Convert part of sump into refugium

[hnav94]

Hello I want to convert the large middle chamber of my sump into a refugium to increase my nutrients export to lower nitrates, currently it is filled with live rock from the previous owner of the system, would it be too much live rock to remove at once (100g total volume) if I take out roughly 25lbs of live rock from sump? I don't want to crash the system. Also how much of a problem is algae growth in the chambers next to a refugium

 

[TX_REEF]

it should not be a problem to remove rock assuming the whole system is mature, but it will significantly reduce the water volume in the system so you'll need to refill with new saltwater I think to get the water level back to normal. Light spillage can cause algae growth where you don't want it. I have a relatively large fuge in the sump of my frag tank (photo below, also shown in my tank thread), and I used "barn doors" (link here: https://amzn.to/3Cz73M0 ) to prevent light spillage where I don't want it.

 

[hnav94]

Good point on the water volume will have to do it on a water change. What light are you using with those barn doors and do you run it 24/7 or just at night? And I'm planning to fill it with chaeto unless there's any other suggestions

 

[TX_REEF]

Good point on the water volume will have to do it on a water change. What light are you using with those barn doors and do you run it 24/7 or just at night? And I'm planning to fill it with chaeto unless there's any other suggestions

I use a kessil H80: https://amzn.to/4fZIBly

I run it from 8pm to 8am, more or less counter to the display lights for ph stabilization (in theory). Chaeto is a good, easy choice. You can increase or decrease the lighting schedule based on your current nutrient levels and desired levels.

 

[hnav94]

Does it do well at keeping your nutrients in check? I'm consistently running 30-35 in the Nitrate department and i want to bring it down by half and keep it stable hopefully. Does that light need a separate timer? Thanks again

 

[TX_REEF]

Does it do well at keeping your nutrients in check? I'm consistently running 30-35 in the Nitrate department and i want to bring it down by half and keep it stable hopefully. Does that light need a separate timer? Thanks again

I don’t test as frequently as I should, but everything in my tank is happy so I suspect it does its job. If you need more nutrient reduction, just increase the lighting time per day. You can buy a kessil WiFi controller, but I just use a Kasa WiFi controlled outlet because it’s a lot cheaper, and if you buy the power strip you can use it for multiple devices. The app is free and easy to use. Any outlet timer will do, of course.

 

[bobnicaragua]

I have a bunch of live rock at the bottom of my refugium. No need to take it all out if there’s room above for cheato.

You can fine tune your nutrient export by adjusting the power of the fuge light and how long it runs.

I have always found systems to be more stable with a refugium.

Like TX_Reef said above, run the refugium opposite the main light schedule.

 

[hnav94]

it should not be a problem to remove rock assuming the whole system is mature, but it will significantly reduce the water volume in the system so you'll need to refill with new saltwater I think to get the water level back to normal. Light spillage can cause algae growth where you don't want it. I have a relatively large fuge in the sump of my frag tank (photo below, also shown in my tank thread), and I used "barn doors" (link here: https://amzn.to/3Cz73M0 ) to prevent light spillage where I don't want it.

could I see a better picture of how you have your light hung? going for the same setup

 

[TX_REEF]

could I see a better picture of how you have your light hung? going for the same setup

Sure thing - I simply mounted a metal curtain rod under the stand and used chains and carabiners. For the fixture, I used zip ties to attach it to a piece of eggcrate cut to size, with a hole in the center to prevent interference with the light: