fuge isnt the nitrate devourer i thought

[mookie]

could chaeto be doing more harm then good by catching stuff that are supposed to go to the sponges that i clean every other day. its my first sump so didnt set it up properly, the flow through my fuge is way to high....so should i get rid of the grass? or find a way to lower flow through my refugium area

 

[Candi]

First thing I'd try is removing whatever the sponges are you mentioned... those are likely what are holding onto your excess "stuff" even with every other day cleaning more then the chaeto?

 

[mladencovic]

Try reorganizing the sequence of chambers (their roles) the water goes through. Try mechanical filtration first (sock, sponges etc), skimmer second, chemical the third and biological filtration the last. The exact sequence for optimal performance is open for an argument, of course, and has to reflect the needs of your particular setup.

Is chaeto growing? If it is, then it is doing its job and is tolerating the flow for its own sake. However, strictly speaking, what you have described is not a refugium but a bio-filtration unit. If your refugium is really a refugium - a refuge for small pods and zooplankton, then for its optimal (mind, optimal and not a necessary) performance, the flow should be moderate and there shouldn't be any filters at its end. Reality of available resources (usually only a sump of constrained size and shape under the tank) dictate what we can have and what we can only dream of.

 

[Carlo]

If the every other day sponge cleaning isn't bothering you leave them in the system as they are one of the best nutrient export methods there is. If you clean them every couple of days you are removing the organics before they have a chance to break down.

The Cheato won't hurt anything even if it's seems like it's not doing anything.

What kind of lights do you have over the cheato and what light cycle are you running them on?

You'll probably notice a dramatic difference in the refugium if you slow down the flow. You would think if there is nitrates in the water it wouldn't matter what the flow rate is but refugiums just plain work better if they have a slower flow rate.

Carlo