Silly sump/fuge question

[zbrusko]

Hi,

I have a nice empty chamber in my sump I am thinking of using it for a refugium. I have a skimmer now with socks & a roller mat on order, and while I originally intended to add a turf scrubber, that may be overkill & will not provide a good home for pods. Given a goal is pod reproduction & survival, I have some questions:

Should this pod goal even be a goal? Is so, how do pods get into the display? Do they just flow through the return? If so, must I remove the final sponge leading to the return pump? That seems like a bad idea, as then any fuge gunk can get to the pump. Or, must I “shake out” any macroalgae into the display when harvesting?

Lastly, if I go this route, is dosing phyto required? How do I know how much to dose?

Thanks

 

[Savage Henry]

I have only about one years experience with using a sump.

If you find a spot to grow chaeto in your sump you shouldn’t need a turf scrubber. My chaeto has grown so well my nutrients are very low and I’ve had to reduce the light it gets.

To allow pods to circulate, as well as other cuc like stomatella snails etc, I removed my sump filter sock. I usually only gave the filter sock in place when I clean algae from the display tank.

With the transfer of pods etc from the sump, I’d say they do go through the return pump. But bear in mind, it’s not necessarily the adult pods/snails that are transferred - it could be the tiny naupli etc. So, if you have populations multiplying in the sump, it may just be the younger phases being transferred into your display and these little critters can then live in your rock work and grow to adults there.

 

[Savage Henry]

Also, regarding manual transfer of critters, I’m usually transferring excess snails back into my sump.

Best to check your display tank at night using a red light to evaluate what’s in there.

 

[zbrusko]

To allow pods to circulate, as well as other cuc like stomatella snails etc, I removed my sump filter sock.

Do you have a sponge between the refugium & the return pump chamber?

 

[KrisReef]

Do you have a sponge between the refugium & the return pump chamber?

I have removed all sponges from return pumps because I am too lazy to clean them and they restrict the flow over time. A screen to prevent snails and fish from entering pumps is a good thing, but sponges collect grunges.

My fuge in my fish tank is so full of chaeto that it acts like a sponge in that chamber.

 

[zbrusko]

Do you dose phyto for your pods?