Saltwater Change & Refugium Question

jfro · 05/16/2008, 02:01 PM

Hi. I hope this is the right place to ask this question.

I have a 29G Bio-Cube tank and a Red Sea Max tank (34G) - one operating at home and one at work. Among other things, I also have a 75G SeaClear tank that is not being used.

I'm thinking about modding the 75G and turning it into a large refugium, combining a DSP and a section for miracle mud.

I would like to have a 10 gallon mixing container with a lid that will allow me to drop a pump and heater in the container, and then attach a bulkhead to the bottom section of the container.

I'll plumb the mixing container to the 75G refugium, then also have a bulkhead that empties from the refugium as needed.

My thought is to do water changes, 5 gallons every 2 weeks alternating between the bio-Cube and Red Sea Max, by taking water from the Fuge, then replenishing that saltwater with the new mixed saltwater.

If the fuge has a modest amount of live rock, no corals, a small amount of inverts and used a Protein Skimmer, will the saltwater maintain enough elements to be effective in a water change on the other tanks?

I think the possible intro of pods and plankton from a fuge would benefit the smaller tanks. Any guidance is appreciated.

jfro · 05/16/2008, 02:04 PM

I also wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions on a good mixing tank that will meet my needs? Thanks again.

bertoni · 05/16/2008, 02:27 PM

Moved to New to the Hobby for more views.

I think that setup would work, but I don't see the value of using water from the 75g tank in other systems. I would just use the freshly-mixed saltwater for that.

jthao · 05/16/2008, 03:14 PM

I agree, when you do a water change, it's best to just use new fresh mixed saltwater. only time you want to use cycled water is when you're moving a tank/ starting one up so jumpstart the cycle and in my one of my case I used all cycled water/lr/ls and I never had a cycle.

jfro · 05/16/2008, 06:52 PM

I would like this question returned to the chemistry forum.

Fish waste pollutes the water column. Feeding fish pollutes the water column.

Corals and some inverts deplete the water column of some needed elements.

Would my idea, pulling the change water from a fuge work? It seems to me the pollutants would me minimal and there would be little element depletion, so the water could benefit as water change water. It could also add some beneficial organisms to the display tanks.

Any specific reasons why this idea wouldn't work?

Slakker · 05/16/2008, 08:29 PM

Well, there would still be pollutants in the refugium, whether there are fish there to pollute it or not. Living organisms pollute the water column, the idea of a refugium is to have lots of little living creatures.

It's not that it wouldn't work, it's just that to reap the benefits of a refugium it should be plumbed into the system so that the other tanks would benefit from it ALL the time. And to get full benefits of a water change, it should be CLEAN saltwater made with pure RO/DI.

Aquarist007 · 05/16/2008, 09:29 PM

check this thread out for refugium ideas and answers

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1349443

05/16/2008, 02:01 PM	#1
jfro Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Carson City, NV Posts: 146	Saltwater Change & Refugium Question Hi. I hope this is the right place to ask this question. I have a 29G Bio-Cube tank and a Red Sea Max tank (34G) - one operating at home and one at work. Among other things, I also have a 75G SeaClear tank that is not being used. I'm thinking about modding the 75G and turning it into a large refugium, combining a DSP and a section for miracle mud. I would like to have a 10 gallon mixing container with a lid that will allow me to drop a pump and heater in the container, and then attach a bulkhead to the bottom section of the container. I'll plumb the mixing container to the 75G refugium, then also have a bulkhead that empties from the refugium as needed. My thought is to do water changes, 5 gallons every 2 weeks alternating between the bio-Cube and Red Sea Max, by taking water from the Fuge, then replenishing that saltwater with the new mixed saltwater. If the fuge has a modest amount of live rock, no corals, a small amount of inverts and used a Protein Skimmer, will the saltwater maintain enough elements to be effective in a water change on the other tanks? I think the possible intro of pods and plankton from a fuge would benefit the smaller tanks. Any guidance is appreciated. __________________ A spring wind blew my list of things to do, away. Greg Brown/Folksinger

05/16/2008, 02:04 PM	#2
jfro Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Carson City, NV Posts: 146	I also wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions on a good mixing tank that will meet my needs? Thanks again. __________________ A spring wind blew my list of things to do, away. Greg Brown/Folksinger

05/16/2008, 02:27 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Moved to New to the Hobby for more views. I think that setup would work, but I don't see the value of using water from the 75g tank in other systems. I would just use the freshly-mixed saltwater for that. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

05/16/2008, 03:14 PM	#4
jthao Super Saiyan Join Date: May 2007 Location: NorCal Posts: 2,522	I agree, when you do a water change, it's best to just use new fresh mixed saltwater. only time you want to use cycled water is when you're moving a tank/ starting one up so jumpstart the cycle and in my one of my case I used all cycled water/lr/ls and I never had a cycle. __________________ Elos 160xl \| Profilux 3.1Nex ultimate \| BK DC200 \| (5)Mitras 6200s \|(4) Vortech MP40QD \| 3155 ATO \| Schuran CaRx \| Carbon-Doser \| Red Dragon return \| 500G Starphire FOWLR \| BK SM200 \| (6) Tunze 6105

05/16/2008, 06:52 PM	#5
jfro Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Carson City, NV Posts: 146	I would like this question returned to the chemistry forum. Fish waste pollutes the water column. Feeding fish pollutes the water column. Corals and some inverts deplete the water column of some needed elements. Would my idea, pulling the change water from a fuge work? It seems to me the pollutants would me minimal and there would be little element depletion, so the water could benefit as water change water. It could also add some beneficial organisms to the display tanks. Any specific reasons why this idea wouldn't work? __________________ A spring wind blew my list of things to do, away. Greg Brown/Folksinger

05/16/2008, 08:29 PM	#6
Slakker Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Southeastern Wisconsin Posts: 4,521	Well, there would still be pollutants in the refugium, whether there are fish there to pollute it or not. Living organisms pollute the water column, the idea of a refugium is to have lots of little living creatures. It's not that it wouldn't work, it's just that to reap the benefits of a refugium it should be plumbed into the system so that the other tanks would benefit from it ALL the time. And to get full benefits of a water change, it should be CLEAN saltwater made with pure RO/DI. __________________ -Tyler Oceanic 58RR display/20H sump/fuge thread...follow the red house. Current Tank Info: Oceanic 58g, 20H sump, AquaC EV-150, 175w Hamilton 14k + 2x39w T5HO Actinics

05/16/2008, 09:29 PM	#7
Aquarist007 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Hamilton, Canada Posts: 28,240 Blog Entries: 1	check this thread out for refugium ideas and answers http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1349443 __________________ I prefer my substrates stirred but not shaken Current Tank Info: 150gal long mixed reef, 90gal sump, 60 gal refugium with 200 lbs live rock