Refugium

[Caelan]

The tank is now several months old and there have not been any serious problems until now. Currently, I am fighting a losing battle with cyano. I'm sure that I have been overfeeding the livestock and that is the cause, so I have scaled back the feeding and am going to set up a refugium immediately to aid in nutrient export from the system.

Learning from my mistake of not having my display tank drilled, I am definately going to drill the refugium tank and plumb it inline between my pump and display tank. It will have water pumped directly into it, slowed by a baffle, and will then gravity drain over another baffle and though the drilled hole in the bottom of the 'fuge tank and into the display tank. Scottish has generously offered to help me establish a copepod culture and now, I am going to look into getting some miracle mud and some chaetomorpha macro algae. In the future, I might consider a mangrove pod either instead of or in addition to the chaetomorpha. I will also set up a small NO lighting rig on an opposite schedule from the main tank.

Does anyone see any problems here? I'd like to identify anything I might need to change before I actually build it. Input welcome.

[jasonkozey]

I've alway kept my tanks extremely clean. I had a losing battle with cyano about 6months ago and my tank was 4 years old. It acually choked out some of my corals! I bought a UV sterilizer and within a couple of days NO MORE CYANO. I've never had any since!!! Just make sure the uv is big enough. Some may agrue they kill good bacteria. I have to nitrates so who cares. Also keeps ick under control.

IMHO best investment ever. I even upgraded my pump and skimmer to fight and the UV was the thing that fixed it.

Jason