So I recently set up a new tank and have a sump with a fuge chamber. Tank just completed cycled and there’s a few fish in there now. My question is should I use a fuge and if yes then when should I get it going? I’ve used a cheato reactor on a smaller tank before and it was very nice until it starved my tank of nutrients. I got rid of it and then had algae and nutrient issues in the tank. So if I set up a fuge how can I keep it from starving nutrients from the tank? Thanks in advance!
FUGE QUESTION
- Thread starter G_Lows
- Start date
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Aidanwolf
Well-Known Member
I am not exactly sure on the nutrient part, but I would guess more fish and food would help supply more nutrients to a tank. I would get a refugeum if I where you not only are they great for filtering nutrient, they are great for giving copepods a place to live and multiply.
RCS82
Well-Known Member
Just shorten your lighting period on your fuge if nutrients get reduced to fast. When to start your fuge is up to you. It's been debated before whether to start right off the bat or wait til the tank is more established.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
So I recently set up a new tank and have a sump with a fuge chamber. Tank just completed cycled and there’s a few fish in there now. My question is should I use a fuge and if yes then when should I get it going? I’ve used a cheato reactor on a smaller tank before and it was very nice until it starved my tank of nutrients. I got rid of it and then had algae and nutrient issues in the tank. So if I set up a fuge how can I keep it from starving nutrients from the tank? Thanks in advance!
Two options: reduce photoperiod or intensity / feed more. You are not just feeding fish. You are feeding an ecosystem. If you want things to grow, your tank needs carbon to grow biomass. Food is a carbon source. Carbon dioxide plus photosynthesis equals glucose which is a carbon source for your reef tank.
Subsea
5000 Club Member
If you add a large cuc too early, before algae grows, some will starve.
sikorskys
Active Member
I did the same thing, have starved my tank with fuge, resulting in huge dino outbreak.
Still using fuge though. You should decide on acceptable nutrients levels and CONTROL chaeto amount or light schedule all the time.
Still using fuge though. You should decide on acceptable nutrients levels and CONTROL chaeto amount or light schedule all the time.
I added an ATS and anytime I had a problem with my nutrients getting to low I add a fish. Then another. Then another. Until the problem went away forcing me to regulate what I was feeding. Which put me in control.
