BP or keep refugium?

[islander84]

Is running biopelets better than a refugium stock with,,dsb...lr...and lots of chaeto? chaeto grows good...t8 light sitting on top of tankw/piece of plexi between light and tank.....running gfo and just started dosing mb7...but params have always been 0 on N & P

 

[subielover]

I will never run a tank without a refugium.

 

[ToXIc]

the thing to concider is why use mechanical/chemical means when you have a biological equivalent..

 

[islander84]

good point kevan....i guess there are downsides to BP...and if the power goes out or something the refugium will be just fine...low maintenance......my concern was dosing the mb 7 for water clarity and cyano....but if carbon has to be dosed with it...it will starve out the chaeto...if it doesnt have to be dosed with the mb7 all should be fine.

 

[Troylee]

i wouldn't run a tank with a fuge!!!!!:tongue: im a fan of a high flow sump with equipment only for quick turn overs etc.... chateo is one thing but these so called dsb that people put in there sumps are doing nothing unless there big real big!!!!! a fuge almost work's off of surface area from my exp.... i have personally found anything less than 25 percent of the display volume is worthless and causes more problems by collecting detrius etc.....just my2 although many disagree...... wish calfo was still around he had some good write ups on it...

 

[slice]

i wouldn't run a tank with a fuge!!!!!:tongue: im a fan of a high flow sump with equipment only for quick turn overs etc.... chateo is one thing but these so called dsb that people put in there sumps are doing nothing unless there big real big!!!!! a fuge almost work's off of surface area from my exp.... i have personally found anything less than 25 percent of the display volume is worthless and causes more problems by collecting detrius etc.....just my2 although many disagree...... wish calfo was still around he had some good write ups on it...

I have a HOB 4.6g fuge on my 47g DT , 10 percent; which is what I have read is the minimum for meaningful nutrient export...but...the chaeto does also serve as "living filter floss". I have to rinse it about every other water change. However, with only this I have had undetectable nitrates and P04 for the last 8 months.

 

[coralkiller]

Kinda OT but within the ball park I guess.... Have you looked into an Algae Turf Scrubber? Ran one on my 75gl mixed for over a year and perams. were always at 0.

I only did one water change over the course of that year, topped off and was skimmer less. The one I built only cost me about $25.