Help with water quality. Add fuge?

digi · #1 05-17-2010, 10:35 PM

Hi all,

I have a somewhat newer reef. Its 5 months old and consists of a 9 gallon display, a 5 gallon sump, both without any sand, but about 14 lbs of live rock (split amongst the two tanks).

Ive still not yet reached 0 nitrates (ammonia and nitrites are 0 though), and am wondering what I can do to aid my water quality.

Here are options, what would you prefer?

Should I add live sand to the sump? (I dont want sand in the display)
Should I setup a fuge? (what are the benefits)
Or, if i shouldn't set up a fuge, should I change anything with my sump setup? Perhaps different spectrum lighting? Bioballs? Suggestions?

Helpful info on my setup:

Sump (5gal): Its basically bare bones except for live rock. All its got in it is my equipment: filter, heater, ato, and about 5lbs of live rock. Also has some weak-bones lights on it. Ikea LED's... mostly white, probably 5000k.
Display (9gal): Has Nanocustoms par LED spotlights. These lights have only been on for about a 3 weeks - and I've currently hit an algae bloom.
Livestock: LPS - (torch, octospawn, alveopora). Softties - a few zoa's. A couple gobies (clown, neon, another that i cant think of its name right now). Tailspot blenny. Cleanup crew consists of 2 turbos, 3 pretty active hermits. I think they're doing their job pretty well.

Opinions, comments?

kien · #2 05-17-2010, 10:50 PM

What do you have in terms of livestock (and/or corals) in your 9 gallon display?
What are you lighting in your sump? You mentioned there is just live rock in there. Live rock doesn't need light unless you are trying to grow something? In my opinion Nitrates do not need to be zero to have a healthy and thriving saltwater system.

The magical product these days for reducing nitrates are "NP Bio Pellets". Do a search for them either in google or canreef search and you'll find lots of info. Your system would work well with a TLF phosban reactor with some NP Bio Pellets tumbling in there.

Your other options would be running a refugium with macro algae like Chaeto, and/or growing Mangroves. There's nothing wrong with these two methods, in fact they can work quite well, although I am not a huge fan of these approaches so I'll leave it to the proponents of those to chime in.

digi · #3 05-17-2010, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kien

What do you have in terms of livestock (and/or corals) in your 9 gallon display?
What are you lighting in your sump? You mentioned there is just live rock in there. Live rock doesn't need light unless you are trying to grow something? In my opinion Nitrates do not need to be zero to have a healthy and thriving saltwater system.

The magical product these days for reducing nitrates are "NP Bio Pellets". Do a search for them either in google or canreef search and you'll find lots of info. Your system would work well with a TLF phosban reactor with some NP Bio Pellets tumbling in there.

Your other options would be running a refugium with macro algae like Chaeto, and/or growing Mangroves. There's nothing wrong with these two methods, in fact they can work quite well, although I am not a huge fan of these approaches so I'll leave it to the proponents of those to chime in.

Thanks, I've updated the post to include my livestock.
I have a light in the sump because I have read a few places that having the sump light offest with the display tank helps keep a neutral ph level. I thought perhaps I could grow some micro-algae in the sump too... dunno.

whatcaneyedo · #4 05-18-2010, 12:49 AM

I don't see any mention of a skimmer. Do you have one?

digi · #5 05-18-2010, 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatcaneyedo

I don't see any mention of a skimmer. Do you have one?

No skimmer. Ive had nano reefs in the past - some people stay they may actually hinder your environment. Thoughts?

intarsiabox · #6 05-18-2010, 01:14 AM

How often are you doing water changes? Without a skimmer I would probably do 2-3 gal per week (15-20%) minimum. This is the best method I know of for reducing nitrates by physically removing them from the system and with only a couple of gallons it only takes 15min of your time. By all means you don't need a skimmer but IMHO with a small HOB model the benefits would far out weigh any negatives as the organic material in the water column is removed before it can break down into nitrates. With religeous water changes I don't think you need to worry about the amount of trace elements the skimmer removes (I'm assuming this is the negative part you are refering to). It sounds like you actually have your tank under control all ready and have a nice set up.

OceanicCorals-Ian- · #7 05-19-2010, 06:06 PM

It was not just a random "sales" pitch but instead a alternative to the more expensive NP brand that was recommended by others in this thread. If someone wants to pay more then that is up to them. Our brand is now available from half a dozen canreef sponsors and not just us.

OceanicCorals-Ian- · #8 05-19-2010, 06:20 PM

Sorry digi, I didn't mean this to be hijack to your thread, shoot me a pm as I have something for you to try.

Zoaelite · #9 05-19-2010, 06:56 PM

In a tank that small I would stay away from Biopellets, as whatcaneyedo has so expertly stated you run to many risks as you are running a smaller water volume without a skimmer.

Back to your original question, I think a fuge would make an excellent addition to your tank. Not only do they provide great places for the culture of micro life but with the use of microalgae, mangroves and a DSB you can completely eliminate nutrients from your system (The natural way

). A 10g tank drilled will a 5 inch sand bed and a clip on light is cheap and looks amazing alongside a reef tank.

digi · #10 05-19-2010, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoaElite

In a tank that small I would stay away from Biopellets, as whatcaneyedo has so expertly stated you run to many risks as you are running a smaller water volume without a skimmer.

Back to your original question, I think a fuge would make an excellent addition to your tank. Not only do they provide great places for the culture of micro life but with the use of microalgae, mangroves and a DSB you can completely eliminate nutrients from your system (The natural way

). A 10g tank drilled will a 5 inch sand bed and a clip on light is cheap and looks amazing alongside a reef tank.

No worries on the hijacking.

I appreciate everyone's comments... although I'm sure pellets and such would work, I'd rather stay away from reactors, and dosing - I know very little about that subject.

Sounds like its boiling down to these two options that are best suited for me:

1. A small skimmer or
2. A fuge.

I'm aware of the potential con's of a skimmer, but is there any con's that can come with a fuge? In my setup it'll be quite easy for me to implement, so I don't see that as a downside. On the other hand, I have seen some reports of fuge's being entirely unsuccessful though, and only to be a source of growing live food... this leaves me confused