Refugiums and Macroalgae-the Good, the Bad, the Ugly

[Aquarist007]

so is that algae trough running the length of your tank--I think the tank is to the left of it?
That is a really neat setup--is it yours or did you copy the idea from somewhere
Is there any odour too it

[nalbar]

Algae troughs have been around for quite some time (but then so has Paul). I have always been fascinated by them.

IMO they are much better way of achieving nutrient export. If a gravity feed to the main tank was used ALL water through that part of the system would have contact with the algae as it went through the algae (I think some systems use grass, which is what I thought of doing).

As the water sweeps through the algae it would also pick up pods.

I think the main issue is keeping them clean.


nalbar

[Larah]

WOW!
Now that's a heck of a skimmer!
So what part is it that I'm supposed to clean? and how often? and how?

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Larah
WOW!
Now that's a heck of a skimmer!
So what part is it that I'm supposed to clean? and how often? and how?

you probably have a cup on the top like mine. You should rinse out this cup every other day.

[Paul B]

I guess it is hard to see and I don't have a better picture of it but in this picture it is behind the white Vinyl thing in the front which is the other half of the algae tray and houses the actinic lights which swing back out of the way for maintenance.
The trough is 6' long, the length of the tank. All of the water from the skimmer (seen at the left) goes through it. There is no cleaning needed, the water flows fast and returns back to the tank over a screen so there is no splashing.
Capn, of course it is my design.
I like to design and build. Everything is homemade including the auto fill, RUGF, lights, stand, skimmer, closet, basement, much of the furnature and the house. I did buy the tank though, it would be more money to build it and they just invented silicone when I bought that tank.
I would like to install a full size refugium but there is really no roon there. It is all in a small closet. When I designed the system in the seventees there were no reef tanks and of course no refugiums but there were wet drys and algae filters.
If you have a store bought skimmer you need to clean the collection cup and the reaction tube.

[Aquarist007]

wow great looking tank-----an a Moorish Idol too--what is your secret with keeping it?

[Acrocrab]

Here is what i thought would work best for my system. This set-up is in the bathroom just behind the main tank. A rio hyperflow feeds this setup while a reefflo snapper serves as the return to the main tank.

Half the water coming in goes first to the water change sump on the upper right, then into the skimmer/filter sump. Then it overflows to the refuguim below.

The 6" pvc on the right forces the water to the bottom of the live rock pile at the back.

The other half of the flow from the hyperflow pump goes straight into the microalgea refugium. I made a box out of eggcrate and sealed the bottom with window screen to hold in the 3-4" sandbed. Its light up with two homedepot 6500k 18 watt bulbs 18 hours on 4 hours off.

Right now it is still "new." it has only been up and running for about 2 weeks. I need to get the flow adjusted right because I got a cyano outbreak. The cheato has alost doubled but the calupera has blown up. My wife likes to stick her head in here alot, cause all the pods you can see swimming around, and everyday there are more tube worms.

[Aquarist007]

To Reef Central

[3D-Reef]

I made this fuge about three years ago,it's 6'x2'x19".The flow is ~1200gph coming from the main display,but with it being so wide,it's a pretty gentle flow through it. There is about 420w of lighting over it.



I have a few different kinds caulerpa for nutrient export,and the grass does help some,although I don't know how much.

[nalbar]

Sure looks good, too!



nalbar

[Paul B]

-----an a Moorish Idol too--what is your secret with keeping it?

Capn, that is an old picture, I had that Idol about 5 years with no problem. He died with many of my fish in an accident where I had to be away for a few days for a family emergency. All of my fish were in a smaller tank for some experimental tank re configuring and the power went off due to a storm. The heat went off too and the tank went down to the sixtees. Something must have died and that was the end of most, but not all of my fish. I also lost an 18 year old fish and a 12 year old.
Idols have a few secrets. I went to Tahiti on a diving vacation to study them. I set up an auto feeder which supplied pellets to a dish twice a day, the Idol would inspect the dish on every trip around the tank. For the third feeding I would include sponge which I collect fresh here in NY and freeze. In the sea they eat mostly sponge and it seems NY sponge fits the bill perfectly.
I also gave him vitamin "A", "D" and calcium mixed with bananas and Plaster of Paris, (you read that correctly)
My tankl was also much too small at 6'. They are far ranging swimmers and live in mated pairs. I also believe males do better as I always found males getting to the food first and the females following.
There is a long thread here on RC about them.
This is your thread so I diden't want to start a discussion of Moorish Idols
Have a great Day
Paul

THis is in Bora Bora

[discocarp]

Is anyone growing gracilaria or another macro that their tangs like eating in the fuge?

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by 3D-Reef
I made this fuge about three years ago,it's 6'x2'x19".The flow is ~1200gph coming from the main display,but with it being so wide,it's a pretty gentle flow through it. There is about 420w of lighting over it.



I have a few different kinds caulerpa for nutrient export,and the grass does help some,although I don't know how much.

I am glad you posted thid--I was thinking of a second refugium with mangroves--but I like the idea of yours with the reef grass

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by 3D-Reef
I made this fuge about three years ago,it's 6'x2'x19".The flow is ~1200gph coming from the main display,but with it being so wide,it's a pretty gentle flow through it. There is about 420w of lighting over it.



I have a few different kinds caulerpa for nutrient export,and the grass does help some,although I don't know how much.

I am glad you posted thid--I was thinking of a second refugium with mangroves--but I like the idea of yours with the reef grass

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Paul B
Capn, that is an old picture, I had that Idol about 5 years with no problem. He died with many of my fish in an accident where I had to be away for a few days for a family emergency. All of my fish were in a smaller tank for some experimental tank re configuring and the power went off due to a storm. The heat went off too and the tank went down to the sixtees. Something must have died and that was the end of most, but not all of my fish. I also lost an 18 year old fish and a 12 year old.
Idols have a few secrets. I went to Tahiti on a diving vacation to study them. I set up an auto feeder which supplied pellets to a dish twice a day, the Idol would inspect the dish on every trip around the tank. For the third feeding I would include sponge which I collect fresh here in NY and freeze. In the sea they eat mostly sponge and it seems NY sponge fits the bill perfectly.
I also gave him vitamin "A", "D" and calcium mixed with bananas and Plaster of Paris, (you read that correctly)
My tankl was also much too small at 6'. They are far ranging swimmers and live in mated pairs. I also believe males do better as I always found males getting to the food first and the females following.
There is a long thread here on RC about them.
This is your thread so I diden't want to start a discussion of Moorish Idols
Have a great Day
Paul

THis is in Bora Bora

if you wouldn't mind send me the link to that thread anyways
Have you had any success growing enough sponges in your tanks

[timdog453]

I'd like to have less of a refugium and more of just somewhere to grow pods. My tank is only 3" for the wall so most hang on the back refuge's won't work and it's also sumpless. what i was wondering was would it be at all beneficial to have a small plexiglass HOB tank (maybe 10" x 4"x4") inside the main tank as a place to grow chaeto? the plexiglass could be drilled to allow normal tank flow through and also allow pods to make it into the main system.

Tim

[Paul B]

Capn I don't grow any sponges in my tank. They are very hard to grow and an Idol would eat them all in a day anyway.
I collect them and freeze them.
Here is the thread.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...t=moorish+Idol

[nalbar]

Tim,

yes it would be beneficial, particularly if you are looking for pods more than nutrient export. If pods are you main desire, think about rock over algae.


And IMO there is no 'bad' place to discuss Moorish Idol's.



nalbar

[jnewman]

Here are the biginnings of a semi sump/fug.



I am not sure if this works but if it does then the grate on top are going to divide the macro and rubble from the skimmer and pumps.

[Aquarist007]

here is a link to another thread on setting up a refugium--well documented with pics
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...2#post12152772

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by jnewman
Here are the biginnings of a semi sump/fug.



I am not sure if this works but if it does then the grate on top are going to divide the macro and rubble from the skimmer and pumps.

you'll find that copopods ect will clog up your skimmer pump really fast unless you baffle the section off. Even then once a month I have to take the pump out and clean out the copopods.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by nalbar
Tim,

yes it would be beneficial, particularly if you are looking for pods more than nutrient export. If pods are you main desire, think about rock over algae.


And IMO there is no 'bad' place to discuss Moorish Idol's.



nalbar

I always thought that discussions about Moorish Idols were kind of like the ones I had with my father when I was a kid;

"NO"

[nalbar]

Originally posted by capn_hylinur


"NO"

And then you see (in person) a long established one in some ones tank.

It becomes like an itch you cannot scratch.



nalbar

[CaptainCoral]

I always thought that discussions about Moorish Idols were kind of like the ones I had with my father when I was a kid;
"NO"

With my father, this would have been quickly followed by "no buts"

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by nalbar
And then you see (in person) a long established one in some ones tank.

It becomes like an itch you cannot scratch.



nalbar

you have the right---given the fact that the MI was my first introduction into not believing what the LFS tells you. The very first fish they sold be after I spent 1000's on a system from them was a MI--it died in three days--they would'nt even give me a 30 dollar credit for it.
so the itch is still there to be successful with it---but common sense and and a little bit more knowledge becames the ointment to soothe the itch
now --If Paul want's to start sending me frozen sponge