Refugium question...

JammyBirch · 03/24/2014, 05:24 PM

I've read a lot of posts on here and there seems to be a lot of different ways to set up a sump to clean for the DT. I am in the beginning stages of setting up a 25 gallon reef with a ~15gallon sump. It's going to be a custom sump split for a fuge. One half will house the skimmer the other half I want to have workers, either mud, rock, sand, snails...whatever. What would you suggest, and if that depends on what live stock I go with the answer is I don't know yet...I'm too new and need to read more. Anyway any rule of thumb or unwritten rules around sump/fuge?

davocean · 03/24/2014, 05:45 PM

In that small of a sump you may not get much of a fuge.
This is more or less the time to think about what you plan to keep to set up properly.
If you are doing a fuge for nutrient export, you would benefit better from a reactor of some kind, biopellets, phos.
I would probably go that route, because your system won't be big enough for most that demand pods, and you could always do a HO fuge later if you wish, which is also what I would probably do w/ that size tank/sump.

JammyBirch · 03/24/2014, 07:52 PM

Bio pellets? If those are the balls that filter im not interested in that hear a lot of horror stories about them basically trapping stuff that decays and causes more probes...ill have to look into it more though im a first timer and need to learn as much as possible..

davocean · 03/24/2014, 08:25 PM

You are confusing biopellets w/ bioballs, very different.

Every1jockzjay · 03/25/2014, 12:10 AM

My fuge is BB and i use a turkey baster and suck out the detritus,then shoot it back in through a brine shrimp net, really ez.. Also i would try to buy a few yards of felt and sew ur own filter socks loll i have about 40 of em and got realy good at sewing loll save $$ and makes changin them every 2 or 3 days really ez... Also make sure if u have bubble traps ur fuge still gets flow otherwise chaeto wont grow much, i switched mine from a intake/skimer/U-O fuge O to just taking out the last baffle, my chaeto took off...make sureeeee if everything fails u dont flood thats the most important beyond anything

03/24/2014, 05:24 PM	#1
JammyBirch Aquaria Engineering Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Elkland, PA Posts: 1,182	Refugium question... I've read a lot of posts on here and there seems to be a lot of different ways to set up a sump to clean for the DT. I am in the beginning stages of setting up a 25 gallon reef with a ~15gallon sump. It's going to be a custom sump split for a fuge. One half will house the skimmer the other half I want to have workers, either mud, rock, sand, snails...whatever. What would you suggest, and if that depends on what live stock I go with the answer is I don't know yet...I'm too new and need to read more. Anyway any rule of thumb or unwritten rules around sump/fuge?

03/24/2014, 05:45 PM	#2
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	In that small of a sump you may not get much of a fuge. This is more or less the time to think about what you plan to keep to set up properly. If you are doing a fuge for nutrient export, you would benefit better from a reactor of some kind, biopellets, phos. I would probably go that route, because your system won't be big enough for most that demand pods, and you could always do a HO fuge later if you wish, which is also what I would probably do w/ that size tank/sump. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

03/24/2014, 08:25 PM	#4
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	You are confusing biopellets w/ bioballs, very different. __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

03/24/2014, 07:52 PM	#3
JammyBirch Aquaria Engineering Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Elkland, PA Posts: 1,182	Bio pellets? If those are the balls that filter im not interested in that hear a lot of horror stories about them basically trapping stuff that decays and causes more probes...ill have to look into it more though im a first timer and need to learn as much as possible..

03/25/2014, 12:10 AM	#5
Every1jockzjay Moved On Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 515	My fuge is BB and i use a turkey baster and suck out the detritus,then shoot it back in through a brine shrimp net, really ez.. Also i would try to buy a few yards of felt and sew ur own filter socks loll i have about 40 of em and got realy good at sewing loll save $$ and makes changin them every 2 or 3 days really ez... Also make sure if u have bubble traps ur fuge still gets flow otherwise chaeto wont grow much, i switched mine from a intake/skimer/U-O fuge O to just taking out the last baffle, my chaeto took off...make sureeeee if everything fails u dont flood thats the most important beyond anything