hob refugium question

skunkmere · 09/09/2007, 08:00 PM

i got a hob fuge (thanks Engine 7) setup with 13 w light on it for 24hrs a day. there is some red algea growth in there along with my cheato. its not in my display tank just there, is that a problem or a ok thing?

Sullyman · 09/09/2007, 10:29 PM

Able, how old is the bulb?

Steverino · 09/10/2007, 07:52 AM

red algae sometimes means poor/low flow. what GPH do you have pumping into it?

hebygb · 09/10/2007, 08:52 AM

How old is your setup? Did you recently set this tank up using substrate from another tank. I made that mistake once. You cant possibly put the sand in the new tank the same way it was in the old, which creates a diatom bloom. If you took sand from an existing tank and put it in your new fuge, same thing. It will need to run its course/you will want to treat it.

skunkmere · 09/10/2007, 10:08 AM

sullyman: the bulb is about three months old but its not a 10k its a pc that i bought at home depot. a desktop lamp with a 13w pc. do

Steverino: i got a minimal flow going through it. dont know the gph. but its low.

hebygb: i do have used sand in the fuge.

hebygb · 09/11/2007, 07:24 AM

Well my guess is it is because of the turned over sand bed. When a tank cycles, the sand bed becomes a living organism, sure it gets churned by our sifters, but the tank can handle this. When you scoop it out and put it in a new environment, its releasing all that trapped bacteria now to the surface. best thing to do is to physically remove it every couple of days, let it run its course over the next month or so. It will get better.

There are treatments, but they require you to turn the skimmer off.

09/09/2007, 08:00 PM	#1
skunkmere Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: chicago Posts: 6,434	hob refugium question i got a hob fuge (thanks Engine 7) setup with 13 w light on it for 24hrs a day. there is some red algea growth in there along with my cheato. its not in my display tank just there, is that a problem or a ok thing?

09/09/2007, 10:29 PM	#2
Sullyman Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Buffalo Grove, Il. Posts: 3,764	Able, how old is the bulb? __________________ SW Hobbyist since 1983, reefer since 96 Current tanks 190g acro/sps, many tanks with clownfish. Bred true Perculas. Have bred GSMs.

09/10/2007, 07:52 AM	#3
Steverino Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: western Chicagoland, IL Posts: 1,114	red algae sometimes means poor/low flow. what GPH do you have pumping into it?

09/10/2007, 08:52 AM	#4
hebygb Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Elmhurst, IL Posts: 2,207	How old is your setup? Did you recently set this tank up using substrate from another tank. I made that mistake once. You cant possibly put the sand in the new tank the same way it was in the old, which creates a diatom bloom. If you took sand from an existing tank and put it in your new fuge, same thing. It will need to run its course/you will want to treat it.

09/10/2007, 10:08 AM	#5
skunkmere Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: chicago Posts: 6,434	sullyman: the bulb is about three months old but its not a 10k its a pc that i bought at home depot. a desktop lamp with a 13w pc. do Steverino: i got a minimal flow going through it. dont know the gph. but its low. hebygb: i do have used sand in the fuge.

09/11/2007, 07:24 AM	#6
hebygb Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Elmhurst, IL Posts: 2,207	Well my guess is it is because of the turned over sand bed. When a tank cycles, the sand bed becomes a living organism, sure it gets churned by our sifters, but the tank can handle this. When you scoop it out and put it in a new environment, its releasing all that trapped bacteria now to the surface. best thing to do is to physically remove it every couple of days, let it run its course over the next month or so. It will get better. There are treatments, but they require you to turn the skimmer off.