Switching out bio balls to refugium

Bigrockindaddy · 06-05-2008, 05:46 PM

tmpphp4wesND.jpgI understand this will give me the ability to change water less often and also the ability to minimize nitrates as well as create additional environment for live rock, copepods, starfish and such. My question is what is overkill and how large a sump refugium should I get. I have a 135 gallon tank and I am attaching pictures so you can get a idea of what room I have. I can only go under the tank in the cabinet and I have three pumps coming out of the sump currently. One for the skimmer in the sump , One for return to tank and one to chiller that goes directly back into the main tank.. Also where is the best most economical way to pick this item up and is there a cycling situation involved after set up. I can buy live rock and sand OR mud so I don't know about the cycle situation. I have a decent bioload and about 10 corals and two anemones, assorted crabs snails. Hey how come nobody told me this was so addictive and expensive? Thats messed up . Anyway I will stop my complaining and get on with my reef paradise... Thanks

BigAl07 · 06-05-2008, 05:53 PM

Sort of in a hurry here (leaving office) but I want you to know.. you don't want to simply "Yank" out all your Bio-balls at once. They harbor beneficial bacteria your tank is currently relying on. You want to remove htem over a few water changes to allow the tank to replenish the lost bacteria.

The size of your refugium is simple... the largest you can feasibly get under there and maintain

Good luck and HAPPY REEFING

Dentoid · 06-05-2008, 06:07 PM

Pictures are worth a 1000 words. Here is how I converted mine. I had to glue in a piece of acrylic for an over flow.

Cleaned-up and ready for the fitting of the over flow.

Acrylic over flow dry fit.

Glue-up.

Finished.

BigAl07 · 06-05-2008, 06:49 PM

Wow! Great pics buddy!! Should be very helpful

lcstorc · 06-05-2008, 08:36 PM

Yes this hobby is extremely addictive and expensive. Now that you are here you can't get out.

I agree with AL. Get the biggest fuge you can fit. Mine is drilled instead of an overflow but either one works great. Mine goes to the return section of the sump and then to the tank from there. Many people have a part of their sump designated as a fuge. A few have a separate tank like I do. If it is a separate tank it is a bit of a pain to balance the flow but once you do it is fine.

Bigrockindaddy · 06-05-2008, 11:43 PM

what if I put a refugium opposite my bio balls and ran a pump from there to the chiller then back into the tank with two over flows going. ONe for the bio ball container the other for the refugium being set up? SO two returns two tanks at the bottom one sump one refugium. would this work? till the refugium was set up with all the benificial bacteria and such? I could probably put about a forty gallon or so refugium in the opposite side...

Dentoid · 06-05-2008, 11:48 PM

Nix the bioballs, they are nothing but a nuisance for a reef tank. Divide that wet/dry filter into a refugium on one side and a sump on the other. Am I misunderstanding what you are trying to do?

06-05-2008, 05:46 PM	#1 (permalink)
Bigrockindaddy Bryozoan Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 42 View Gallery Karma Komment	Switching out bio balls to refugium tmpphp4wesND.jpgI understand this will give me the ability to change water less often and also the ability to minimize nitrates as well as create additional environment for live rock, copepods, starfish and such. My question is what is overkill and how large a sump refugium should I get. I have a 135 gallon tank and I am attaching pictures so you can get a idea of what room I have. I can only go under the tank in the cabinet and I have three pumps coming out of the sump currently. One for the skimmer in the sump , One for return to tank and one to chiller that goes directly back into the main tank.. Also where is the best most economical way to pick this item up and is there a cycling situation involved after set up. I can buy live rock and sand OR mud so I don't know about the cycle situation. I have a decent bioload and about 10 corals and two anemones, assorted crabs snails. Hey how come nobody told me this was so addictive and expensive? Thats messed up . Anyway I will stop my complaining and get on with my reef paradise... Thanks __________________ 135 gallon display 30 gallon sump 29 gallon refugium 165 lbs live rock 100 pounds sand. 4 blue chromis, two bubble tip anemones, pair of maroon clowns, foxface, spotted unicorn tang,yellow banded watchman gobie, scooter blenny, lawnmower blenny, coral beauty, Orange spotted rabbitfish. Corals include yellow flower pot, brain coral, two zoas one green one orange, hammer head coral, fox coral, frogspawn, white leather coral, one fan coral,Bubble coral, long tentacle plate coral, Blade coral. Curiousity killed the cat but for a while I was a suspect...

06-05-2008, 05:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
BigAl07 Do I look as lost as I am Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 21,549 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Switching out bio balls to refugium Sort of in a hurry here (leaving office) but I want you to know.. you don't want to simply "Yank" out all your Bio-balls at once. They harbor beneficial bacteria your tank is currently relying on. You want to remove htem over a few water changes to allow the tank to replenish the lost bacteria. The size of your refugium is simple... the largest you can feasibly get under there and maintain Good luck and HAPPY REEFING __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Live Rock Rubble will do the SAME thing as Bio-Balls and is NOT a suitable replacement for BIO-BALLS in a Reef System! It's ALL gotta go!!* Nitrate (NO3) reduction is directly proportional to percentage of Water Change. Allen's home-made formula...currentNO3-((%WC.01)currentNO3)=finalNO3 (thanks Luukosian) This means if you change 50% of your total water volume (That's EVERYTHING) you'll get a net reduction of (NO3) somewhere around 50%. Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Gone but not forgotten BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Allens OFFICE 12g Nano-Reef

06-05-2008, 06:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
BigAl07 Do I look as lost as I am Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Waynesville, North Carolina Posts: 21,549 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Switching out bio balls to refugium Wow! Great pics buddy!! Should be very helpful __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ *Live Rock Rubble will do the SAME thing as Bio-Balls and is NOT a suitable replacement for BIO-BALLS in a Reef System! It's ALL gotta go!!* Nitrate (NO3) reduction is directly proportional to percentage of Water Change. Allen's home-made formula...currentNO3-((%WC.01)currentNO3)=finalNO3 (thanks Luukosian) This means if you change 50% of your total water volume (That's EVERYTHING) you'll get a net reduction of (NO3) somewhere around 50%. Ask me about how to increase your REEF budget without going without FOOD!!* Big Al's 10g Julie's (BigAl's Gal) 6g NanoCube Gone but not forgotten BigAl's Slow 90g Tank Chronicle Allens OFFICE 12g Nano-Reef

06-05-2008, 08:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 26,433 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: Switching out bio balls to refugium Yes this hobby is extremely addictive and expensive. Now that you are here you can't get out. I agree with AL. Get the biggest fuge you can fit. Mine is drilled instead of an overflow but either one works great. Mine goes to the return section of the sump and then to the tank from there. Many people have a part of their sump designated as a fuge. A few have a separate tank like I do. If it is a separate tank it is a bit of a pain to balance the flow but once you do it is fine. __________________ Peace LYNN Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Lynn's frag tank experiment A reef tank is like a race car. The faster you go the harder you crash.

06-05-2008, 11:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
Bigrockindaddy Bryozoan Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 42 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: Switching out bio balls to refugium what if I put a refugium opposite my bio balls and ran a pump from there to the chiller then back into the tank with two over flows going. ONe for the bio ball container the other for the refugium being set up? SO two returns two tanks at the bottom one sump one refugium. would this work? till the refugium was set up with all the benificial bacteria and such? I could probably put about a forty gallon or so refugium in the opposite side... __________________ 135 gallon display 30 gallon sump 29 gallon refugium 165 lbs live rock 100 pounds sand. 4 blue chromis, two bubble tip anemones, pair of maroon clowns, foxface, spotted unicorn tang,yellow banded watchman gobie, scooter blenny, lawnmower blenny, coral beauty, Orange spotted rabbitfish. Corals include yellow flower pot, brain coral, two zoas one green one orange, hammer head coral, fox coral, frogspawn, white leather coral, one fan coral,Bubble coral, long tentacle plate coral, Blade coral. Curiousity killed the cat but for a while I was a suspect...

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