New Fuge coming & questions

We're getting a whole new sump and fuge built for us by a really cool lfs. I'll, of course, get a whole rundown from them on this, but it's not coming for two weeks and this is my chance to study up - I read up on fuge's before we got our tank but that was 5 months ago.

I've looked at some of the posts here, and am about to read the fuge section in "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" tonight before bedtime... but

Can anyone suggest good reading material, and some basic "what I need to know's"?

Our sump/fuge is for a 125 g tank with two overflows, so the basic setup will be each overflow down through a diatom bag, into a sump with a EuoReef RS-135, into a fuge with 40 lbs live sand, rubble rock, seaweed and a 65 watt pc light over the fuge, then into the return pump section (Rio 26HF) and back to the two returns. They'll also set up an auto-top-off from our RO/DI, so one less issue to deal with....

I've got some time to study, and with a great change to our setup, and many recent changes (RO/DI unti, the new skimmer - our Coralife SS220 is worthless, and getting rid of the MegSump Mod 4 is another great thing, along with a custom cabinet, etc.), I want to know as much as possible - stuff like I've seen some fuges with various livestock in them - what should we consider? Is there a "break-in" period, and what to watch for, how will I know when it's "broken in" what changes once that happens? Etc, etc, etc.

Our lfs will take good care of us, but the more I learn now, the better.

Thanks!!

 

There is no need or reason or any advantage for Rock in a refugium. What you need there is just some deep sand about 4 to 5 inches and very fine sand or cat litter as a mud base . You make no mention of the total water volume of the fuge thats somewhat important. A fudge is the only place a DAB will do and the main reason is nothing in there to tear it or or uncap the crust, Then you will have a good source of passive dissolution of calcium and carbonates into to the water from outlet of the refugium from the 4 to 5 inches of bottom media over time. Plus the alga's to up take excess nutrients . But the water volume is important as is the way water is let into the refugium and out of the refugium .. After many yrs of using them I found that a rate of 10% of the tanks volume and then flow 10% of the fuge through the fuge every hr. They don't have to be big in-fact less is more in these things

I have about 220 gallons of tank and sump and water in the line between tank and sump My Fuge is a 20 G High and I trickle about 20 GPH through it.. works every time I have used this formula .. It me a long to hit upon the number lots of trial and error .. But in the last 15 yrs its never let me or anyone who tried it down..

 

This is great info and I really appreciate it. The total sump size is 48" long by 15" width by 17" height, but I'm not certain of the actual fuge size and can't really predict the water flow through it. I know that at least 14" of the 48" length will be the section in which the RS-135 will sit. If I could find the formula, I could figure out the total water volume, and then approximate the depth of 40 pounds of live sand in there.

But, FWIW, the designed builds not just home systems, but display tanks (7,000 gallons e.g.) for corporate lobbies, etc, so probably has worked out the size and flow rate to, I'm guessing, probably be pretty close to your numbers.

I'm also assuming that the rubble rock is another calcareous growth medium in addition to the live sand. I should add that it's rubble, not real rock, FWIW.

I'll have to bring this up with the designer and ask about size(volume) and flow. And do more reading..... The reading last night was a bare bones beginning primer on fuges...

Thanks.

 

LOL The guys these days always make them to large and flow to fast.. I work at a place where we do the same thing Museums corporate office where we design and set up tanks of multi thousands of gal. also. The Guy's had nitrate issues in several systems I got them to try it my way on one.. You'd had thought I had 5 heads from the looks .. Well it was a smaller tank 4,000 gal and a large rubber maid live stock tub for the fuge about 400 gallons the 6ft across tub.. And had water blasting through it.. I got the boss to slow the water to about 300 GPH and problem was solved in less then a month. So now they are doing all of the refugiums and swamps like that.

Another case was just last weekend a guy I had met last Jan at a LFS a reader engineer trusted nothing or no one and questioned and tried to analyze everything I was telling him. You no the type a typical R/C Geek and unless it was in a book it just could not be. Any way his fuge was within his sump and it was totally about 25 gallons on a 75 gallon reef His Nitrates and PO4 where off the charts. I told him last Jan to make a 10x10 in. area with in his sump about 8 gallons and to get the fuge part out of the middle and stop all the water from blasting over the fuge portion with baffles.. Last week he told me as a last resort and tired of fighting the growing problems he decided to try what I told him.. He said it went against all he had read in the book's they about all said faster and bigger ..Well he said after he did what I suggested it solved his problems totally.. I have had refugiums and used algae scrubbers long then alot of the experts have been into the hobby If you use mangroves then faster blasting flows are needed you can't blast to much water over their root systems.

For a 125 reef you want about 15 to 20 gallons of water volume for the fuge totally and you want that off and out of the main sump flow and it needs to be fed down to the bottom and let it run across the entire 5 inch sand bottom with alga and drain up over the top into the sumps water. heading to the return pump that will blow all the meat that ever wases out and up to the tank And the feed for the fuge need to have a valve to control inlet flows about 15 to 20 GPH tops reverse light it and just let it go toss out grass as needed

 

Thanks for the info Tangster! What are your thoughts for using your fuge for producing pods?

 

Ours is coming in Monday, although I'll be away, so I'll find out how big, how fast, etc for mine and check the specs against the info below....

Can't wait, although it sucks that I can't watch it all happen - just see the results.

One question - how long does it take for the fuge to be "effective", i.e. before copepods and bacterial life, etc starts growing? Anything to keep a particular eye on besides daily water spec-checking in the beginning?

 

Its full of them thats the reason for a DSB in there and IMO thats the only place for DSB and never in the main tank. I does the refugium with plankton several times a week ..Plus all the algaes in there .