What's Been Your Experience? - Started up refugium day 1

[LeChatCommence]

Hey all,

I'm curious to hear others experiences about starting up the refugium day 1. My current build is a 57g cube from fijicube, 20 gallon long sump, 150-INT 6" reef octopus skimmer, into refugium w/ a brightwell biobrick started in microbacter7 and ulva, Kessil H160 set to grow @ 50% int. No filter socks. Red Sea Coral Pro @ 1.025. pH8.2. alk dKH 11. 26C. I turned the lights on in the main tank after a month still acclimating them. (pictures are chronological)


Honestly the reason I started day 1 was because chaeto was scarce and Algaebarn happened to have ulva so I snagged it when I could. I had been planning on waiting for the cycle. That said, its been pretty unbelievable. I filled the tank brought it up to temp and inoculated the biobrick with microbacter7 for 24hrs. Then let it run fishless for a week to clear the inevitable bacterial bloom. I added a juve maroon clown and turned on the fuge.


I spent the next 3 weeks testing everyday for NH3, NO2, NO3 (red sea kits) and to my surprise I had 3 days of just a hint of nitrite before getting nitrate. I never had any measurable ammonia. Ever since, I've been running <2ppm nitrate. Its been 4 more weeks since then and I've added some trochus, nassarius, and a couple scarlet hermits.

I have to believe the refugium is the reason for this. Has anyone had similar experiences with starting it up day 1, pre-cycle? I was nervous the ulva would just die and I did see some of it bleach out but the vast majority did okay. Since I started having measurable nitrate its been cruising. Do any of you all have similar experiences? Horror stories also welcome!!

 

[blaxsun]

Personally, I abhor refugiums. But more power to you if they work for you.

 

[Falc!]

I started fuge with bio brick and cheato on day 1...skipped ammonia ans nitrite, one day went from 0 to low nitrates and then nitrates kept climbing

 

[TheDragonsReef]

Personally, I abhor refugiums. But more power to you if they work for you.

Im just curious cause ive never seen someone that hated them even if they didnt use them. What was your bad experience with them?

 

[blaxsun]

Im just curious cause ive never seen someone that hated them even if they didnt use them. What was your bad experience with them?

The maintenance. Slimy, messy - have to continually remove to stay on top of it. My GFO/Zeo reactors accomplish the same thing in a lot less space with far less mess and way less maintenance.

With the space I saved on a refugium, I'm able to run a pump for my UV and several large MarinePure bio blocks.

 

[Jeffcb]

I have had mine running since the tank started or shortly there after. Chaeto didn't grow but grape culerpa grows like a wild fire. The only thing I can warn you about is bottoming out N03 and P04. If you let them bottom out you are inviting cyano or various bacteria blooms. My N03 is always been barley measurable. I have had a bac bloom. Feeding more and addition flow fixed it. Sometimes I have to dose P04. I feed like crazy but N03 is barley measurable.

 

[LeChatCommence]

@Jeffcb I like the mangrove! I've been wondering about running super low nitrate phosphate as it relates to some of those issues. I haven't really been too concerned yet though because im still ramping up my bio load over the next couple months. Do you carbon dose at all?

 

[Jeffcb]

@Jeffcb I like the mangrove! I've been wondering about running super low nitrate phosphate as it relates to some of those issues. I haven't really been too concerned yet though because im still ramping up my bio load over the next couple months. Do you carbon dose at all?

No reason for carbon dosing in my reefer 250 l. Nitrate is barely detectable. I do harvest the Culerpa regularly hoping that will raise nitrate but it doesn't.

In my Reefer 900 l fowlr I do carbon dose with RS NO POx. Doesnt take much with the refugium though. About half of RS recommended dose.