Refugium quick quesiton

[Gdbyrd]

What's the size where a refugium actually becomes important, relative to tank size? Can't remember.

I got my new skimmer in..YaY!!! I'd take pictures, but it's just an 800S.

I was using a CPR BakPak with the overflow chamber being stuffed full of cheato and I had a light on it 24 hours a day. I just want to make sure I'm not going to have any issues with nitrates or alk.

Tank is a 47g high. The overflow chamber probably holds about a half gallon. But it was litterally compressed with cheato.

On an off note. Do they have any macro algae that's attractive that you can keep in your tank for a two fold thing? Like decoration and nutrient absorption? Would you run into any issues with keeping on timed lights as opposed to alternating/constant?

Thanks guys.

I'm really happy I got this finally. But at the same time I'm sad because it means I can't buy anything else for awhile, lol. :*(

 

[yote]

JMO,But I dont think tank size has anything to do with when a fuge is needed or not.
I know on my 125,I'm not running one and there's no trace of nitrates in my tank.Plus,I'm running a wet/dry filter system.
But then again,I am stocked on the light side.I only have a mandrine,an atlantic blue tang,a kole tang,and a stary blenny as far as fish go.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Ah, OK. Thanks Yote. I had thought I remembered reading something about a ration or percentrage of refugium to tank size. Like 20% or something.

I'm stocked very light. Only two little clowns in my tank. Going to add a goby sometime soon hopefully.

What about on the macro algae? Do you know of any that people have used as decoration? Ulva and Codium are both two local species. Ithink they'd look great in tank(I'd order mine, but it's kinda cool knowing it grows in my nearby coast). Ever heard of using either of those?

 

[dcantucson]

I read somewhere that it needed to be at least 15% of you water volume. That may be wrong because we all know size doesn't matter..... :lol:

 

[yote]

There is some macro algaes that would look great.But anything that eats algae will wipe it out in about a day.But I like that Ulva algae.

 

[Bifferwine]

You also have to be careful about pruning the macro algae and keeping it in check. It can quickly spread to your rocks and choke out corals.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Whoever said size doesn't matter..LIED, hehe.

Anyhow, I guess I shouldn't worry. That small of an area probably didn't make that much of a difference.

Is it worth it to try to grow it in the tank? I'm looking more for helping my tank than asthetics..Probably going to be a better idea to just wait it out and do it right with a refugium.

I had been struggling with nitrates awhile back and whether it was coincidence or not, they were at 0 about a week or two after I added all that cheato. That's the only reason I'm still thinking about it.

 

[Bifferwine]

Chaeto will definitely help bring nitrates down. It makes a big difference.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Well, do you think I should get a little ball of it and toss it in there? Or try some of that prettier stuff?

A little worried because I won't be keeping light on it 24 hours, that causes issues doesn't it?

 

[SeaBee]

I have a mangrove in my fuge, the lfs dude said they really suck out the nitrates, we'll see.

 

[Gdbyrd]

I originally wanted to do Mangroves too but I had heard they don't do as good a job as macro algae and that they're harder to raise. How are yours doing? If it works out for you I'd really like to know.

 

[SeaBee]

I originally wanted to do Mangroves too but I had heard they don't do as good a job as macro algae and that they're harder to raise. How are yours doing? If it works out for you I'd really like to know.

I have one in ther along with the cheato stuff. There's like a million pods on the stuff, and the little leaves on the mangrove are ok. I guess its working, my nitrates are at zero. Time will tell. When the mangrove gets too big I can return it and get another.

 

[Bifferwine]

You don't need the light on 24 hours a day. Most people run light on their macroalgae either 24 hours a day, or opposite their main tank light schedule. If you can't do either of these and you just want to run light on it while your tank lights are on, that's fine too. Having macroalgae is better than not having it, no matter what your light schedule is!

 

[Gdbyrd]

Thanks for the info. Now I just need to hunt down something that'll look good in the tank. They have codium at my LFS. That stuff is pretty neat, looks easy to prune too. I have my tank with the rock stacked in the middle. Probably going to "plant" this stuff on the back of the rock. It has higher flow and I can't really put coral back there because you can't see it.

I wonder what would be the better thiing to use. I really liked cheato, but I think that stuff would just float around everywhere.

 

[Gdbyrd]

Dug out a magazine. Found some different macros that look pretty neat.

Botryocladia
Halymenia
Loemtaria
Penicillus
Uvaria

They all look pretty cool. Going to see if I can find the penicillus at any LFS's in San Antonio. Try that one first I think. Be something very different to have in the sand bed. Like that and something red to place on the rock.

Have any of you guys ever had any experience with any of the above?

 

[Bifferwine]

You should send Catherine (Picasso) a PM. She keeps a lot of different macroalgaes in her seahorse tank.

 

[project5k]

the only one that i can comment on is calurpa, and that it dosent like light cycles.. if you dont keep it lit all the time, it can go asexual and crash your tank...

Personally i love it, it grows super fast, i think its better looking than the cheto, and cause my fuge is on a UPS battery system, i never have to worry about power outtages...

To "prune" it, i just pinch the part i wanna remove between my thumb nail and my index finger, pinch it off, and bingo i'm done... i do that about once a week, or once every other week...

oh, and sailfin tangs love to eat that stuff...

there are more than a couple different kinds of calurpa, so some research may be in order if you choose this path...

just my 2 cents worth...

 

[sen5241b]

I have a fuge with chaeto 20% the size of my main display and it did wonders to bring my nitrates down.

 

[Gdbyrd]

You should send Catherine (Picasso) a PM. She keeps a lot of different macroalgaes in her seahorse tank.

Thanks Biff. I did and she was a huge help. Going to order some stuff next week when I get paid. Going to look pretty good, I'll post pics up when I get it in and have it mounted.