Finally - 40 Breeder Reef Journal/Build Thread

[coffeetwitch]

from my understanding, its not water volume but square inches that make the refugium beneficial. i think you have plenty of rock in the dt. 50+ lbs. if you want more volume you can increase total working volume of the whole sump.

 

[mr_X]

a larger compartment would be better, but i don't see how you are freeing up space by moving it to one side. It's still the same tank. just make the return area just large enough to get a return pump in there and use an ATO.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Well, I can't keep the water level too high, or else I can't raise the skimmer up high enough because of the tank above it. With the refugium on the right, I can have it almost as tall as the sump, since it will be overflowing in to the return area as well. But, if it's not going to be of much benefit, I'll not waste my time on it. The sump I've got is working fine, I just thought that having a larger refugium would be more beneficial.

 

[coffeetwitch]

like mr_X said, larger yes. taller ehhh

 

[Ibrahim]

like mr_X said, larger yes. taller ehhh

Hmmm....... But it would allow more space for him to grow macro

 

[spoonman]

Am I missing something obvious? If you have the refugium on the right, wont that just be dead water? There will be no flow through it, will there? Seems like water would come into the left, overflow to the center then get pumped back to the DT without ever hitting the fuge area. If you split the overflow from the tank, it would have to get all the way to the top to overflow into the center section. I dont see how you could do this without splitting the overflow from the DT. If you didnt have the overflow from the tank going into the fuge area water from the tank would get pumped back up to the DT without getting over the last baffle.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Yeah, either the overflow or return would have to be split to feed the fuge. I'm probably just going to stick with what I have for now. The benefit of re-doing the sump doesn't seem to outweigh tearing down the whole tank to do it.

 

[coffeetwitch]

Am I missing something obvious? If you have the refugium on the right, wont that just be dead water? There will be no flow through it, will there? Seems like water would come into the left, overflow to the center then get pumped back to the DT without ever hitting the fuge area. If you split the overflow from the tank, it would have to get all the way to the top to overflow into the center section. I dont see how you could do this without splitting the overflow from the DT. If you didnt have the overflow from the tank going into the fuge area water from the tank would get pumped back up to the DT without getting over the last baffle.

a "t" off the return pump with a valve.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I just bought an MP10 and a GFO/GAC reactor (to be used with GAC). Now to patiently wait on it to come in!

 

[Wy Renegade]

Nice! Like the new arrangement on the rock alot. I think you'll really enjoy that MP10 - congrates on the pick-up.

 

[mfdrookie516]

So today, as Im looking in my tank, I see millions of tiny white things darting on the glass. They stay still for a minute, then appear to hop to another spot. Googling around suggests pods, though they look nothing like the pods I found in my chaeto. I can barely see them, they look like a white dot the size of a pin head, if that... Don't even ask for pics, I can't even see them with my eyes, so I know my camera won't even begin to focus on them. Any thoughts on what they might be?

 

[KAhner]

Pods. Lol. What do the pods in ur fuge look like. I've never been able to see anything but dots.

 

[coffeetwitch]

pods. all shapes and sizes. your ok.

 

[mfdrookie516]

The ones I saw looking almost centipede like... but really small. Bigger than the white dots on my glass, but still realy small... like smaller than a bloodworm small

wow... I said small alot.

 

[cmor1701d]

PODS!!!!! Probably from the LR you bought and reproducing like crazy. I had them the first year or two (maybe longer) in my tank, but don't see them anymore. I caled them water fleas--they were so small that's what the reminded me of. Too small for a pic unless under a microscpe I think.

How's that chaeto doing? Any pods in there still alive?

 

[mfdrookie516]

It's doing great! At least, it's green... that's usually a good sign in the planted tank world haha. I've seen a few, but it's so thick, I'm sure the majority are hidden down in it.

It's funny... my water is almost cloudy from all the pods. My cardinal is in heaven, it it eating them like crazy

 

[cmor1701d]

Green is good. It like lots of flow. Most say it should be tumbling, but mine just grows. I probably gave you all my pods

Yea, it's thick and if you pull it apart you'll see more pods scurry out. It also collects very fine detritus so pulling it apart can cloud the water for an hour. Not so bad that you cant see inside the tank, just enough to notice the tank is not clear.

Freed food from pods is always great!

 

[mfdrookie516]

I'd have to really do something to get it to tumble in my sump... it's not fast moving at all, only about 550gph moving through it. It seems happy so far, I guess time will tell. I'll be glad to get my GAC reactor set up, and I'm super excited about the MP10. New toys.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Personally I never had much luck getting it to actually tumble, and I've even gone so far as to put two nano Korilia powerheads in the little 10" x 12" fuge area. While they didn't make it tumble, the two powerheads did significantly improve the debris accumulation and cyano issue in the fuge.

 

[mfdrookie516]

I have a mini-jet 606 in my fuge to push water through the 15lbs of rock I have in there.