T
tone2607
Guest
iam just wondering whaqt the best things are to but in the refug to act as a filter i guess....i have a couple live rocks,macro algae..any suggestions will help thanks
IME cheato is about the best thing for a ref. It grows fast (much nutrient removal) and stays easily contained, whereas many other macro algae's can be hard to contain.
Other than that, a DSB and or some LR can be benificial.
It depends a lot on what your goals are with the ref. If it's just for nutrient control, Just using Cheato and a DSB can make a huge difference. If your looking for diversity, zonal filtration, exct... there may be a bunch of other things you would want in there, but that's kind out of my range of exp.
Also, since I'm talking mainly about cheato and DSB's, they can be combined, but ideally cheato should have pretty strong flow, whereas DSB's/remote DSB's do best with milder flow. In other words the ideal conditions for those things aren't necessarily the same, but a compromise can be had. A gentler flow with a DSB and maybe a bit of LR would accomplish different benifits than a higher flow ref with just cheato. (it can be as complicated, or as simple as you choose to make it)
Personally, I run an overhead 20G ref with moderate flow, a huge wad of cheato (2 basketballs in size) and a DSB (4-6" min depth). This works for me, (goal being simple nitrate/phosphate control, and maybe as a secondary benifit, some limited live foods and biodiversity added for the system overall).
There are endless ways to set up a ref. Can you elaborate on what specifically you want to accomplish with it? (sort of obvious, but may vary between different reefing philosophies / personalities / ideas)
jk
Other than that, a DSB and or some LR can be benificial.
It depends a lot on what your goals are with the ref. If it's just for nutrient control, Just using Cheato and a DSB can make a huge difference. If your looking for diversity, zonal filtration, exct... there may be a bunch of other things you would want in there, but that's kind out of my range of exp.
Also, since I'm talking mainly about cheato and DSB's, they can be combined, but ideally cheato should have pretty strong flow, whereas DSB's/remote DSB's do best with milder flow. In other words the ideal conditions for those things aren't necessarily the same, but a compromise can be had. A gentler flow with a DSB and maybe a bit of LR would accomplish different benifits than a higher flow ref with just cheato. (it can be as complicated, or as simple as you choose to make it)
Personally, I run an overhead 20G ref with moderate flow, a huge wad of cheato (2 basketballs in size) and a DSB (4-6" min depth). This works for me, (goal being simple nitrate/phosphate control, and maybe as a secondary benifit, some limited live foods and biodiversity added for the system overall).
There are endless ways to set up a ref. Can you elaborate on what specifically you want to accomplish with it? (sort of obvious, but may vary between different reefing philosophies / personalities / ideas)
jk
Leroy
Pres. NE Matchcover Club
Would adding any inverts/cleaning crew in the future help out any? I have the cheato, live rock and sand bed as what is suggested in the above posts. On the last or 3rd section of my fuge where the output pump resides there's a build up of like a white silt that I disturbed when changing out a carbon bag that sits over the pump. What a mess as it got stirred up. I had thoughts of adding nasarius snails to clean up the crap. My fuge sits under my main tank so to syphon would not work. I also thought of a temporary hang on filter and stir it up with the fuge shut down.
