Finally Making the move!..
- Thread starter Ansphire
- Start date
i looked into glass.
for my sump, atleast, it would have been too expensive. i used cutting boards from walmart. they were 9 dollars a piece, and they cut easily with a powersaw. i tried plexiglass sheets from home depot, but they were more expensive and quite flimsy.
maybe with the smaller tank they will be ok, but i used the same plexiglass for my old 40 gallon sump, and the panels would bow when the tank filled with water.
for my sump, atleast, it would have been too expensive. i used cutting boards from walmart. they were 9 dollars a piece, and they cut easily with a powersaw. i tried plexiglass sheets from home depot, but they were more expensive and quite flimsy.
maybe with the smaller tank they will be ok, but i used the same plexiglass for my old 40 gallon sump, and the panels would bow when the tank filled with water.
first..the baffles in the sump are to stop the zillion tiny bubbles from continuing on into the return pump, and into the display. for no reason other than they are unsightly.
second- if you want to look at the cutting boards at walmart, you need to go to the kitchenwares section....regular, white plastic, kitchen cutting boards. if you are to choose these, you will need a circular saw with a blade with very close teeth, so not to fray the edges of the board too much. i chose marine caulk to adhere it to the glass (it came in white).
third- everyone likes different types of macroalgae for one reason or another. i happen to like to cover all angles, so i have a mix of bubble caulerpa, chaetomorpha, and some other macros i haven't identified.
most say the chaeto is best because sometimes a reaction takes place to bubble caulerpa, where it expells toxins into the tank, and can cause serious harm to your stock. if you do a search here on "bubble caulerpa" you'll get alot of info on that.
no, a sand bed is not necessary. i just find that alot of critters reside in my refugium. copapods, misis shrimp, little brittle stars, bristleworms, some snail/slug like creatures....i like to look at my refugium as much as i like to look at my display tank. i believe the deep sand bed in my 'fuge is a home for many creatures that are good for my tank.
i also have a few pounds of rubble rock(small pieces of live rock) in there as well, but you'll need to be careful to watch you don't get a buildup of waste matter in and around that rock. that too, isn't necessary to a successful refugium.
second- if you want to look at the cutting boards at walmart, you need to go to the kitchenwares section....regular, white plastic, kitchen cutting boards. if you are to choose these, you will need a circular saw with a blade with very close teeth, so not to fray the edges of the board too much. i chose marine caulk to adhere it to the glass (it came in white).
third- everyone likes different types of macroalgae for one reason or another. i happen to like to cover all angles, so i have a mix of bubble caulerpa, chaetomorpha, and some other macros i haven't identified.
most say the chaeto is best because sometimes a reaction takes place to bubble caulerpa, where it expells toxins into the tank, and can cause serious harm to your stock. if you do a search here on "bubble caulerpa" you'll get alot of info on that.
no, a sand bed is not necessary. i just find that alot of critters reside in my refugium. copapods, misis shrimp, little brittle stars, bristleworms, some snail/slug like creatures....i like to look at my refugium as much as i like to look at my display tank. i believe the deep sand bed in my 'fuge is a home for many creatures that are good for my tank.
i also have a few pounds of rubble rock(small pieces of live rock) in there as well, but you'll need to be careful to watch you don't get a buildup of waste matter in and around that rock. that too, isn't necessary to a successful refugium.
Hey thanks X
I was reading on nitrates..
With FreshWater, you should aim at keep nitrates under 20. You will never have it at 0 unless you have a heavily planted tank.
I read that in SW its possible to achieve zero nitrate by creating a deep sand bed..
Can someone comment on this?
How do you keep nitrate at 0?
I was reading on nitrates..
With FreshWater, you should aim at keep nitrates under 20. You will never have it at 0 unless you have a heavily planted tank.
I read that in SW its possible to achieve zero nitrate by creating a deep sand bed..
Can someone comment on this?
How do you keep nitrate at 0?
it depends on alot of things. first..how much is the bio load?
how many eating, crapping, creatures are in the tank?
how much will you feed?
what form(s) of filtration do you have?
how effective is your filtration?
what type of nutrient export do you have?
how often do you do waterchanges?
not overstocking your tank, feeding sensibly, proper filtration, waterchanges. that is how you keep your nitrates down.
they seem to want to call it "good husbandry"
:wink:
how many eating, crapping, creatures are in the tank?
how much will you feed?
what form(s) of filtration do you have?
how effective is your filtration?
what type of nutrient export do you have?
how often do you do waterchanges?
not overstocking your tank, feeding sensibly, proper filtration, waterchanges. that is how you keep your nitrates down.
they seem to want to call it "good husbandry"
:wink:
I can see how that would keep the nitrates down, Thats what I used to do with Cichlids...
But keeping them at 0????.....
The article mentioned something about a deep sand bed which will grow anaerobic bacteria to decompose nitrate into nitrogen...
does anybody use this technique?
But keeping them at 0????.....
The article mentioned something about a deep sand bed which will grow anaerobic bacteria to decompose nitrate into nitrogen...
does anybody use this technique?
i don't know what an aq110 is, but as far as mechanical filtration, if you want to use it, you'll need to stay on top of it. i mean cleaning it once a week or so. you would be suprised how fast those cannister filters load up and start producing nitrates.
i used to use a rena xp3 for a while. when i opened it up after a couple weeks, i had all sorts of stuff growing in it, and it didn't smell good.
btw- i'm not saying a deep sand bed won't work for you or anyone else, i'm just saying that there is mixed reviews on them. i have about 3 inches of a sugar sized fiji sand, and crushed coral mix. i don't think that's deep enough to be called a DSB, but i haven't vaccuumed it since i started the tank, because i see so much life in it.
but my tank is young. it may yet present a problem.
i used to use a rena xp3 for a while. when i opened it up after a couple weeks, i had all sorts of stuff growing in it, and it didn't smell good.
btw- i'm not saying a deep sand bed won't work for you or anyone else, i'm just saying that there is mixed reviews on them. i have about 3 inches of a sugar sized fiji sand, and crushed coral mix. i don't think that's deep enough to be called a DSB, but i haven't vaccuumed it since i started the tank, because i see so much life in it.
but my tank is young. it may yet present a problem.
ac110= AquaClear 110 HOB power filter. It pumps 500gph..
If it is how you say, then what do you use to trap the debris?.. The poop?
As for the Sand bed.. It said that you need 3-6" and do not vacuum it. This will create bacteria deep in the sand where no oxigen gets (anaerobic) that will decompose nitrate... hmm...
If it is how you say, then what do you use to trap the debris?.. The poop?
As for the Sand bed.. It said that you need 3-6" and do not vacuum it. This will create bacteria deep in the sand where no oxigen gets (anaerobic) that will decompose nitrate... hmm...
i don't use anything. i use my skimmer. my overflow flows into the first compartment of my sump, which houses the skimmer. every once in a while i stir that compartment up a bit to unsettle everything. my skimmer grabs what it can and my tank absorbs the rest. it's an almost stand alone ecosystem. without fish, it would be.
well..yes, salt won't evap. but you'll see when you get everything up and running- your last chamber in your sump- the one with the return pump, is where you will see your evaporation. it will run dry quickly if you don't stay on top of it, or get an auto top-off.
now, what happens if your return pump goes dry?
1. your pump will burn out
2. your skimmer won't skim
3. your giant biological filter will no longer work, because it's no longer hooked to the tank.
those are more important issues than salinity increases due to declining water volume- THAT issue will take a while to happen.
now, what happens if your return pump goes dry?
1. your pump will burn out
2. your skimmer won't skim
3. your giant biological filter will no longer work, because it's no longer hooked to the tank.
those are more important issues than salinity increases due to declining water volume- THAT issue will take a while to happen.
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