Questions about refugium setup

[FishyFish]

I'm putting together a 75g tank with a 36g sump that has a large space for a refugium. The last of the plumbing should be here tomorrow and I'm hoping to have water in it by next weekend, assuming everything goes smoothly.

At what point should I set up the refugium? Should I get it going right away or do I need to wait until after the tank is cycled? Will the pods and algae need to be acclimated just like anything else?

I saw that Algae Barn has a neat startup pack where they send you bottled bacteria then ship the pods and algae a week later after the bacteria has time to settle. I was thinking of this route but it's pretty expensive and they've been out of chaeto for a while. Should I go for it or is there another option I should check out instead?

I'd love some opinions or any tips on getting this done properly. Thanks!!

 

[Matt Carden]

I tried throwing a bunch of diversity in my tank after the cycle finished. I got diversity package from ipsf.com , garf.org and gulfliverock.com live rock all within 2 or 3 weeks and I think I would do it differently next time. I would spread it out longer.

Undeniably you need to establish your nitrifying bacteria population before adding anything else.

Are you using dry rock(reef saver, Marco, etc.)?
Dry sand live sand?
bottle bacteria? what brand? Ammonia source?

 

[FishyFish]

I tried throwing a bunch of diversity in my tank after the cycle finished. I got diversity package from ipsf.com , garf.org and gulfliverock.com live rock all within 2 or 3 weeks and I think I would do it differently next time. I would spread it out longer.

Undeniably you need to establish your nitrifying bacteria population before adding anything else.

Are you using dry rock(reef saver, Marco, etc.)?
Dry sand live sand?
bottle bacteria? what brand? Ammonia source?

I'm planning on cycling the tank with bottled bacteria, not sure which brand, I don't have any strong opinions on them. I think my LFS sells Fritz Turbostart so I'll probably end up using that. I will be feeding the bacteria with pure ammonia. After the bacteria has time to settle, I will then be moving the live rock from my current tank into the new tank and adding another 40 lbs of dry rock as well. Haven't decided on sand yet, but I'm not going to count on the sand as a source of bacteria. I was going to pick up some of the MarinePure blocks for the refugium itself as well.

 

[Goodair]

Once your tank has a steady nitrate supply, then you can prob start adding to your refugium, the macros will need food otherwise they will starve out.

 

[Orm Embar]

Once your tank has a steady nitrate supply, then you can prob start adding to your refugium, the macros will need food otherwise they will starve out.

Agreed - wait until you have nitrates/phosphates to feed the macroalgae. Beyond that, starting out simply (Chaeto, a light) makes sense to me. I'd wait until after the tank is cycled to introduce pods/etc as I wouldn't want to lose any while the tank was cycling.

 

[Matt Carden]

If you are using live rock to cycle your tank, first you shouldn't use ammonia. Is the live rock in a current running tank with fish? I would add bottled bacterial to aid in seeding the new dry rock.

 

[Dom]

Refugiums are for nutrient export. When you first set up your tank, there won't be any nutrients. Adding your refugium at that time will result in a die off of your macro algae as there is nothing for it to "feed" on.

I would monitor your tank cycle and watch for your nitrites and ammonia to come down to zero. When this happens, you will see your nitrates climb. Now you can set up your refugium.

 

[FishyFish]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I'll wait until after I'm sure it's finished cycling before I try to start the refugium.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good place to get pods and algae other than Algae Barn?

 

[Matt Carden]

Some have recommended https://www.podyourreef.com

 

[Dom]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I'll wait until after I'm sure it's finished cycling before I try to start the refugium.

Does anyone have any recommendations on a good place to get pods and algae other than Algae Barn?

I can help you out with Chaeto. PM me when your ready and I'll get some out to you.

 

[Peace River]

. . . Does anyone have any recommendations on a good place to get pods and algae other than Algae Barn?

AlgaGen Direct

You can also reach out to them directly here on R2R - @AlgaGen Direct.

 

[Peace River]

Refugiums are for nutrient export. When you first set up your tank, there won't be any nutrients. Adding your refugium at that time will result in a die off of your macro algae as there is nothing for it to "feed" on.

I would monitor your tank cycle and watch for your nitrites and ammonia to come down to zero. When this happens, you will see your nitrates climb. Now you can set up your refugium.

In addition to this good advice and what others added throughout this thread, I would also suggest that you start low on the intensity and length of time the light is on and then increase it over time.

 

[FishyFish]

Thanks again everyone for the advice and recommendations, I'll be checking those out!

@Dom Sorry it's taken me a while to get back with you, the past two days have been crazy busy. Thanks a bunch for offering to help out with the chaeto, I will definitely be PMing you in a week or two when the new tank is ready!