Fuge Maintenance

[andysgirl8800]

What sort of maintenance should I be doing on my refugium? I have some red algae growing in there and the feather duster worms are multiplying. Do I need to clean the sandbed at all?

 

[yote]

I wouldnt touch the sandbed,especially if its a DSB.You might lightly siphon and detritus off the top of it,but thats aboit it.
Keep the algae trimmed back too.That way its got room to grow.

 

[andysgirl8800]

so basically, leave it to its own devices? :)

 

[yote]

Pretty much:D

 

[Bifferwine]

Yep, I wouldn't do anything either.

 

[Smitty]

+1 Yote and Biff...I would just leave it alone.

 

[Rcpilot]

I stick a gravel vac in my fuge about once every 3 months. But I DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES disturb the DSB. I just lightly suck up any surface gunk by hovering the gravel vac about 1" or 2" above the sand bed and anything light enough to get sucked up goes away. The rest of it stays put.

I DO NOT plunge the gravel vac down in the DSB. That would be like dropping a neutron bomb in your tank. A DSB is meant to be left alone so it can work and do it's thing. There are AEROBIC bacteria on the surface that break down ammonia into nitrites and then they break the nitrites down into nitrates. These little guys can ONLY live where there is oxygen. And there are ANAEROBIC bacteria deep down at the bottom of the DSB that break the nitrates down into harmless nitrogen gas. Those little guys CAN NOT live in oxygen and will DIE if exposed to oxygen.

If you churn it up, you just sent the AEROBIC bacteria to the bottom of the DSB where there is no oxygen. They WILL die.

And you also just brought all the ANAEROBIC bacteria up to the surface and exposed them to oxygen. They WILL die.

Now you got a bunch of dead bacteria in your tank and killed your biological filter.

HUGE, MASSIVE, GINORMOUS NITRATE SPIKE!!!! (neutron bomb) Dead tank. :pooh:

Cut the macro algae back occasionally and clean the skimmer. Check plumbing lines for build up or leaky pipes. Other than that, leave it alone.

 

[andysgirl8800]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I do have a DSB and will leave it alone.

 

[dcantucson]

I stick a gravel vac in my fuge about once every 3 months. But I DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES disturb the DSB. I just lightly suck up any surface gunk by hovering the gravel vac about 1" or 2" above the sand bed and anything light enough to get sucked up goes away. The rest of it stays put.

I DO NOT plunge the gravel vac down in the DSB. That would be like dropping a neutron bomb in your tank. A DSB is meant to be left alone so it can work and do it's thing. There are AEROBIC bacteria on the surface that break down ammonia into nitrites and then they break the nitrites down into nitrates. These little guys can ONLY live where there is oxygen. And there are ANAEROBIC bacteria deep down at the bottom of the DSB that break the nitrates down into harmless nitrogen gas. Those little guys CAN NOT live in oxygen and will DIE if exposed to oxygen.

If you feel the need to clean it (as I would) then Rc's advice is best.