Sump/Fuge Questions

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#1
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#1
Okay I am finally going to set this up and need a bit of advice. What type of substrate are you using in your fuge? Just sand? refugium mud? miracle mud? Walt Smith Refugium Starter? pros and cons and advice is always appreciated!
 

Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#4
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#4
I have a mixture of regular marine sand and sugar grain sized silica sand from Menards. The only reason I have any substrate is for the pods larva, micro stars and the like. The main use of my fuge is to reduce nitrates through export of macro.
 

Lorna

Lorna

Elite Fish
#5
Mar 3, 2005
3,082
4
0
NE Indiana
#5
Well that is the reason I am setting one up......as a nutrient export using Cheato......I thought about mangroves and hence my miracle mud idea though the stuff from Walt Smith is expensive......it may be a way to go later. I wonder if you could go mud and sand combined. Ahhh I will probably just go with a very very fine sugar sand oolite aragonite.....then add some live rock rubble and grunge from Premium aquatics to innoculate it with.

Thanks for the words of advice. Now if I can just get this set up as I am not much of a plumber
 

Dadstank

Dadstank

Large Fish
#8
Nov 4, 2006
162
2
0
Minnesota
#8
Yes, there is added benefits of more water volume... my first and most wanted reason is for salinity changes with evaporation..1G evap from 50G is much more of an impact than 1G from 100G :)

When you get this set-up you will see a nice drop in nitrates and of nuisance algea in the main tank! I have also found that you don't need to do near as many water changes.... but the downside is more testing to make sure your calcium doesn't drop too much...among other things...
Good luck LORNA and can't wait to see pics!!
Might I also suggest the macro Lettuce Leaf... It has worked awesome for me since I built my current sump/fuge
 

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