Over the next several weeks/months I am going to "remodel" my tank. I have been fighting a losing battle with cyano and algae and decided that my current setup is obviously not working well. Here is my plan and a couple of ideas. Please let me know if I am on the right track.
1. Add sump/refugium set up.
2. Add in-sump protein skimmer.
3. Set up fuge with macro algae, pods, DSB, and lr ruble.
4. Add 30 lbs of baserock (to be transformed into live rock).
5. Add internal close loop for better circulation.
6. Use one cannister filter for chemical filtration only (phosphate/silicate sponge, carbon, etc.) if needed and either omit the second or use it for water movement only.
Steps 1, 2 and 3 will be completed within the next 2-3 weeks (I am just waiting for stuff to arrive).
Steps 4-5 will occur at the same time since I will be re-aquascaping with the additional rock.
Step 6 will occur after 2-3 months of letting the base rock transform into lr.
The internal close loop system is an idea I have been toying with and is basically the undergravel JET (not filter) I used in freshwater. A submersible pump is hidden behind the lr so it is out of site (except for power cord). PVC is used to direct the water flow to create 3-4 jets. The PVC and jets are hidden under the DSB and the jets point up at a 45 degree angle. The jet nozzles can be easily hidden by well placed pieces of lr.
This worked great in my FW tanks in the past. They kept the sand bed virtually spotless.
Any input and advice is greatly appreciated!!
1. Add sump/refugium set up.
2. Add in-sump protein skimmer.
3. Set up fuge with macro algae, pods, DSB, and lr ruble.
4. Add 30 lbs of baserock (to be transformed into live rock).
5. Add internal close loop for better circulation.
6. Use one cannister filter for chemical filtration only (phosphate/silicate sponge, carbon, etc.) if needed and either omit the second or use it for water movement only.
Steps 1, 2 and 3 will be completed within the next 2-3 weeks (I am just waiting for stuff to arrive).
Steps 4-5 will occur at the same time since I will be re-aquascaping with the additional rock.
Step 6 will occur after 2-3 months of letting the base rock transform into lr.
The internal close loop system is an idea I have been toying with and is basically the undergravel JET (not filter) I used in freshwater. A submersible pump is hidden behind the lr so it is out of site (except for power cord). PVC is used to direct the water flow to create 3-4 jets. The PVC and jets are hidden under the DSB and the jets point up at a 45 degree angle. The jet nozzles can be easily hidden by well placed pieces of lr.
This worked great in my FW tanks in the past. They kept the sand bed virtually spotless.
Any input and advice is greatly appreciated!!
