54g reef tank

[Reefer Rob]

If there is room under the stand go a little larger on the sump and have a refugium built at one end. If you had about a 12" cube that overflows into the main sump it would be a great place to grow macro-algae for nutrient export.
May as well start off right, you're going to want it later anyway

[0sprey]

Refugiums are used to grow certain kinds of live food... particularly copepods and amphipods. These are the foods needed for fish like the mandarin dragonet and seahorses...slow eaters that often refuse dead food. You can also grow macroalgae in the refugium for nutrient export (it absorbs nitrates as it grows, and when you prune it, it removes the nitrates from the system).

An alternative to the in-sump refugium is to try to find space for an upstream refugium... that's a 'fuge that's kept above the tank. You pump water up from the tank and have an overflow take the water back. This provides a steady stream of live 'pods for the tank. You can buy HOB ones, but they're usually small... a fuge with a proper stand above the tank is the best option.

I should, of course, note that I do NOT have an upstream refugium, mostly because of extra cost. Mine is in-sump.

[Melina]

Originally Posted by 0sprey

Refugiums are used to grow certain kinds of live food... particularly copepods and amphipods. These are the foods needed for fish like the mandarin dragonet and seahorses...slow eaters that often refuse dead food. You can also grow macroalgae in the refugium for nutrient export (it absorbs nitrates as it grows, and when you prune it, it removes the nitrates from the system).

An alternative to the in-sump refugium is to try to find space for an upstream refugium... that's a 'fuge that's kept above the tank. You pump water up from the tank and have an overflow take the water back. This provides a steady stream of live 'pods for the tank. You can buy HOB ones, but they're usually small... a fuge with a proper stand above the tank is the best option.

I should, of course, note that I do NOT have an upstream refugium, mostly because of extra cost. Mine is in-sump.

I understand now, thanks!

[Reefer Rob]

I had an "upstream refugium" on my last tank, it was a real PTA. It was impossible to have the water flow back into the tank without creating bubbles, which pop and make a mess of your nice T5 lights.

[Redrover]

This is pic of the Sump with an integrated refugium
Marc [ SuperFudge ] from Hidden Reef, this the kind of work he does
Top of the line....Again welcome to Canreef
RJ

[Sushiman]

Welcome aboard; you like burning up $100 bills too huh? You've come to the right hobby!

[Melina]

Originally Posted by Sushiman

Welcome aboard; you like burning up $100 bills too huh? You've come to the right hobby!

LOL yeah I guess I do!

Hey, just wondering about when it's time to fill the tank with saltwater. Can I mix the saltwater in the tank? I know you should never do this once there is livestock in the tank, but what about the first time I fill it?
I'm thinking of the buckets I will need to get. If I do a 10% water change once a week, is it 10% of my display tank's volume (6.5g), or 10% of the total volume (+sump = 9g). I am wondering how much water I will have to mix for each water change. If I find a 10g+- container, when it comes time to fill the tank for the first time, do I have to pre-mix the salt in the container before adding it to the tank? I'll have to do this about 9 times if I have a 10g container (about the biggest I'm going to find, methinks). Can I just fill the tank with RO/DI water, then add my salt to the tank instead?
Then I think, I need to have it only partially filled when the live rock & sand arrives...

How am I going to do this? Here's what I'm thinking: Fill it half full, say 30g, mix in the salt... turn the powerheads on and let it aerate while I wait for the rock to get here... then fill it with the rock. Then top it off with RO/DI water and add the correct amount of salt to the tank again to reach my desired salinity?

What do you think?