Copepods in sump?

DeniseAndy · Dec 13, 2015

Keep them coming.

Baby Ray · Dec 13, 2015

DeniseAndy said:
Keep them coming.

Are there any algae scrubbers that are cheaper and/or work better?
Do you think that it would be worth spending the extra money to get an algae scrubber over making a refugium?
I am looking at algae scrubbers but I keep coming back to the simple refugium.
Which one to you think creates the largest copepod population?
I could go on for days

thx

twilliard · Dec 13, 2015

A well stocked refugium

DeniseAndy · Dec 14, 2015

The refugium is better for copepods, the algae scrubber for the nitrate/phosphate removal and an area to grow algae vs the main display. I use both. The algae scrubber is in my dirty water section and the next section of my sump is the refugium area. I only keep live rock and some frags in there.

Baby Ray · Dec 14, 2015

Thank you. I think that I will probably go with the refugium for now because i have not had an nitrate/phosphate problems yet and I am looking for a copepod population
Do you have to have t5 lighting for cheato or can it me a normal LED?

DeniseAndy · Dec 15, 2015

You just need a light putting out about 6500K. I believe they have some nice algae growing leds out there.

Baby Ray · Dec 15, 2015

thanks again

bjc451 · Jan 4, 2020

Can @DeniseAndy can you elaborate on adding a container with sand and holes. Or send a pic. Like how much sand and how much rubble. I have a real tight space after the skimmer and before the bubble trap and return section. Or high or low the holes should be

DeniseAndy · Jan 4, 2020

Man, you are testing my memory of what I was thinking. Had to read back on this thread. I believe I was just talking about is a place for copepods to grow without being in the main flow of the sump. When I was talking about it, I was making a refugium out of a container in the sump (since no baffles). by making the container at the water line on one side and teeth on the other so the water would flow in a specific direction and flow in and out of it. This would need some good measuring and adjustments to get right. I would just add rock. I hate sand in the sump.
Currently, I have just tons of rock in the sump (in my refugium area and return area of my 210g sump) and just in the sump of my (40/20g sump - no baffles). I have tons of pods on the rocks.
I changed to a waterfall type algae scrubber about 3 weeks ago on the 210g to see if it was any better than my UAS. Just mixing things up.

bjc451 · Jan 4, 2020

Yeah I knew it was a old thread. I just don’t have much room.

DeniseAndy · Jan 4, 2020

Throw some rock around the ps and pump and under it. You will get colonies there.

bjc451 · Jan 4, 2020

I was thinking if I could put a little bit of sand and the rubble in a small jug like maybe vinegar size. And could even throw a little bit of chaeto contained in a little safe haven to prevent chaeto making a mess in the tank or sump.

DeniseAndy · Jan 4, 2020

I would not bother with cheato. If it does not tumble or get enough flow and right light it will just disintegrate. Unless you get and actual algae reactor. As I said, I hate sand. I had a DSB and tearing it out was a nightmare. In the sump I just use rock. Works great. I do this in my picos too. Just throw rubble in the filter and good to go.

I love sand in the display, not the sump.

bjc451 · Jan 4, 2020

I used to have miracle mud in this sump back in 2011. (The space under the mesh bag. I hated it too.)

Sethdarkus · Jan 4, 2020

bjc451 said:
Yeah I knew it was a old thread. I just don’t have much room.

my advise would be dragons tongue if you can’t give cheato good flow under half decent LEDs like a fugeray it will grow wild plus is easy to clean pest algae off of however turbo snails can destroy it

Sethdarkus · Jan 4, 2020

DeniseAndy said:
I would not bother with cheato. If it does not tumble or get enough flow and right light it will just disintegrate. Unless you get and actual algae reactor. As I said, I hate sand. I had a DSB and tearing it out was a nightmare. In the sump I just use rock. Works great. I do this in my picos too. Just throw rubble in the filter and good to go.

I love sand in the display, not the sump.

I use Aragonite in parts of my sump

JustinMN18 · Jan 11, 2021

I have a sponge in my trigger sapphire 34 sump between the fuge section and the return pump section. Do you remove this if you want pods to be able to be returned to the display?

DeniseAndy · Jan 11, 2021

May help with the larger ones. I do not know the flow of the trigger systems. So, depending on the sponge, may help to remove. Try it and find out. Should not hurt anything.

lumberjacks215 · Aug 28, 2021

DeniseAndy said:
Sorry, when I say sump, I am generally referring to a refugium section of the sump. You being newer, I should have clarified they need a spot they will not just get sucked into immediately. Yes, they eat detritis. This is another term for organic matter decaying, garbage, excretions (sounds better than poop), etc.

It is generally very beneficial to have a section for pods to grow. Using cheato or live rock or substrate or floss and sponge. I have a live rock section that I keep frags in built into the sump.

What did you use to create the refugium? I am setting up a new tank and I want to add one to a sump prior to start up. For reference the tank is a Red Sea 170 which has a 9 gallon sump. Thanks in advance