Bio Pellets or Refugium

intarsiabox · #1 07-20-2010, 02:46 AM

That's a good idea as well, Myka! I hadn't put any serious thought into this design as I was only thinking full refugium with the sand, rocks and algae but I'm really most interested in nutrient export. Do you think a 10" wide section in a 40g sump would do the trick?

Duffer2 · #2 07-20-2010, 02:57 AM

+1 on the chaeto chamber. Good, proven and reliable.

Saying that, I'm running bio pellets and fairly happy. Since starting the bio pellets, my cantelope sized chaeto ball has slowly dissappeared into nothingness. Which I assume to mean that the pellets are out competing chaeto for the nutrients. Corals pretty much look the same as before. With the pellets I have had a few strange algea outbreaks (week 1 hair, week 4 Bryopsis), but everything seems to have worked it's way out. Only big differnence I notice is that my filter socks plug up much much quicker when running pellets. I'm not a big refuge fan so I say chaeto or pellets.

If you do go chaeto, as mentioned above, get a good light and trim often.

intarsiabox · #3 07-20-2010, 03:18 AM

I like the idea of a chaeto chamber and it would make plumbing my over flow so much simpler. Just a straight pipe with a union for easy pipe disconnection.

BlueTang<3 · #4 07-20-2010, 03:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duffer2

+1 on the chaeto chamber. Good, proven and reliable.

Saying that, I'm running bio pellets and fairly happy. Since starting the bio pellets, my cantelope sized chaeto ball has slowly dissappeared into nothingness. Which I assume to mean that the pellets are out competing chaeto for the nutrients. Corals pretty much look the same as before. With the pellets I have had a few strange algea outbreaks (week 1 hair, week 4 Bryopsis), but everything seems to have worked it's way out. Only big differnence I notice is that my filter socks plug up much much quicker when running pellets. I'm not a big refuge fan so I say chaeto or pellets.

If you do go chaeto, as mentioned above, get a good light and trim often.

The strange algae out breaks would have been as the cheato dies it releases all the crap it took out back into the tank, and well your pellets starved the cheato.

Myka · #5 07-20-2010, 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by intarsiabox

That's a good idea as well, Myka! I hadn't put any serious thought into this design as I was only thinking full refugium with the sand, rocks and algae but I'm really most interested in nutrient export. Do you think a 10" wide section in a 40g sump would do the trick?

What is the overall system volume?

My personal thoughts are chaeto chamber for nutrient export and refugium for food source (pod reproduction). Nothing wrong with running a chaeto chamber and a refugium.

intarsiabox · #6 07-20-2010, 12:00 PM

DT is 90g and sump is 40g.

Myka · #7 07-20-2010, 12:03 PM

Ideally you would want a bit more space than that (say maybe 12"), but 10" should do the trick for you. You may have to install a powerhead in the chaeto chamber at the bottom of the chamber probably at the outflow end pointing back towards the inflow to make a rolling water action in that chamber.

intarsiabox · #8 07-20-2010, 11:54 PM

As soon as I get a skimmer I'll see what actual space I have but I think 12" won't be a problem. Should I set up triple baffles between the skimmer section and chaeto chamber ie. over/under/over type of thing or would a single divider work with the chaeto trapping most of the bubbles?

Myka · #9 07-20-2010, 11:58 PM

Ime if many bubbles get the chaeto you may get cyano and/or hair algae growing in the chaeto ball. Do you have an ATO? (sounds random but it's not lol)

For baffles, I would go under, over, under, and don't let the over drop more than an inch to the water level in the next chamber.

albert_dao · #10 07-23-2010, 06:53 PM

Biopellets > Refugium