LordJoshaeus
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2018
- Messages
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Hi everyone! Long time no post...I took a break from saltwater for a while, but I am now interested in perhaps trying again. Since expense is an issue (can't spend much more than $10 a month on maintenance costs for this tank), I am interested in setting up a pico reef with a refugium. Here is my idea;
-Tank: A 2.5 gallon tank with a custom 1 gallon refugium (made from a clear food storage container)
-Heater: 25 watts (brand TBD)
-Pump: 50 GPH pump. Pumps water into the refugium, which will have an overflow to pour it back into the tank. I may also make the water be pumped through a bag of purigen.
-Substrate: None in display tank (for ease of maintenance). The refugium will have a thin layer of sand (around 1/2 inch)
-Water: RO water from a local super market (50 cents a gallon), finished in a 5 gallon with an 160 GPH pump forcing the water through a chamber full of DI resin for a day or two. I neither want nor need an RODI unit for a setup this small. The salt will be regular instant ocean.
-Water changes: 1 gallon a week, alternating between the refugium and the main tank. Not sure how much this tank will need for top offs...will start with 1/2 cup RODI water daily and adjust it as needed.
-Light: TBD, probably different between the refugium and the main tank. On for 8 hrs each day.
- Feeding schedule: 1/8th tsp flake food three days a week, 1/4th cube frozen food twice a week. No feeding on the weekend.
- Flora: A couple red macroalgaes for the display tank. Heaps of caulerpa (probably not prolifera) for the refugium to serve as filtration.
- Corals: A small sun coral. Other corals TBD.
- Fauna: Unsure (the sun coral might create too much bioload to allow any additional animals).
- Set up schedule: I will add the sand to the refugium, dry rock to the main tank, and salt water to both, and then add bio spira. I would feed as if the tank was stocked for 2 months, not turning the light on at all in that time, then add macroalgae (and the lights). I would wait another month or two before adding corals, and perhaps even longer before adding any mobile animals (probably just a sexy shrimp or two)
What do you guys think of this? Will this setup work well? And should I make any adjustments to my idea? I don't want to end up with an algae infested mess like my previous saltwater tanks. Thanks!
-Tank: A 2.5 gallon tank with a custom 1 gallon refugium (made from a clear food storage container)
-Heater: 25 watts (brand TBD)
-Pump: 50 GPH pump. Pumps water into the refugium, which will have an overflow to pour it back into the tank. I may also make the water be pumped through a bag of purigen.
-Substrate: None in display tank (for ease of maintenance). The refugium will have a thin layer of sand (around 1/2 inch)
-Water: RO water from a local super market (50 cents a gallon), finished in a 5 gallon with an 160 GPH pump forcing the water through a chamber full of DI resin for a day or two. I neither want nor need an RODI unit for a setup this small. The salt will be regular instant ocean.
-Water changes: 1 gallon a week, alternating between the refugium and the main tank. Not sure how much this tank will need for top offs...will start with 1/2 cup RODI water daily and adjust it as needed.
-Light: TBD, probably different between the refugium and the main tank. On for 8 hrs each day.
- Feeding schedule: 1/8th tsp flake food three days a week, 1/4th cube frozen food twice a week. No feeding on the weekend.
- Flora: A couple red macroalgaes for the display tank. Heaps of caulerpa (probably not prolifera) for the refugium to serve as filtration.
- Corals: A small sun coral. Other corals TBD.
- Fauna: Unsure (the sun coral might create too much bioload to allow any additional animals).
- Set up schedule: I will add the sand to the refugium, dry rock to the main tank, and salt water to both, and then add bio spira. I would feed as if the tank was stocked for 2 months, not turning the light on at all in that time, then add macroalgae (and the lights). I would wait another month or two before adding corals, and perhaps even longer before adding any mobile animals (probably just a sexy shrimp or two)
What do you guys think of this? Will this setup work well? And should I make any adjustments to my idea? I don't want to end up with an algae infested mess like my previous saltwater tanks. Thanks!
