Refugium Idea

Mangroves are rad but they take up a lot of room, if I had the space I'd totally get 'em.

 

I added a 6 inch baffle in four inches from the side. I have an Aquaclear 805 pumping water up from my sump (draws from same area as the skimmer) the outlet flows into baffle area. I have an aquaclear 301 circulating within the fuge and have it plumed to drain back into the sump next to the return pump.

I added the gallon of miracle mud and about 15lbs of oolite
And 3 lbs of live sand it gives me about a 3.5 inch base, I put in about 3 to 5 lbs of some live rock pieces I had in a bucket, and a grapefruit sized ball of Cheatomorph.
I put it all together about a week ago let it cycle for a few days and is online now.

 

I've heard about cycling fuges off-line before? What's the reasoning behind this? Just to take care of any N from the live rock you put in the fuge?

 

it was a little cloudy so I let it cycle through a carbon filled phosban ractor cleared up very nicely it's been going for about 10 days, no change in the Cheato but the pods are taking off

 

The calpura's are better in a refugium for the reason the water moves through very slowly and the solids get to settle out also Mangroves are great but require totally different flows They need as fast as you can give them. They tend to get rather large and they need a lot more light and after awhile I can smell them .. They to me have a smell like a tree its a musty leafy oder. And then you can't just harvest them out to remove up taken nutrients or feed them as a natural food as you can with algae.

 

I have some mangroves on order, they should be here Tuesday. I am moving the refugium to a 5 1/2 gallon tank next to the 30L so I can just trickle the water through.....thanks again for the advice you have given.

 

Otty,
I would like to answer the question about the Caulerpa and the 24/7 lighting if I may. The reason, I believe, that Jason would avoid the Caulerpa for his tank is that it could crash a tank do to it going sexual...A large outbreak of gametes being disbursed into your water column would essentially wipe out all of your livestock by basically eliminating necessary oxygen. The only true way of lessening this outbreak is to have a reverse lighting arrangement where the lights for your refugium would come on after the lights in your main tank have gone off-thus decreasing the chances of the Caulerpa going sexual.

 

As for the live rock in a refugium, it adds more surface area for which beneficial bacteria can grow...the more bacteria and surface area you have the better to control ammonia, nitrites and nitrates especially...

 

I do have that lighting cycle currently running in my tank. I bring on the lights over the caulerpa 1 hour before the lights on the display tank go out and I do the same overlap when the display tanks lights are coming on. I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss something on this caulerpa. I have been reading on this sight until late at night trying to learn all I can. Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this matter, it is very appreciated.

 

I was going to use mineral mud in my new fuge. I have a 16X16 that I am filing through a y in the overflow, I have it enter the fuge with a U at the bottom, and the overflow goes straight to the pump chamber. How many inches of the mineral mud, and sand woudl everyone recommend. I was thinking maybe 2" of the mud and 2" sand. anyone?