cycling/refuge

[MaxCanada]

I've got a 36G bow front with a sump, I'm going to begin cycle in a few weeks, do I set up my refuge the same time as my tank with sand and live rock ect, and cycle it all together

 

[wysiwyg]

yes if your gonna have substrate in your fuge cycle it with your tank

 

[BarbH]

Hello and welcome to r2r :welcome: I agree I would cycle it all at the same time.

 

[Loki]

Welcome to the forum!

I would throw everything in at the same time and cycle it all together.

 

[MaxCanada]

Thank you for the welcomes! ok great, what would be the best contents to put into the refuge for this first cycling stages?

 

[mallorieGgator]

For a refugium, I would put in a deep sand bed and macro algae. I wouldn't add rocks because in the sump, I think they tend to hold a lot of detritus. You will also need a light above the refugium so the macro algae will grow.

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[Loki]

I have rock and macro algae in mine. I didn't go deep sand bed just because I know I would mess with it too much.

The cheato and light is a must.

 

[MaxCanada]

Add cheato after cycling is complete?

 

[Loki]

I'm not sure if the cycle would hurt it or not but I would wait.

 

[wysiwyg]

chaeto wouldnt be hurt by the cycle but would be eating up the nitrates as the tank was cycling so i would wait untill you start to see some nitrates before you add the chaeto

 

[MaxCanada]

Great thank you for the thoughts, would it be better to get an in sump skimmer? it would be placed after the refuge in the same area as the return pump, or would a HOB be a better idea ?

 

[Loki]

Ideally it would be in sump and before fuge.

In sump skimmers are the way to go IMO

 

[Steelerfan747]

Welcome to r2r, hope you enjoy your stay and get all the answers you are looking for. I too would agree, set then up together

 

[MaxCanada]

well i got a proflex sump and there really is no room before the refuge, and even in the products manual it shows the skimmer after the refuge

 

[Loki]

I just looked it up. Yeah it looks like your only option is to put it in with the return pump if you have enough room.

 

[MaxCanada]

Is there disadvantages to putting the skimmer after the refuge?

 

[mallorieGgator]

Is there disadvantages to putting the skimmer after the refuge?

Yeah, you want the skimmer to pull out a lot of gunk (waste products) before the water goes into the fuge.

 

[Loki]

Well that and you don't want it to pull pods out. This is ideal to have to slimmer before your fuge. I run my skimmer after mine. I just advise not to.

 

[MaxCanada]

did some thinking, ill just put the intake pump for the skimmer in the first chamber and just run tubing and set the rest in the return chamber

 

[MaxCanada]

any recommendations for a skimmer 36G going to a reef tank