CDavmd
AstroReefer
I’ve been reminiscing over the changes in reefing we’ve seen these past couple decades.
Things have come and gone, deep sand beds, 1-2 pounds of rock per gallon, plenums, some types of lighting, etc...
One that strikes me is the refugium. I have run them in the past. They did a reasonable job in the endless battle against nutrients. Back in the day, I ran them with sand, rock, pods, caulerpa....then came chaeto and mangroves.
Perhaps it was the small size or lighting but they were never the total solution. Then came vodka dosing and I found I could strip my system of nitrate and phosphate completely. Done with refugiums I said!
The carbon dosing brought its own issues over time. Once an overdose created such a bloom of bacteria that my pumps clogged with a sludge and slime of bacteria only to be followed by the dreaded Dino’s ugh!
In any event, I set up a frag tank about a year ago. It’s a modest 24x24x8 acrylic tank. I wanted to run it triton so I set it up with a triton sump.
I used some pond matrix on the floor of the refugium section and lighted it with a kessel. I keep a 6 line wrasse and lawnmower blenny in the frag tank along with an emerald crab and a couple trochus snails.
I started the system up and cycled with a cocktail shrimp. Nitrates eventually built up to about 20 and i then turned on the lights and started growing chaeto and some dragons breath.
All was good and nutrients were stable at Nitrate of 10-15 and phosphate of .06-0.1.
I added a few frags and they took off.
I feed heavily and all seemed good.
I never really thought a refugium could completely strip nutrients given my past experience but with these new lights [emoji15] wow!
Several months later I started noticing some STN from the bases.
I checked alk and it was rock stable along with Calcium, salinity and pH. My phosphate was low but detectable 0.01-0.03. I didn’t really check nitrate ( my kit was expired) and I couldn’t imagine it was zero since the macroalgae was growing well.
I was expecting some die off as per triton method but it was not coming. I kept feeding and the algae just kept taking off. I tried cutting back the fuge lighting and no change.
I finally tested nitrate and bingo it was zero. I fed more, harvested chaeto, less light, and still zero. Interestingly phos held given some of the pellet food I was using. Over the next two months nitrate stayed at zero despite feedings, etc and the chaeto kept growing.
I was considering dosing nitrate but decided to use reef energy instead. After a couple week I finally started seeing some nitrate and the STN stopped and started reversing.
Things have continued to improve. I guess I’m astounded at how effective the modern refugium when properly lit can be. Twenty years ago I would never have believed we could strip a system of all nutrients by simply growing macro algae! The times...they are a changing! [emoji6]
Happy reefing!
Things have come and gone, deep sand beds, 1-2 pounds of rock per gallon, plenums, some types of lighting, etc...
One that strikes me is the refugium. I have run them in the past. They did a reasonable job in the endless battle against nutrients. Back in the day, I ran them with sand, rock, pods, caulerpa....then came chaeto and mangroves.
Perhaps it was the small size or lighting but they were never the total solution. Then came vodka dosing and I found I could strip my system of nitrate and phosphate completely. Done with refugiums I said!
The carbon dosing brought its own issues over time. Once an overdose created such a bloom of bacteria that my pumps clogged with a sludge and slime of bacteria only to be followed by the dreaded Dino’s ugh!
In any event, I set up a frag tank about a year ago. It’s a modest 24x24x8 acrylic tank. I wanted to run it triton so I set it up with a triton sump.
I used some pond matrix on the floor of the refugium section and lighted it with a kessel. I keep a 6 line wrasse and lawnmower blenny in the frag tank along with an emerald crab and a couple trochus snails.
I started the system up and cycled with a cocktail shrimp. Nitrates eventually built up to about 20 and i then turned on the lights and started growing chaeto and some dragons breath.
All was good and nutrients were stable at Nitrate of 10-15 and phosphate of .06-0.1.
I added a few frags and they took off.
I feed heavily and all seemed good.
I never really thought a refugium could completely strip nutrients given my past experience but with these new lights [emoji15] wow!
Several months later I started noticing some STN from the bases.
I checked alk and it was rock stable along with Calcium, salinity and pH. My phosphate was low but detectable 0.01-0.03. I didn’t really check nitrate ( my kit was expired) and I couldn’t imagine it was zero since the macroalgae was growing well.
I was expecting some die off as per triton method but it was not coming. I kept feeding and the algae just kept taking off. I tried cutting back the fuge lighting and no change.
I finally tested nitrate and bingo it was zero. I fed more, harvested chaeto, less light, and still zero. Interestingly phos held given some of the pellet food I was using. Over the next two months nitrate stayed at zero despite feedings, etc and the chaeto kept growing.
I was considering dosing nitrate but decided to use reef energy instead. After a couple week I finally started seeing some nitrate and the STN stopped and started reversing.
Things have continued to improve. I guess I’m astounded at how effective the modern refugium when properly lit can be. Twenty years ago I would never have believed we could strip a system of all nutrients by simply growing macro algae! The times...they are a changing! [emoji6]
Happy reefing!
