Bio Pellets or Refugium

[Myka]

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]

DT is 90g and sump is 40g.

[Myka]

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]

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]

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]

Biopellets > Refugium

[Zoaelite]

I like the use of a DSB mangrove config but I also grow Cheato, run biopellets and have a copious amount of live rock.