Evo 13.5 Chamber 2 Refugium / Ideas

[mr_noodles]

I've seen mixed results with running a refugium in chamber 2 with clean chaeto (with grow light attached to back). Has anyone had luck with macroalgae in a nano sump?

I'd like to run filter floss and bio balls in chamber 1 with the chaeto in chamber 2. If you have other ideas or have been successful with yours, please let me know!

 

[BarSnackz]

I think nano builds that incorporate a fuge are super cool and intuitive, but.... not worth it. With a tank that small, you can make 5 gallons of saltwater and remove a glass of water form the tank and put in fresh saltwater every day to keep the nutrients in check.
Cool idea, but not really worth it.

 

[mr_noodles]

I think nano builds that incorporate a fuge are super cool and intuitive, but.... not worth it. With a tank that small, you can make 5 gallons of saltwater and remove a glass of water form the tank and put in fresh saltwater every day to keep the nutrients in check.
Cool idea, but not really worth it.

So just stick with a floss/chemipure/purigen in chamber 1 with bioballs in chamber 2?

 

[Thadunc]

I have seen people make the chaeto reactors with the led light strips. They seem pretty cool, but yeah water changes are so easy with that tank, im not sure if its worth it.

 

[mr_noodles]

Thanks everyone - got everything set up and I'm running floss, Fluval Zeo-Carb, and bio balls on the bottom (got the inTank media box). #2 is just a heater, and #3 with the return (stock). In the tank, I have a 250gph power head. I'm glad I started everything up prior to the cloudiness settling, as I was able to see the flow throughout the tank. Appears to me no dead spots, but I occasionally get a "sand tornado" below the overflow box. I plan on putting a very small airstone in chamber 2 (enough to oxygenate but not enough to produce microbubbles in the display. Also, maybe a gracilaria "tree"? My last tank had so many GHA spots and don't want it to happen again. I'm dosing with coraline spores tomorrow so hopefully that out completes other nuisance algae.

 

[Bigbaby]

I have an IM14g peninsula nano that I've been running a fuge in the first chamber. Tanks been running 2 years now and quite stable with nutrients. I use an intank media basket with filter floss on top and chaeto in the center/bottom compartments. I'm my experience, I had trouble growing chaeto in the beginning, but my success was when I changed salt mixes from redsea coral pro to two little fishies accurasea 1. I run a nuvoskim dc in the second chamber and return on the third chamber with ato and dosing tubes. I dont use a heater since theres no space lol but the heat generated from the return pump keeps temp in check. I'm in socal so we dont get too much "weather" here. I do 10% water changes weekly and on every other week I discard quite a bit of chaeto. Everyone's tank is different and I'm sure theres a ton of variables that came to play in the success of a nano tank using a fuge. At the end of the day, it all depends on how easy or complicated you would like to make things and finding a way to get to your goal. Later when you feel like messing with the, you should try setting up a fuge lol. Best of luck to you!

 

[mr_noodles]

I have an IM14g peninsula nano that I've been running a fuge in the first chamber. Tanks been running 2 years now and quite stable with nutrients. I use an intank media basket with filter floss on top and chaeto in the center/bottom compartments. I'm my experience, I had trouble growing chaeto in the beginning, but my success was when I changed salt mixes from redsea coral pro to two little fishies accurasea 1. I run a nuvoskim dc in the second chamber and return on the third chamber with ato and dosing tubes. I dont use a heater since theres no space lol but the heat generated from the return pump keeps temp in check. I'm in socal so we dont get too much "weather" here. I do 10% water changes weekly and on every other week I discard quite a bit of chaeto. Everyone's tank is different and I'm sure theres a ton of variables that came to play in the success of a nano tank using a fuge. At the end of the day, it all depends on how easy or complicated you would like to make things and finding a way to get to your goal. Later when you feel like messing with the, you should try setting up a fuge lol. Best of luck to you!

Awesome setup! I'm assuming you have a grow-light or something to that nature affixed to the back for chamber 1? I currently have two clowns and a xenia - not too concerned with nutrient export just yet but I know the time will come and want to be ready.
With your dosing tubing, how often do you have to dose?

 

[Bgmrc]

I run my 13.5 with media chamber 1 and filer floss top...chemipure elite in 2nd removable chamber and few bio balls and ceramic bio in bottom 3rd spot...second back chamber has few bio balls and small pac ceramic...3rd is return upgraded pump and heater....