HOB Refugium or Reactor?

WeedyDragon

WeedyDragon

New member
As I progress in this hobby, I realize that I would have done some things differently as far as equipment. Not being able to go back in time, I need to make the best of what I have and make it better. :becky:

Everything went well until my unknown rise in phosphates which has led to hair algae. Im doing weekly water changes, blowing off my rock, siphoning sand, turning off pumps/target feeding fish, and using RODI and saltwater made with RODI. Its not enough. So, Im trying to find the best solution for my tank without looking cluttered with multiple pumps, etc..

Refugiums vs Reactors

Is a refugium with macro algae the way to go? I was looking at CPR's AquaFuge 2PS. Its a HOB refugium and skimmer in one. Has anyone used or seen these before?

http://www.cpraquatic.com/products/aquafugeps.html

If I absolutely had to, I could add a GFO media reactor to my tank. But with my HOB skimmer outlet and pump taking up so much room, Id need to move around rockwork or drill holes to add another pump for the reactor. Or, just add a sock of media to my skimmer. :p


Any recommendations and advice are GREATLY appreciated.
 
i never used the cpr fuge skimmer combo but ive used the big refugium hob with a seperate cpr bak pak skimmer they work ok . gfo reactor might work faster though u using ro water what kinds of foods u feeding. live rock was it dry. or cycled already . had bunch of friends with issues of dry rock leaching phosphates
 
Can u post some photos of your tank, your plumbing, and under hood? Then I an give you a better idea of my thoughts
 
I'd personally go with some gfo in a reactor for now...it'll take a whole lot of cheato in a refugium and time before you notice po4 levels go down.
 
madjoe said:
i never used the cpr fuge skimmer combo but ive used the big refugium hob with a seperate cpr bak pak skimmer they work ok . gfo reactor might work faster though u using ro water what kinds of foods u feeding. live rock was it dry. or cycled already . had bunch of friends with issues of dry rock leaching phosphates
Click to expand...

I feed once a day and alternate between flake and frozen. I only have 3 fish for now: midas blenny, purple firefish, and a cardinal. I usually use about a 1/4 cube of frozen when I feed. Flake is harder to judge. I add gradually and watch who eats what (my blenny is a glutton).

I set my tank up with Fiji Live Rock. It cycled pretty fast. Tank is 9 months old this month. Never had any problems until 2 months ago. Only thing I changed was an addition of coral, and upgraded my lighting about 3 months ago.

Ccncomm said:
Can u post some photos of your tank, your plumbing, and under hood? Then I an give you a better idea of my thoughts
Click to expand...

Ill post some pics of my setup shortly so you guys can see what Im working with.
 
Ok, so basically I was just trying to use liverock, live sand, a skimmer, and frequent water changes to sustain my tank. I built the stand custom for this setup. There is a hidden chamber behind the tank to fit equipment, ie: skimmer. All cords are then threaded down the back of the chamber through a drilled hole leading to a bottom cabinet where all electrical is located.

DSC05449.jpg


IMG_20121104_204341.jpg


Looking down into chamber
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IMG_20121104_204126.jpg


Ideally I'd like to find a working solution that looks as clean as possible.
 
I was asking food cause lot of frozen food has phosphates. But if feeding that lite shouldnt be a issue if u drill out hole on the pump of that cpr little bigger it creates more bubbles and skimms better. Cut down on Light time and keep temp at 78 if possible higher temp creates more algae other then that u can put a bag of phosphate remover in return chamber of skimmer
 
madjoe said:
I was asking food cause lot of frozen food has phosphates. But if feeding that lite shouldnt be a issue if u drill out hole on the pump of that cpr little bigger it creates more bubbles and skimms better. Cut down on Light time and keep temp at 78 if possible higher temp creates more algae other then that u can put a bag of phosphate remover in return chamber of skimmer
Click to expand...

So 1/4 cube is fine for 3 fish? Im not over feeding?
I currently keep my temp between 78-79.. I can drop it to 77-78.
I have a SPS dominant tank, how much would you recommend reducing the lighting period?
What phosphate remover do you recommend?

Sorry for the questions! Haha.. and Thanks for your suggestions.
 
No definitly not. I use tropic marin and like it but any will woek better then none how many hrs u have lights on now. Led right
 
LEDs on 8 hours a day. I was using TruLumen LEDs then upgraded to a DIY cree kit in August. You think the lighting has anything to do with the bloom?

I have one peppermint shrimp but I only see him when I feed. He usually steals food floating in the water column versus the sand bed. Haha!
 
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