The refugium I made is the greatest and up and running!

[stratmaster]

Ok so today I put together my refugium for my 100 gallon tank, it's made from a 40 gallon glass aquarium. I put a couple bunches of macroalgae in, some live rock and some sand! It looks so great, there's even some sort of octopus looking thing living in the macroalgae.

Here's a pic of it all together, I got my marineland 100 skimmer in there as well and a few bio-balls from the old wet/dry just to move over some beneficial bacteria for a week or so.

Steve

 

[HN1]

The sump looks great! Be careful that the bioballs don't negate any positive affects of the macro overtime. They tend to trap wastes and lead to nitrate issues. What type of macro is that?

 

[Speakerman]

looks like Chaetomorpha

Are you going to pull the bio balls out all at the same time, or maybe pull them out a few balls per day once the tank is cycled. But like HN1 mentioned, I wouldn't leave them in permanently, although it was a good idea using them to help establish your tank.

BTW, your sump looks great, good job.

 

[HN1]

Hope this design isn't copyrighted... I will be copying it for our next sump!

 

[Speakerman]

one thing I just noticed, is the skimmer is in the same chamber as the return pump, if possible, you'll probably want to move the skimmer to the opposite side of the sump to minimize micro bubbles in your main display.

 

[stratmaster]

Haha no the design isn't copyrighted, go ahead and help yourself! (although maybe I should copyright it, haha)

No the bio-balls are there just for the time being, even though the tank has been running for quite some time the live rock is relatively new to the aquarium and isn't very well established. I figured it would be best to use some bio-balls for the time being to have some beneficial bacteria and over the weeks gradually take a few of them out each day. I think in a couple week or so it should be that I can pull them right out and ditch them. I've hated my bio-balls and wet/dry filter from the day I got it, thank god I won't have to deal with it anymore!

And thanks for the compliments, I'm very proud of the work I put into it.

Steve

 

[stratmaster]

Saltwater Aquarium Algae for Marine Reef Aquariums: Chaetomorpha Algae - Aquacultured

Speakerman is correct, the type of macro is this link here. It's Chaetomorpha.

 

[solidsnakejv]

don't mean to get off the topic.
I have a wet and dry filte. This is my first setup.
It will be FOWLR for a few month than i will head towards Reef.

I have a 90 gallon tank with 100 lbs of live rock.
Is keeping the bio-balls a bad idea.
what should i replace in with? live rock? how much of it?

 

[CementShoes]

technically if you have enough LR in your display there is no need to LR in your sump. You could easily have a sump with a skimmer chamber, ref chamber and return chamber...

or even less.


The sump is just a place to put things you don't want on your main display.. Nothing else. If all you wanted was extra water volume you could just drop the water into the sump and pump it right back. That's still a sump too.

It's all up it you.

 

[jessicasmarine]

don't mean to get off the topic.
I have a wet and dry filte. This is my first setup.
It will be FOWLR for a few month than i will head towards Reef.

I have a 90 gallon tank with 100 lbs of live rock.
Is keeping the bio-balls a bad idea.
what should i replace in with? live rock? how much of it?

as long as they are properly maintained(pain) they are alright.

 

[solidsnakejv]

what do you mean by properly maintained? Cleaning them often? I thought the purpose was for them to grow bacteria.

This is what i have model 3 Aquarium Filtration: All-Glass Aquarium MegaFlow Sump Filter Wet/Dry Filter

I use the middle compartment for the Aqua C remora skimmer and my heater. I am also currently using it to put frozen bottles of water since my temp has been going up to 83. No fish in there yet.

I really want to get a mandarin, but i was told not to do so until i have a refugium and can grow copepods.
Is this a possibility with this wet and dry filter?

 

[CementShoes]

However, the odds of them being maintained properly and cleaned timely and properly are quite slim IMO.

JessicasMarine. how long has your tank been up and running? Do you use bioballs? What's your cleaning regimen? Looks like solidsnake needs some advice on how to properly maintain them

 

[jessicasmarine]

They are to grow bacteria but if not cleaned on a regular basis they tend to produce a lot of nitrates. And as cement shoes said most of the time you will put off cleaning them,
How To Clean Dirty Bio-Balls
The purpose of the copepods is to feed the mandarin, and a wet/dry like that doesnt have enough room for a good refugium to place some macro in and cultivate a good breeding colony of pods.

 

[jessicasmarine]

However, the odds of them being maintained properly and cleaned timely and properly are quite slim IMO.

JessicasMarine. how long has your tank been up and running? Do you use bioballs? What's your cleaning regimen? Looks like solidsnake needs some advice on how to properly maintain them

I did use them but I finally disposed of them with the wet/dry (craigslist) and went with a standard DIY sump/fuge

 

[CementShoes]

Ahh , from your other posts I was under the impression that your tank has only been up since May and that it was your first.

My mistake I guess

 

[jessicasmarine]

This is my second tank since joining the Corps(7 yrs). And two in college. Of course back then it was just a fish tank, now, as my wife, and bank will attest, its an aqua addiction

 

[solidsnakejv]

thanks for the input.

 

[melosu58]

I like the look of it. Great Job.

 

[thincat]

I would keep the bioballs since you are going FOWLR the slowly remove when you decide to go reef.

 

[solidsnakejv]

if i decide to slowly remove them, do i replace it with anything? or just that part of the wet and dry empty?

Jessicasmarine - You don't think my main tank will be able to support enough copepods for a mandarine? Even if i buy a good amount of them a couple of months before.