SuMP qUesTIoN?

[Hawain_Rob]

Starting my 60 gallon cube build soon. I want to get this sump..my question is, in the sump what is the best thing to use..live rock and sand,mangroves,chaeto or miracle mud,etc? And also would it be find to use mortar to hold dry rock together?

 

[Hawain_Rob]

Bump

 

[bpcass]

Personally I use live rock and a large aquaclear filter repurposed into a refugium with caulerpa on a reversed lighting schedule. Mortar might be ok but I'd make my own rather than buying something that might have additives in it. GARF has been making aragocrete rock for a few decades and I'd probably work off of their recipe http://www.garf.org/class.html
Mangroves look cool but require maintenance wiping off leaves and don't provide much nutrient uptake. Chaeto is easy, cheap, and has good uptake but doesn't look like much. Caulerpa is easy, cheap, has even better nutrient uptake, but has potential to become invasive or melt polluting tank. Never tried miricle mud because my sump flow rate is too high.

 

[melypr1985]

I use Calerpa and live rock in my sump. I don't know much about mortar and reef tanks so I can't comment there. I agree with the above regarding mangroves, chaeto and calerpa. I have had my calerpa die off once after pruning.... but it came back stronger than ever and I never had any adverse effects on my tank when that happened. (knock on wood)

 

[Reefing Madness]

Macro Algaes of any assortmant. Caulerpa can go asexual and spread rapidly throughout the tank, that scares some people.
http://live-plants.com/