Mangrove and macro side

[domination2580]

I'm thinking about putting in a glass sheet about 18" from one side of my tank. It would have slots on the top of it for water to be flowing. The small side would hold a deep sand bed, macro and some mangroves where I would keep my pods at. The slotted glass would let the water through as well as the pods. And would hold back the deep sand bed for the mangroves. This would be on a 120 gallon tank. The rest would have about a 1" deep sand bed for appearances. But I want to be able to have both the mangroves and a aquarium. My thoughts on it would be, a refugium in the tank, with mangroves and it would be blocked off from the fish so pods can populate and the macro doesn't get eaten...any thoughts, ideas?

 

[bobman]

How would you get water circulate? Seems like the water would get stagnant unless to tossed a power head in there along with a way to get the water back into the display

 

[NightStar]

Why not just set up an additional small display refugium plumbed into your current setup?

 

[domination2580]

It would have a small power head. And the glass sheet would be slotted which would allow some water movement....I haven't decided if I want to put the return into the aquarium side or the mangrove side...I was thinking having the overflow box in the mangrove area. The water wood go through the slots throughout the sheet of glass...and to the overflow box...and because I'm already going to have to add a 40 breeder for my lightning maroon and Morse code pair to keep them seperate

 

[bobman]

That would work. Honestly I would have the overflow in the dt and return in the fuge. Reason is the pods will go down the overflow and get skimmed by the skimmer (not that it wont happen some anyway).

 

[domination2580]

What do you mean

 

[bobman]

Pods are good at running on the rock and what ever but dont tend to be the best of swimmers from what I have seen. With the overflow being in the refugium any free swimming pods would more than likely go into the overflow and then get caught in any filters or sucked up the skimmer pump and skimmed out of the tank. By having the return in the refugium there would be no need for a power head as it would work just fine with your return line and any free swimming pods would more than likely end up in the display to be either free fish food or hopefully end up on the rock work and can run around and do what they do best (get eaten by fish). In the end either way you go its going to happen (does to everyones tank) pod will end up goiing down the over flow and getting filtered out. Just by having the overflow in the refugium I would think the chances of them being filtered would be a lot higher. Thats why in a typical sump setup you have the filtration skimmers what ever first then the refugium. The flow of water move any free swimming pod toward return pump and most survive going through the pump and end up in the display.

 

[domination2580]

Agreed