Is it reasonable to pull excess rock from my refugium?

dg3147 · 10/01/2011, 04:20 PM

Below is a pic of my tank. I have about 20% additional rock down in my refugium (aka detritus storage zone) and think it might be wise for me to pull it out and only grow macro in it.

On a side note, is it still possible to grow macro in my refuge, even as i drive NO3 and Ph04 to zero with GFO and Vodka?

Anyway...please share your thoughts on pulling the rock.

milesofreefs · 10/01/2011, 04:32 PM

well if you stop vodka dosing the macros would pull the nit/phos out. id say put some cheato down there and cut back slowly on the vodka and the plants will start keeping it at zero. i dont dose anything except trace elements my fuge and skimmer keep my nit/phos at zero without any problems.

milesofreefs · 10/01/2011, 04:34 PM

and leave the rocks theyll be fine and if you do take them out do it slowly. you wouldnt want to disrupt you biological filter and have any spikes. i would leave them though.

dg3147 · 10/01/2011, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milesofreefs

and leave the rocks theyll be fine and if you do take them out do it slowly. you wouldnt want to disrupt you biological filter and have any spikes. i would leave them though.

Just to clarify, the question is: If i pull the rocks from below, I think I will have less crud build up in that low flow refuge. Do I have ample rock up too though? Am I being to OCD?

jacob.morgan78 · 10/01/2011, 04:53 PM

You could always put a small powerheD in there to keep the crud suspended... Just make sure that wouldn't hurt your pods if needed though

milesofreefs · 10/01/2011, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Just to clarify, the question is: If i pull the rocks from below, I think I will have less crud build up in that low flow refuge. Do I have ample rock up too though? Am I being to OCD?

id leave it. id rather all that crud build up down there rather then in the DT. yes i think you have enough rock up top i actually really like your rock scape

Steve175 · 10/01/2011, 06:44 PM

Would be crazy to remove the rock. Live rock is your friend. . .

jacob.morgan78 · 10/01/2011, 06:59 PM

Filter socks on your drain would help with the crud in fuge area too

dg3147 · 10/01/2011, 07:59 PM

There are so many contradictions in this hobby: detritus is bad --unless its stuck in the rock work.

Wouldn't my tank be cleaner without the crud below? Or am I loosing "rock filtration"?

Steve175 · 10/01/2011, 09:43 PM

[QUOTE=dg3147; Am I being to OCD?[/QUOTE] Yes and leave the rock

Ron Reefman · 10/02/2011, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dg3147

Below is a pic of my tank. I have about 20% additional rock down in my refugium (aka detritus storage zone) and think it might be wise for me to pull it out and only grow macro in it.

On a side note, is it still possible to grow macro in my refuge, even as i drive NO3 and Ph04 to zero with GFO and Vodka?

Anyway...please share your thoughts on pulling the rock.

1) You may not get much growth of macro algae in the fuge if you have really driven the phosphate and nitrate levels that low. It would be a good test. If the macro grows well, your phospate and nitrate numbers may not be as low as you think. Mine grows pretty slowly, and I think the DSB, nitrate reactor and liight feeding program have my numbers low. Macro used to grow faster before I added the DSB and reactor.

2) I'd keep the rock. It doesn't look like you have alot in the DT. BTW, I don't normally like islands as much as walls of rock, but yours is very cool!

3) If detritus is a concern, consider running filter socks. I run them 50/50. That is, the end of my sump with the frag tank and fuge gets filtered and the other end with the reactors and skimmer don't get filtered. I change the sock every 4-5 days and store them in a bucket of water until I'm close to running out of socks (I have enough for about a month). Then I wash them all. It's pretty painless.

Good luck.

elegance coral · 10/02/2011, 08:14 AM

You have plenty of rock in the display to handle the biological filtration. The rock in the sump is simply trapping detritus and feeding unwanted nutrients to the system. I'd pull the rocks from the sump and clean out the detritus. If your goal is low nutrients, the rock and detritus in the sump is counter productive.

If you want to try growing macro, cool. You may have problems growing it, if nutrient levels are extremely low. The only way to know for sure, is to try it. There are many ways to reduce nutrients. Macro harvesting, GFO, water changes, GAC, carbon dosing, skimming................ It all boils down to what method, or combination of methods, suites you best.

lordofthereef · 10/02/2011, 09:31 AM

If you removed it slowly I don't feel that you would have an issue. The key is to do it slowly so you are not losing a large percentage of your bilogical filtration in one fell swoop. A filter sock would help with the crud but IME it will still start building up eventually.

dg3147 · 10/02/2011, 12:19 PM

Thanks for the input. I think I will pull the rock out slowly.

10/01/2011, 04:32 PM	#2
milesofreefs Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 692	well if you stop vodka dosing the macros would pull the nit/phos out. id say put some cheato down there and cut back slowly on the vodka and the plants will start keeping it at zero. i dont dose anything except trace elements my fuge and skimmer keep my nit/phos at zero without any problems. __________________ water and electricity... whats your hobby consist of?

10/01/2011, 04:34 PM	#3
milesofreefs Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 692	and leave the rocks theyll be fine and if you do take them out do it slowly. you wouldnt want to disrupt you biological filter and have any spikes. i would leave them though. __________________ water and electricity... whats your hobby consist of?

10/01/2011, 06:44 PM	#7
Steve175 Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 1,186	Would be crazy to remove the rock. Live rock is your friend. . . __________________ Steve ---------------------------------- Current Tank Info: 2 separate 250G bowfront rimless ELOS tanks plumbed to 260G sump, 220G refugium, 220G frag, BK DeLuxe 300, 400W MH x4, closed loops, 3/4hp chiller x2, Phos reactor, Kalk reactor, Charcoal reactor, Ca reactor, 60G surge tanks, & a huge elec bill

10/01/2011, 07:59 PM	#9
dg3147 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Pasadena, CA Posts: 1,178	There are so many contradictions in this hobby: detritus is bad --unless its stuck in the rock work. Wouldn't my tank be cleaner without the crud below? Or am I loosing "rock filtration"? __________________ Elos 160XL \| Powermodule LED/T5 \| BK Double cone 200 \| Pasadena, CA Home page: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23482778#post23482778

10/01/2011, 09:43 PM	#10
Steve175 Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 1,186	[QUOTE=dg3147; Am I being to OCD?[/QUOTE] Yes and leave the rock __________________ Steve ---------------------------------- Current Tank Info: 2 separate 250G bowfront rimless ELOS tanks plumbed to 260G sump, 220G refugium, 220G frag, BK DeLuxe 300, 400W MH x4, closed loops, 3/4hp chiller x2, Phos reactor, Kalk reactor, Charcoal reactor, Ca reactor, 60G surge tanks, & a huge elec bill

10/01/2011, 04:53 PM	#5
jacob.morgan78 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Farmville, VA Posts: 1,184	You could always put a small powerheD in there to keep the crud suspended... Just make sure that wouldn't hurt your pods if needed though

10/01/2011, 06:59 PM	#8
jacob.morgan78 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Farmville, VA Posts: 1,184	Filter socks on your drain would help with the crud in fuge area too

10/02/2011, 08:14 AM	#12
elegance coral They call me EC Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: central Florida Posts: 6,208	You have plenty of rock in the display to handle the biological filtration. The rock in the sump is simply trapping detritus and feeding unwanted nutrients to the system. I'd pull the rocks from the sump and clean out the detritus. If your goal is low nutrients, the rock and detritus in the sump is counter productive. If you want to try growing macro, cool. You may have problems growing it, if nutrient levels are extremely low. The only way to know for sure, is to try it. There are many ways to reduce nutrients. Macro harvesting, GFO, water changes, GAC, carbon dosing, skimming................ It all boils down to what method, or combination of methods, suites you best. __________________ "Most of the failures with marine aquaria are due to lack of knowledge of the biological processes that occur in the aquarium." Martin A. Moe, Jr. "A scientist seeks the truth, wherever that may lead. A believer already knows the truth, and cannot be swayed no matter how compelling the evidence." Current Tank Info: I'm trying to see how many tanks will fit in my house before the wife loses it.

10/02/2011, 09:31 AM	#13
lordofthereef One reef to rule them all Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Leominster, MA Posts: 5,299	If you removed it slowly I don't feel that you would have an issue. The key is to do it slowly so you are not losing a large percentage of your bilogical filtration in one fell swoop. A filter sock would help with the crud but IME it will still start building up eventually. __________________ "A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself" ~ Josh Billings Visit My Home page for current build thread (click my user name and select "Visit LordoftheReef's Homepage" in the drop down menu!

10/02/2011, 12:19 PM	#14
dg3147 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Pasadena, CA Posts: 1,178	Thanks for the input. I think I will pull the rock out slowly. __________________ Elos 160XL \| Powermodule LED/T5 \| BK Double cone 200 \| Pasadena, CA Home page: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=23482778#post23482778

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
what to do with excess live rock	grtmmt	Reef Discussion	12	07/18/2011 04:58 AM
Mushroom coral pulled under rocks	Force4000	Corallimorpharians	7	04/18/2011 06:36 PM
live rock vs dry rock in sum?	stevercleeze	New to the Hobby	4	02/07/2011 10:52 AM
How much rock in a refugium?	filippo	Lighting, Filtration & Other Equipment	13	03/15/2008 10:09 PM
WTB: small Live rock pieces for refugium	Duddly01	Southern California Reefers	0	01/22/2007 12:03 PM