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Setting up a 55G refugium - Questions


jayR

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Setting up my 55G refugium soon to my 210G system. Main purpose would be to lower nitrates & keep pods. Experienced advice would be great on the following:

 

Deep sand bed - How Deep?

Flow amount- slow or fast?

Chaeto - whole tank or partial?

LR rubble - amount?

Lights - what type?

 

Other tips would be appreciated.

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From my experience, I would nix the deep sand bed.

 

Flow through the fuge should be relatively slow but flow in the fuge can be relatively high. Does that make sense?

 

Chaeto-Partial just so you have some room to dump anything you need to, or store a less than model citizen for a short time.

 

Search RC for what kind of lights. There is a great compact fluorescent light at HD for about 40 bucks. Works really well.

 

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=599175

 

HTH

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I am working these same issues out for myself. But I am going to use a 45g fuge for a 75g tank. I will be watching these responses carefully.

 

I am thinking that I will have my tank --> fuge --> sump --> tank. With gravity feeding the water from the tank to the fuge and fuge to the sump. Then a pump will take the water back up to the tank.

 

dsoz :)

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I bought an open spiral fluorescent daylight bulb for about $7 at I believe the local Home Depot? Been awhile. I was browsing the other day and they now have some in the reflectors, but didn't get to check light ratings. Might blackout light to part of your sump, it grows a lot of coraline. Pain in the butt in my old skinny skimmer in my case.

I'd go shallow or bare bottom. Maybe pile up some small chunks of rubble for pods to grow in. Someone in the club had a crash after taking offline what I believe was a DSB.

http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html

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I would put the cheato in an area that will allow it to tumble, (with water movement), cheato will collect alot of detritus.

 

Next to that I would have a pile of LR rubble for pods to inhabit. Place it on a piece of eggcrate that is somewhat elevated so you can blow out any detritus that will build up there, (makes for easier cleaning). hope you understand what I'm trying to say there.

 

Any light will work to light a fuge with lower kelvin bulbs being better. I'd just use a typical clamp-on light with metal reflector/hood. I would also light the fuge either 24/7 or on a reverse daylight cycle. This should help stablize PH.

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