Refugium substrate and plants

[TomStav]

I have just remodeled my sump and I now have an empty section that holds about 10G, I already have a section filled with live rock and chaeto (tumbling above the LR) and so I was wondering what would be best to put in this section.

I was wondering if refugium mud is a good idea, I have never had it before so I'm not sure what it really is. Should I use another substrate? Should it be a deep sand bed? Are there any beneficial plants to put in there (fixed plants, not tumblers)?

Just wondering how I can use this section best to aid with the filtration.

Any tips/ ideas would be great.

Thanks!

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[reefcowboy]

I also at some point have thought about the mud, but after researching about it, found it to be messy, being that some mud particles will eventually travel from the sump to the main tank(when you move things in the sump)...You dont want the mud particles sitting on your sand...I have read that live sand does the exact same job.
IN the open part of the sump, I would not put anything in it, wait until your chaeto grows, after it happens you move the extra pieces to the empty area...That way you have more macros working for you. Chaetos bulk up and stop growing as much as they can because the inside part of the algae bunch does not get light exposure...that way, he bigger the "ball" the less it will grow. If you can, grab a bunch, pull them apart as much as possible and let them in a place where the whole piece gets light exposure(flatten it out, and place small pieces of live rock on its edges to keep it in place)...With the growing excess, move it to the other compartment and do the same thing...You will have them growing 2x as much and your water will flow from the LR area passing through the first pieces of chaeto, then going to the other compartment where it'll have more time to get exposed to more algae, so your nitrates will be absorbed more efficiently...