DSB or Miracle Mud; Setting up first refugium

[Ping]

Sponges are the best natural filtration, hence the cryptic fuge. The two stage fuge sounds good.

Are you still considering the Algae Waterfall Scrubber? I was very happy with mine as I had almost completely eliminated the Asparagasum algae that had plagued my last system before I sold it.

This natural filtration takes time to develop, especially the sponges. Don’t be lured into the latest fad in water quality or ionic balance maintenance. Too many people get upset at the first sign of hair algae or cyano, rush out and purchase the latest snake oil or hop on the latest band wagon concept on the internet aimed at maintaining a healthy aquarium.

Most systems take a few months for the filtering life forms to reach equilibrium with changes to the system. e.g. new system, additional fish load, increased feeding, etc. With patience you are on your way to a system that will find its equilibrium and ionic balance.

As far as pH, most people don’t worry about night / day cycles. As long as the Alkalinity is high, the pH will be fine. Especially now that we have good flow and O2, CO2 exchange in our displays.

18 hours is a good length of time to light Cheatomorpha, but running the lights with the main lighting cycle works very well. RDP does help a little bit if Alk is not maintained, but many households are not conducive to the evening lights.

[Europhyllia]

I thought this article was interesting specifically this part:

Photosynthesis of Algae in Continuous Light vs. Light/Dark Cycles
Interestingly, three marine microalgae, Skeletonema costatum, Phaeocystis globosa and Emiliania huxleyi,24 were studied for their rates of photosynthesis and carbon uptake mechanisms in continuous light vs. those same species in light/dark cycles (12 h on/12 h off and 16 h on/8 h off). The rates of photosynthesis were nearly twice as high with light/dark cycles as with continuous lighting. In two of the species (S. costatum and E. huxleyi), but not the third, the contribution of bicarbonate to the total carbon uptake increased dramatically in light/dark cycles compared to continuous light.
How this result might relate to growth and nutrient uptake in lit refugia where macroalgae are often grown to export nutrients is not known. However, it is a sign that perhaps continuous light is not optimal, in addition to being more expensive.

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-10/rhf/index.php

[ErikH]

6" sandbed and pack the rest with rock It worked wonders on my 75, I am going back to that style setup. I just cleaned out my 29 and reinstalled it under my 200. I have always ran slow flow through it, and I also have a skimmer in it. It may sound crazy that I just put it all in a tank, no baffles or anything, but the proof was in the pudding. That tank was pretty much unstoppable! Ireally enjoyed how simple of a setup it was, so emulating it is all I can think to do again. To me all of the excessive baffles and stuff just take away space. Pack your return under some rocks and you won't need a prefilter either. Clean it every 8-12 months and clear any tiny snails or rocks that may have gotten caught in it. You can even hollow out some space for macro. Sincerely I felt it was better than anything else I have tried to do, and with less maintenance. K.I.S.S.

[kkiel02]

Thats the motto for my 180 sump-K.I.S.S. I have one reactor for media going and a skimmer but that's it. I would like to expand on a good point Peter said - A refugium will only get better as time passes. Sponges and macro grow, absorbing nutrients. Dsb start denitrification and the pod populations start to grow/stabilize. I'm going to try a dsb on the new tank for the first time so we will see how I like it.
Ps I'm a big believer in phosban though az it has helped to control many nuisance altars in my tank.

[CoryDude]

Depending on nutrient export Ping, I may do both a fuge and ATS. I'd gone with a Berlin system for many years, but started to have problems with nutrient buildup. The Hiatt fixed that problem, but maybe too well. May initial idea was a fuge with a denitrifying mud bed and plants to intake excess nitrogen. If there's still an issue with excess nutrients, then I would add a turf scrubber.

After seeing so many beautiful tanks that use refugiums and little else, I can't ignore the call any more. Thanks for the mangrove and cheato offers. I'lupdate and add pics as I get this project rolling.

[ErikH]

Lol at your quote

[FireWater]

After seeing so many beautiful tanks that use refugiums and little else, I can't ignore the call any more. Thanks for the mangrove and cheato offers. I'lupdate and add pics as I get this project rolling.

Yes, please do. I am researching the scrubber idea after hearing Ping talk about it. I admit I had no idea what it is. Would love to see it as well as other ideas on fuge set ups. I like mine the way it is set up now and follows the simple prototype but, new ideas never hurt.

[Big_Pun]

ok heres some pics of my fuge(dirty), i keep sps, softies, lps, couple diff macros in my display on one side and yes you can keep culerpa without it taking over the display, keep in sand and in low light. my system also has alot of sponges on dark sides of live rock. i also keep 2 bags of chemi pure elite in the fuge, with hermits that keep detris from collecting on the bottom.