry for the long post!

<span style="color: red;">Again, welcome, no you will not find the same rules here at all! We are pretty laid back around here for the most part! If you want to check out some different fuge ideas and designs, I am sure that most members will open their doors and tanks to you to learn.</span>

 

[cameron]

Agree with Brandon and don't really have anything to add to a good reply. If we had something like rep, I would bump Brandon on that post.

 

[tebriel]

<span style="color: red;">Any substrate will work but you would be better off with a fine to med grain sand. Any of the "live sand" in a bag will work but there are cheaper ways to go. It should not cycle your tank at all.</span>

What would be the cheaper way to go? I know they have "live" sand at PetCo (it's the only local sw store that I know of since the fish store went under) but one of my friends told me it was packaged in freshwater, how live could that be?

<span style="color: red;">Cheato would be the ONLY macro that I would suggest, even more so if you are not sure the pros and cons to different macros. Instead of buying it from a LFS (some people have had recent problems with pests in LFS macro) I suggest finding it free from here in the club.</span>

That's a great idea, I'd love to throw someone some $$ for some chaeto...guess I'll post looking for it when I get everything plumbed and substrate added (hopefully tomorrow)

<span style="color: red;">Your pods should be in your tank already if you have live rock in there, they will find their way to the macro too. But yes, any macro that you get from an established tank will have more then enough life in it.</span>

My tank has been established for 4 or 5 years now and I've never been able to see the presence of these buggers, I've looked day & night for small little creatures running around but I don't see any, am I just not looking right? I had a bad tank crash about 4 months ago, could I have possibly lost the ones that I had (if I had any)?

<span style="color: red;">LR or</span><span style="color: red;"> rubble would be a great idea if you have the space for it but I would not add a clean up crew at all. Any crab you put down there will eat your pods and snails have a funny way of clogging things up. A fuge is going to get nasty and ugly looking, that is just what they do and that is a good thing!</span>

I have TONS of space in this refugium. i bought a big one on purpose so that someday when I get a bigger tank I already have the refugium down. Okay, I've always seen really nasty looking refugiums and now I know why.

<span style="color: red;">Will the bio-bale be exposed to air? Can you remove it once everything is up and running to clean it if need be? If the answer to the first question is no and the second is yes, then I say leave it.</span>

No, not exposed, yes easily cleanable. How often should I clean this stuff? Once a month?

<span style="color: red;">I use clear tubing for most of my plumbing, it is just quicker for me and I am a measure once and cut twice type of person. With that being said, It will get algae inside the tube if light is allowd to get to it. This does not seem to be that big of deal, my tubes have been on the tank for over a year now, and they still run fine with no loss in flow and no clogging.</span>

Great, that makes one aspect of this easier!

<span style="color: red;">Again, welcome, no you will not find the same rules here at all! We are pretty laid back around here for the most part! If you want to check out some different fuge ideas and designs, I am sure that most members will open their doors and tanks to you to learn.</span>

Thanks for the warm welcome to you (and everyone!) The more I read on this forum the happier I become, I've always been alone in my SW hobby, the only people I talked to about it were online, but a chance to meet people face-to-face is really exciting to me and I'm planning on buying a membership so I can have fun at D&B arty: late this dec with everyone!

Thank you SO much for your answers and support! :cheers:

 

[xyzpdq0121]

What would be the cheaper way to go? I know they have "live" sand at PetCo (it's the only local sw store that I know of since the fish store went under) but one of my friends told me it was packaged in freshwater, how live could that be?

<span style="color: blue;">You might want to check out "Fishy Business", if I remember correctly, he used to have a pretty good price on fine caribsand, I think it was $10 for 20#s. It is not "live sand" but your cheato will take care of that. I would recommend making sure you have enough to make a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) which means you would be looking at about 4"-6" in depth.</span>


That's a great idea, I'd love to throw someone some $$ for some chaeto...guess I'll post looking for it when I get everything plumbed and substrate added (hopefully tomorrow)

<span style="color: blue;">As you will soon find out, membership has its perks, and one of those is free Chaeto. When you are ready, just make a post and I am sure you will find enough to give you a good start. I know I will throw in a big clump.</span>


My tank has been established for 4 or 5 years now and I've never been able to see the presence of these buggers, I've looked day & night for small little creatures running around but I don't see any, am I just not looking right? I had a bad tank crash about 4 months ago, could I have possibly lost the ones that I had (if I had any)?

<span style="color: blue;">They should still be there unless you had a total nuclear war in your tank. They are like cockroaches, they can survive almost anything! It might take them a bit to rebound. Like I said, the macro that you will get should be loaded with pleanty of life. I can see all types of pods in mine, shrimp, bristle worms, string worms, sand stars, feather dusters, ect. Once you know what to lok for and where they like to hide, they are pretty easy to spot.</span>


I have TONS of space in this refugium. i bought a big one on purpose so that someday when I get a bigger tank I already have the refugium down. Okay, I've always seen really nasty looking refugiums and now I know why.

<span style="color: blue;">Yeppers, that is why. Sponge will start to grow on the glass, as will feather dusters. You do not want to whipe them off, they are good things. A big fuge is a great thing to have, a bigger fuge is even better, sounds like you have that part under control.</span>

No, not exposed, yes easily cleanable. How often should I clean this stuff? Once a month?

<span style="color: blue;">To tell you the truth, I never clean my sponge or pre-filter media. I also run a "dirty" tank that my soft corals and LPS grow great in. I would suggest starting to clean it about once a month. If you notice your NO3 (Nitrates) over 5, you might want to clean it more, if the NO3 is still low, you can clean it less but I would start with once a month for atleast a few months.</span>


Great, that makes one aspect of this easier!

<span style="color: blue;">An easy life is a fun life...</span>

Thanks for the warm welcome to you (and everyone!) The more I read on this forum the happier I become, I've always been alone in my SW hobby, the only people I talked to about it were online, but a chance to meet people face-to-face is really exciting to me and I'm planning on buying a membership so I can have fun at D&B arty: late this dec with everyone!

Thank you SO much for your answers and support! :cheers:

<span style="color: blue;">Look forward to meeting you, we always like new members to the cult... er I mean club. Let us know if/when you need more help.</span>

 

[rbredding]

I've got to save this one to read later....