Fairly new to this hobbie and got couple questions I got a 50 gal dt and 30 g sump 1 third is a fuge with maybe 3 inches of sand some lr and chaeto wandering if anyone would kind of explain how it works I get the chaeto obsorbing nutrients but not sand or lr in it. Also if you could tell me if there is anything I should be doing to it ex.change sand cleaning etc.i have had it for a year and was already established. It's probably 4 or 5 years old all together I have never done anything to it.
Questions On Fuge
- Thread starter dickybird
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Jewel
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- Oct 11, 2011
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- Wingham Ontario
I love having a Fuge, all the ones I've set up have rock rubble and Cheato in it not sand. I don't recommend taking your sand out of it since it is established and shouldn't hurt it by no means but think the purpose of the Fuge is to grow Cheato for nutrient export and to have an area of your tank to promote Pods and to keep them safe from Predators
Jewel
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- Oct 11, 2011
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- Wingham Ontario
what you have is a combo fuge/remote sand bed, leave the sand alone, don't clean it or disturb it, I had a small fuge with lots of cheato packed in there with an led light and never had a nitrate problem, didn't use bio-pellets, ran gfo and carbon 24/7 and didn't have any algea and it's an interesting area, the kids loved all the little bugs swimming around. it's definitely beneficial for your system.
pulpfiction1
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what are your test results?if everything is where it should be at then you need to do nothing.
at 3" i personally dont consider it a DSB,but does have benefit,both the sand and the cheato both remove unwanted nutients,and being as established as long as you say how can you not know how it works? just curious,i dont use LR in my sump but that is a different debate,sand and LR harbour bacteria needed for life to exsist long term in the closed system
All test results are good.I was just unsure what happens in the long run. I've read alot of ppl cleaning sand in dt some do some don't some take sand away and then add more. I don't clean dt sand just lots of sand snails. So what your telling me is keep up the good work and don't do anything to it. So why do ppl put lr and sand in a fuge if they already have it in dt?
theyangman
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- May 22, 2013
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- London, Ontario
The test results will gauge what you need to change in your fuge.
If everything balances leave it alone!
If everything balances leave it alone!
Th
They put sand in the fuge but at greater depth and use it as a deep San bed to help process nutrients. The DSB allows for different layers to form for bacteria. Aerobic, anaerobic and anoxic. Each layers bacteria process different nutrients. They put it in the fuge because it is easier to maintain or take out if it becomes stagnant and starts to be a nutrient sink. The lr is put in the fuge as an extra way for denitrifacation within the rocks. Also for places for pods to form.
Like theyangman said if it all balances out don't mess with things.
They put sand in the fuge but at greater depth and use it as a deep San bed to help process nutrients. The DSB allows for different layers to form for bacteria. Aerobic, anaerobic and anoxic. Each layers bacteria process different nutrients. They put it in the fuge because it is easier to maintain or take out if it becomes stagnant and starts to be a nutrient sink. The lr is put in the fuge as an extra way for denitrifacation within the rocks. Also for places for pods to form.
Like theyangman said if it all balances out don't mess with things.
You are welcome.
It all boils down to how you want to set your fuge up. Lots of different ways to do it.
I used to put a DSB in my sump but I found that over time I had to up my maintenance on it. So now for better long term I just put a thin layer of substrate if any and put LR and a macroalgae like chato or caulerpa so it can be harvested regularly seems to do the trick for me.
It all boils down to how you want to set your fuge up. Lots of different ways to do it.
I used to put a DSB in my sump but I found that over time I had to up my maintenance on it. So now for better long term I just put a thin layer of substrate if any and put LR and a macroalgae like chato or caulerpa so it can be harvested regularly seems to do the trick for me.
scubasteve
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- May 4, 2014
- Location
- Cambridge, Ontario
scubasteve
Distinguished Member
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- May 4, 2014
- Location
- Cambridge, Ontario
check out my thread in the diy section here i build a small one for myself that i still use to this day and should be a few posts in my tank thread in members tanks showing my inner workings as well
AdInfinitum
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- Jan 12, 2012
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- Thorndale, Ontario
Just a note on algae scrubbers....
In the same way that hard corals emit compounds that inhibit the growth of algae, most non-calcerous algae (especially turf algae) produce compounds that inhibit stony coral growth. If you are using a scrubber you might want to consider directing its effluent into your skimmer or carbon both of which will effectively eliminate those compounds.
In the same way that hard corals emit compounds that inhibit the growth of algae, most non-calcerous algae (especially turf algae) produce compounds that inhibit stony coral growth. If you are using a scrubber you might want to consider directing its effluent into your skimmer or carbon both of which will effectively eliminate those compounds.
scubasteve
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- May 4, 2014
- Location
- Cambridge, Ontario
the turf algae your referring to is just hair algae we dont magically introduce some algae we use what naturally occurs me personnally prefer it in my sump than dt... and if your keeping corals your already running carbon but is kinda hard to hook a scrubber to a return so it has no choice but to pass your skimmer and carbon.
There is more false info on scrubbers out there than anything else.
There is more false info on scrubbers out there than anything else.