Refugium setup

[gogol]

For my 20G, 3 week old tank, I got hold of a CPR medium refugium some days back.
It has a Rio 4HF Hyperflow Pump rated at 260 gph and will shortly getting have an 18W 50-50 light.
http://www.njreefers.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=16278.msg149951#msg149951

My aim is to provide vegetative filtration, and to create a [phyto and zoo] plankton reactor for my tank residents.

So my questions are these:
1. Do I go with live sand/live rock substrate or with miracle mud ?
2. Is the setup good to enough to support Chaeto and Gracilaria? Are there any other benifitial macro algae that you would recommend ?
3. Would I get the required pod / pod larvaue from substrate samples collected from my LFS refugia or do I have to buy commercial packages ?
4. Are there any particular pods you would recommend for nutrient supply to softies like ricordia, leather corals and zoos?

 

[vangvace]

1) My personal preference is mud for mangroves, sand for the rest. I'm moving towards mud if roots, but am still researching more about macroalgea root systems.
2) Yes and many. (I'll edited this later with a macroalgea site)
3) They'll come naturally from in the tank. Getting a cup of sand or rubble from fellow reefers is a great option as well.
4) Wouldn't worry too much about it. If you build it, they will grow.

 

[mkreef]

I didn't bother with any expensive light for my fuge. Simple $10 ClipOn shop light from home depot with $7 ~15w daylight 6000k Compact Flouresant light (rated at 100watts). My Cheato grows crazy under it.

So my questions are these:
1. Do I go with live sand/live rock substrate or with miracle mud ?

I think live sand is easier if you have some available. Never used miracle mud since argonite sand will harbor the same organisms. If you have an established sand bed in your display, you can grab a handful from there to seed the sand in the fuge.

2. Is the setup good to enough to support Chaeto and Gracilaria? Are there any other benifitial macro algae that you would recommend ?

Yes, If you have room, you can try some mangrove shoots.

3. Would I get the required pod / pod larvaue from substrate samples collected from my LFS refugia or do I have to buy commercial packages ?

If you get chaeto from someone, or the LFS, it probably is already covered with copepods, amphipods, tiny brittle stars, brissle worms. Gogol, if I knew last night that you wanted cheato, I could have given you a large chunk of mine

4. Are there any particular pods you would recommend for nutrient supply to softies like ricordia, leather corals and zoos? 

[Edited...] Misread question. But still relevant. To feed your corals, here are some options. But particular pods for specific corals, I do not know what/if softies prey on pods. More like zoo/phyto plankton (microscopic) & debris from feeding freznies in the wild.

Fish poop (no action needed), finely ground-up frozen fish food(mysis, shrimp, krill, brine shrimp, squid, etc..., i.e. marine snow). I cut the frozen cubes into almost shavings to get small particulates.  When I feed my fish, I also target feed my corals. I'm in school of thought that if it has a mouth, feed it.

 

[JRWOHLER]

1. I have mud in my fuge, then sand, and rubble. I would say if you have mangroves yes, it works for me but it is a good sized fuge so if space is a premium skip it.
2. Yes, you can go cheaper if you like. You want around a 6500K bulb.
3. I got pods from local folks, including some cheato and rubble from local members. If you need cheato LMK. I always have it to go.
4. I just pick some pods up now and then but they grow pretty much on their own. I like to look at them though and keep my DT stocked so whatever you get your hands on cheap is IMO a good solution.

 

[gogol]

Need to ID macro algae

I got the light from rehype and he also threw in some of his macro algae which can be seen in the post below.
http://www.njreefers.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=15228.msg149004#msg149004

He gave me 3 types:
1. The green sinewy algae
2. The green lettuce-like algae
3. The red algae.

Could someone please help me ID them and let me know if they are good for my refugium?

I got some other type of algae from AdamPl, whose pics I would be putting up later.

 

[panmanmatt]

1. codium
2. ulva
3 looks like a sargassum species

They are all good, but if you are looking for something that will grow quickly and remove a lot of nutrients those aren't the best macros for that.

 

[gogol]

Thanks panmanmatt ... I will be sending some more pics of my refugium setup this evening ..

 

[gogol]

Should they stay or should they go

I ID-d my last macro as grape caulerpa. I have been reading horror stories about these guys. Is it OK to keep them? Could I use carbon pellets to nullify or mollify the effects of their sexual discharge?

I was also thinking of using one of the chambers of my refugium for chemical filtration using carbon pellets et al.

Can filtering with carbon just before the water re-enters the tank, cause issues with with nutrient supply?

 

[panmanmatt]

Keep the caulerpa trimmed and it won't go sexual. It only goes sexual when folks throw it in the fuge and forget about it.

 

[gogol]

Want to grow live food ...

From either the grape caulerpa I got from AdamPl, or the other macro algae I got from rehype, I got a lot of pods ( dont know what type so not categorising them).

All of a sudden, I see a couple of small brittle star and sand sifter stars surface out. [Cause and effect ? ]

Any how now the little guys are all over and I was wondering if this was good/bad:

Can they all die and cause a system crash by spiking ammonia?
Will they eat up snail poop ?
I dont have any fish but have some softies and...a some candy cane heads .. will any of tank residents consume the pods ?
Is there any other such live food that I could culture in the fuge? [brine shrimp, mysis shrimp etc.]

Here's my livesatock list ..

4 red hermit ..
4 blue hermit ..
7 turbo snail ..
2 peppermint shrimp
Brittle starfish, sand sifter star fish

Clove Polyp
Red and blue shrooms
Red and Dragon Eye zoos
Devil's finger
Leather Toadstool
GSP frag
Orange sponge
Candycane

 

[vangvace]

Yes pods will eat poop and there is a good chance that you received some stars with the new macro.

The stars, shrimp and candycane will eat the pods.

I wouldn't worry about a tank crash. If you'd like you can get a small bottle of phyto and feed 1 or 2 times a week.