au01st

So after the deal falling through on the HOB refugium, I thought about other ways to add macro and thought of this. If I hook up the outlet of a spare Maxi-jet 900 to the top of this, and shine a 13watt CFL on there, I should get some good growth, right. I plan to stick this in the sump on a reverse lighting schedule.

And I already ordered the chaeto, so let me know if this won't work ASAP, lol.

Total cost was about $12

nemo addict

your chaeto would out grow that every week ,, when pods go through the return pump back to the tank a lot get killed but it would help yes ,,, why not just put the chaeto in your sump and this will have the same affects as the pods will grow on the chaeto anyway just put a few bits of shrimp in the chaeto and a bit ov LR from display with pods on to start

au01st

I'm sure it looks deceivingly small, but the flat sides on those are 8"-9" long, lol.

That's why I still want the HOB refugium, for the pod population, running a slower current. This will have at least 100gph flowing through that small box. This still is going in the sump, I just wanted some way to contain it so it doesn't get caught in the skimmer pump or anything else, since I don't have a dedicated "refugium" area in the sump for a DSB or anything.

I was going to make sure the bottom of the plastic container is 1" above the bottom of the sump tank to allow flow through, put in some live rock rubble, then the chaeto on top.

I have no problem trimming the chaeto every week, then I can sell it on eBay (where I bought mine from) for $10 a week, lol.

nemo addict

how many sections do you have in your sump on mine at the moment i have 1st section with lr rubble skimmer pump goin in to skimmer then flows from skimmer into 2nd section where i have my dsb chaeto and heater then a bubble trap then return pipe ,, but i do have another sump which is bigger that is going in the new setup as my current stand cant house a tall sump due to skimmer being so large

au01st

2 sections. It's only a 20 gallon sump and research showed I would need at least 8 gallons for a proper refugium, which is why I don't have one. The first half of the sump houses the inlet, skimmer, and heater, the second half has the return pump, auto top off float valve, and the pump for the phosphate reactor. The return pump is quite large and probably takes up half the room.

This will fit great in the first section of my sump in the back corner, and the light will fit nicely behind the tank. I'll try and get pics when I set it up. Right now I'm trying to work up the nerve to drill through the plastic so I don't crack it...

au01st

Now I just have to wait for the chaeto to show up and hook up the pump to this.

Outside the top half



Inside the top half

Matt

That looks cool

If you dont mind me asking. What are chaetos?

nemo addict

its a macro algae that absorbs(consumes) mostly nitrates ,,, and also absorbs a little phosphate s ,,,,

au01st

Well seeing as how I'm hooking this up to the outlet of my phosphate reactor, I should have 0 phosphates in my tank, lol.

The refugium is on hold for now, maybe after Christmas, but I want to get some macro growing in the tank. I'm hoping to get a 760watt MH/T5 combo fixture and a 1/4 HP chiller, so we'll see. I also need to make sure I can afford the power bill for that combo, lol.

This setup was easy to make, and if you have a pump and drill, cost about $20 for the two "bath caddy" units and a light. The piece that is the inlet to the container is from my Phosban Reactor, but they sell hook up kits for like $2, or you could go to Home Depot and find a fitting that fits. Then the deflector is off of the Maxi-jet pump (don't know if it'll be needed, but it looks cool). I'm just going to stick that down in the corner of the sump, hook up the hose, and point a 13watt compact fluorescent at it in an old reptile lamp fixture and put it on a reverse schedule from my T5 lighting.

nemo addict

i took my phospahte reactor out as i have grape caulpera and chaeto and my phosphates are below 5 all the time ,,, it feeds my 2 tangs

quentin8

Hey i just got this refugium and its great everything you need comes with it even pods .... if you do decide watch it for a couple of days because the price goes up and down almost daily i got mine for $129 http://cgi.ebay.com/HOB-Refugium-Pum...3A2%7C294%3A50

nemo addict

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COMPLETE-REFUG...1%7C240%3A1318 Theres same as mine but bit smaller and quentin8 you dont get no pods with that or it would state a culture kit and you dont even get any miracle mud or live sand ,