What should I put in my fuge?

[KJAhp098]

I have a 20 gallon tank that I have hooked up to my filtration and I'm trying to decide what to do.

The tank will be SPS only and I'm thinking of going old school and putting in a 6" fine sand bed with cheato, but I see a lot of people saying it will only cause problems down the road.

I have an ATB elegance skimmer and will be running carbon and gfo passively when needed. Thanks.

 

[gig]

A Kraken

I would go LR only

 

[trackfast]

LR and macro algae. If you go with sand maybe a regular/1" rather than DSB.

 

[KJAhp098]

A Kraken

I would go LR only

I do have extra rock, but I think a 20g would be too small to have the rock be a significant benefit.

 

[KJAhp098]

LR and macro algae. If you go with sand maybe a regular/1" rather than DSB.

How come a 1" sand bed? I've read that a DSB of >5" is when the bacteria consume the nitrates.

 

[Reeflogic]

I used cheato for years and although it does do a good job, I just always thought it looked dirty and just not aesthetically pleasing. I picked up a frag pack of macro algae 5 months ago when I set up my 90g. It had a frag of red dragons breath in it and I placed a 5k LED spot light bulb from Mendards over it, now I have an entire fuge of this stuff. It outgrew the cheato and other species and is now the only thing I have in the sump. After researching this stuff, I really like it MUCH better than cheato or any other type. It does not go sexual in tanks, so it is not intrusive and will not root, so I zip tied it to rocks until it took off.

It houses pods just fine, looks badass and it lets me know when my nitrates are up or down, by changing colors. Deep, dark red with orange tips and my nitrates are up a little, I dose some bio-fuel every few days and it will start turning pale, check nitrates and they are zero, skip dosing until it gets red again. LOVE the stuff. I run a 1" bed of sand with mama-mia worms, brittle stars and bristle worms (all purchased through http://www.ipsf.com/ ) Works like a charm. I avoid any large pieces of LR in the fuge because it will just become a detritus trap. I only use rubble to give shelter for pods.

Hope that helps, good luck with your fuge!

 

[KJAhp098]

Thanks for the help, guys.

I'll definitely look into the red dragons breath.

I still don't understand the benefit of a 1" sand bed vs. 5-6"

 

[trackfast]

How come a 1" sand bed? I've read that a DSB of >5" is when the bacteria consume the nitrates.

Personal preference that's all. A DSB 0f at least 4" with worms, crabs, snails et al. is good for controlling nitrates. I like keeping crabs and snails in my DT.