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Unread 08/26/2012, 02:32 PM   #4026
drummereef
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cromedogg33 View Post
Have you given thought on how you are going to lay out the refuge?
I haven't yet. Obviously the rock will go on the bottom, preferably to one side - but maybe just spread evenly on the bottom. Then I was thinking the macros would just float above. I still want to put a frag rack in there at some point as well but I don't think my make-shift fuge light will make them very happy until I get a some LED's over it. Thoughts?


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Unread 08/26/2012, 04:23 PM   #4027
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I about to do something similar. Thanks for the step by step. I am going to use a lot of your great ideas!


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Unread 08/26/2012, 04:24 PM   #4028
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I had not thought of painting the thickness of the wall black. Nice.


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Unread 08/27/2012, 09:24 AM   #4029
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Originally Posted by Grandmaster_Toad View Post
I about to do something similar. Thanks for the step by step. I am going to use a lot of your great ideas!



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Unread 08/27/2012, 10:45 AM   #4030
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Why jot plumb in a separate frag tank, that's always fun . Something like a long or a breeder tank, or build your own frag tank that is shallow, like 8 or 10 inches. Besides, you have that nice fish room, you might as well put some cool stuff in it. Then build shelves into the stand as an excuse to store things and store your ATO or something underneath. Good Luck.


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Unread 08/27/2012, 02:36 PM   #4031
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pmangels17 View Post
Why jot plumb in a separate frag tank, that's always fun . Something like a long or a breeder tank, or build your own frag tank that is shallow, like 8 or 10 inches. Besides, you have that nice fish room, you might as well put some cool stuff in it. Then build shelves into the stand as an excuse to store things and store your ATO or something underneath. Good Luck.


Cheers to this suggestion. It only makes perfect sense.


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Unread 08/27/2012, 07:44 PM   #4032
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Brett, Great thread. I'm in the mist of doing my own inwall, and I'm at the point of framing the wall. What height did you put your tank at from the floor? Do you have anything in front of the tank? Table, couch? Just trying to get some ideas.


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Unread 08/27/2012, 10:46 PM   #4033
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pmangels17 View Post
Why jot plumb in a separate frag tank, that's always fun . Something like a long or a breeder tank, or build your own frag tank that is shallow, like 8 or 10 inches. Besides, you have that nice fish room, you might as well put some cool stuff in it. Then build shelves into the stand as an excuse to store things and store your ATO or something underneath. Good Luck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tredreef View Post


Cheers to this suggestion. It only makes perfect sense.
Thanks guys... now you just gave me more work. No really, I was considering plumbing a small frag tank but I don't know where I have enough space for it with the fuge tank taking up the right wall of the sump room now. It's much easier to plumb things on that wall since the system pump is located over there versus the other side of the room. It could always be a separate tank I suppose, I'll keep thinking it over. Thanks for the posts.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ndwatso View Post
Brett, Great thread. I'm in the mist of doing my own inwall, and I'm at the point of framing the wall. What height did you put your tank at from the floor? Do you have anything in front of the tank? Table, couch? Just trying to get some ideas.
Thank you ndwatso. The tank stand ended up being 39.75" tall, which is the height of the plywood top the tank is sitting on. I don't have any furniture directly in front of the tank but my initial idea was to build a small ledge in front of the tank with a couple bar stools below for viewing. I can say, the tank is very comfortable to view standing up and/or sitting on a tall stool - no crouching required. I'd suggest cutting a piece of cardboard or taping a couple pieces of poster board together and hang it on your wall to get an idea of what it's going to look like. Tank placement was one of the hardest decisions I made building the system so take your time and build it exactly like you want.


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Unread 08/29/2012, 12:11 PM   #4034
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Question for you guys... Do you think sand in the bottom of the refugium is a good or bad idea. Will it cause issues down the road? Take into account the water level in the stock tank is ~21" deep and will initially be lit with a single 6500K compact fluorescent bulb until I can incorporate an LED setup. If I add various macros besides just Chaeto do they need a substrate besides rock to attach and grow?


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Unread 08/29/2012, 12:15 PM   #4035
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drummereef View Post
Question for you guys... Do you think sand in the bottom of the refugium is a good or bad idea. Will it cause issues down the road? Take into account the water level in the stock tank is ~21" deep and will initially be lit with a single 6500K compact fluorescent bulb until I can incorporate an LED setup. If I add various macros besides just Chaeto do they need a substrate besides rock to attach and grow?
SKip the sand.....

Keep it SIMPLE....as I always and keep saying. If you need sand for some of the plants...use some sort of small container and confine the sand to that and just for the plant. But i don't think they will need sand. Maybe put some smaller rock rubble in a container for the roots to swirls and grab in??

sand just more to worry about and will make hard to suck detritus out of the stock tank.


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Unread 08/29/2012, 02:50 PM   #4036
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+1

If you want mangroves or something, keep that secluded.

I would personally creat some sort of removable platform to keep the rock off the very bottom so that you can easily clean the bottom.

If you could keep the rock on some sort of removable tray so that you could pick it up and swish it around I think you would be best off doing that.


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Unread 08/29/2012, 03:47 PM   #4037
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Go deep or go home!

Brett,

This is a great question to ask before taking the steps into incorporating a refugium into your system. Especially when your system is already established.

The biggest desicion to consider with refugiums when you are going to use one is what kind of refugium will it be. There are basically two different kinds of refugiums that you can use.

1) The DSB (DEEP SAND BED) Refugium, this refugium will house ~4" of sand or mud of some kind, some live rock (1 to 1.5 Lbs. per gallon of water volume), and some kind of macro algae (calurpa, cheato, or otherwise).

- I used this style refugium for my 105, and i used this product.
http://www.caribsea.com/itempage_ref...tor_theark.htm

2) The BB (BARE BOTTOM) Refugium. This style of refugium is all about the same as above, without the sand. without the sand however you will not be able to "root" any macro algae or mangroves except for on your L.R. So in this case it would be advantageous to include a separate area for your Mangroves, or create a small rack out of some egg crate to secure them in.

Both of these methods have there merits, both of these methods have their faults. It is truly up to YOU and your personal opinion of how you would like to maintain this area of your system.

You will do good to light the refugium with around a 6500K light (LED will work too).

I hope this has helped you at least a little.


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Unread 08/29/2012, 09:11 PM   #4038
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 110galreef View Post
SKip the sand.....

Keep it SIMPLE....as I always and keep saying. If you need sand for some of the plants...use some sort of small container and confine the sand to that and just for the plant. But i don't think they will need sand. Maybe put some smaller rock rubble in a container for the roots to swirls and grab in??

sand just more to worry about and will make hard to suck detritus out of the stock tank.
Good advice as always 110g. I was leaning towards a sand-less fuge, obviously for ease of maintenance etc... Let's get this fuge party started!

Quote:
Originally Posted by cromedogg33 View Post
+1

If you want mangroves or something, keep that secluded.

I would personally creat some sort of removable platform to keep the rock off the very bottom so that you can easily clean the bottom.

If you could keep the rock on some sort of removable tray so that you could pick it up and swish it around I think you would be best off doing that.
Good suggestion Josh. I like that idea but there's going to be quite a bit of rock, it looks like, once it's all set up and running so building a removable tray might be difficult. I plan on putting one of my Tunze's in there to keep the bottom clean though. I haven't decided whether or not to incorporate mangroves, although I like the idea of keeping some. I need to do more research on that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tredreef View Post
Brett,

This is a great question to ask before taking the steps into incorporating a refugium into your system. Especially when your system is already established.

The biggest desicion to consider with refugiums when you are going to use one is what kind of refugium will it be. There are basically two different kinds of refugiums that you can use.

1) The DSB (DEEP SAND BED) Refugium, this refugium will house ~4" of sand or mud of some kind, some live rock (1 to 1.5 Lbs. per gallon of water volume), and some kind of macro algae (calurpa, cheato, or otherwise).

- I used this style refugium for my 105, and i used this product.
http://www.caribsea.com/itempage_ref...tor_theark.htm

2) The BB (BARE BOTTOM) Refugium. This style of refugium is all about the same as above, without the sand. without the sand however you will not be able to "root" any macro algae or mangroves except for on your L.R. So in this case it would be advantageous to include a separate area for your Mangroves, or create a small rack out of some egg crate to secure them in.

Both of these methods have there merits, both of these methods have their faults. It is truly up to YOU and your personal opinion of how you would like to maintain this area of your system.

You will do good to light the refugium with around a 6500K light (LED will work too).

I hope this has helped you at least a little.
Awesome, thank you tredreef. Very nice writeup.


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Unread 08/29/2012, 09:42 PM   #4039
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UPDATE:


Getting close guys. 24 gallons of saltwater in the fuge so far. Last night I did the final leveling of the platform and greased up all the unions in preparation for startup. Shouldn't be long now...





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Unread 08/29/2012, 10:29 PM   #4040
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With a tub that big I would definitely try a deep sand bed.. It would be a shame not to.
The benefits from a dsb are worth the try.


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Unread 08/30/2012, 06:20 AM   #4041
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very nice set up i have 20' long wall right against my garage and i want to set up similar and i am trying to convence my wife but so far no luck


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Unread 08/30/2012, 07:33 AM   #4042
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Looks great Brett

I'd probably opt to set up a mini mangrove/DSB tray in there using a small tupperware type container. Maybe something like 24"x 12" x 6-8" deep that is self contained so the tank could be easily cleaned of other detritus etc. I'd also elevate it just below the water level so you could keep live rock under it. Just a thought, again looking great.


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Unread 08/30/2012, 10:08 AM   #4043
tredreef
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Quote:
Originally Posted by henrystyle View Post
With a tub that big I would definitely try a deep sand bed.. It would be a shame not to.
The benefits from a dsb are worth the try.
Quote:
Originally Posted by psteeleb View Post
Looks great Brett

I'd probably opt to set up a mini mangrove/DSB tray in there using a small tupperware type container. Maybe something like 24"x 12" x 6-8" deep that is self contained so the tank could be easily cleaned of other detritus etc. I'd also elevate it just below the water level so you could keep live rock under it. Just a thought, again looking great.
I agree! with that size of a refugium, a DSB will be very beneficial, but only if the whole bottom of the tub is used. In order for a DSB to really make a difference it needs to be at-least 1/3 the size of the display. Otherwise the natural nutrient reduction benefits of the refugium will not be fully utilized.

Lookin good so far Brett. Keep up the updates, your a pro.


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Unread 08/30/2012, 08:46 PM   #4044
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Quote:
Originally Posted by henrystyle View Post
With a tub that big I would definitely try a deep sand bed.. It would be a shame not to.
The benefits from a dsb are worth the try.
Thanks Henry, I'll look into that.

Quote:
Originally Posted by ravi197699 View Post
very nice set up i have 20' long wall right against my garage and i want to set up similar and i am trying to convence my wife but so far no luck
Ha! Just show her my setup and she'll turn around and thank you for being not being a nutter.

Quote:
Originally Posted by psteeleb View Post
Looks great Brett

I'd probably opt to set up a mini mangrove/DSB tray in there using a small tupperware type container. Maybe something like 24"x 12" x 6-8" deep that is self contained so the tank could be easily cleaned of other detritus etc. I'd also elevate it just below the water level so you could keep live rock under it. Just a thought, again looking great.
That's a great idea. I'm battling some space issues if I incorporate all three; rock, macro, and mangroves. I do like the idea of growing some mangroves, I think it would be fun but need to figure out how I can manage all that stuff in what is quickly becoming a small space. I think Dennis (d2mini) did something similar with his mangrove setup so I'll do some more research.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tredreef View Post
I agree! with that size of a refugium, a DSB will be very beneficial, but only if the whole bottom of the tub is used. In order for a DSB to really make a difference it needs to be at-least 1/3 the size of the display. Otherwise the natural nutrient reduction benefits of the refugium will not be fully utilized.

Lookin good so far Brett. Keep up the updates, your a pro.
Thank you tredreef.


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Unread 08/30/2012, 09:09 PM   #4045
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Yeah, DSB would be perfect. Your denitrification would be second to none and your little algae blooms would disappear as well.


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Unread 08/30/2012, 09:17 PM   #4046
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UPDATE:


Rock is in along with 48 gallons of saltwater! Still need about 5-10 more gallons to get the water level high enough to overflow the drains, but I'm going to let the rock settle in for a couple days before I connect it to the system. With the rock spread out on the bottom of the tank I will have ~12" of free space above the rock. So, you can see where I'm having some space issues... If I "partition" the free water space above the rock, left side / right side, I would possibly be able to incorporate a mangrove area and macro area - and just let the rock hang out in the bottom of the tank. It wouldn't get much light down there but I'm not sure that matters. Any input would be welcome.

Here's the pics...







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Unread 08/30/2012, 09:26 PM   #4047
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Mangroves don't do much for nutrient removal, but if you want something green sticking out of the water go for it


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Unread 08/30/2012, 09:35 PM   #4048
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Quote:
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Yeah, DSB would be perfect. Your denitrification would be second to none and your little algae blooms would disappear as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanook View Post
Mangroves don't do much for nutrient removal, but if you want something green sticking out of the water go for it
Thanks for the info Dave. I didn't know that - but I've always thought they look cool though. How much water space is needed to grow Chaeto? Are there other varieties of macros that do better for nutrient reduction besides Chaeto? So you are saying DSB, rock on top, and macros floating in the free space above that?


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Unread 08/30/2012, 09:52 PM   #4049
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Quote:
Originally Posted by drummereef View Post
Thanks for the info Dave. I didn't know that - but I've always thought they look cool though. How much water space is needed to grow Chaeto? Are there other varieties of macros that do better for nutrient reduction besides Chaeto? So you are saying DSB, rock on top, and macros floating in the free space above that?
Just a DSB without rock or chaeto would do wonders. If that was my stock tank, I would put about 4-6" of sand, low-moderate flow and a few pieces of rock spaced out for critters to live in and under. The DSB would do all the work by itself, but a nice selection of macros would be a nice addition. I personally prefer grape macros...small green grapes that vines through the rock.


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Unread 08/30/2012, 09:56 PM   #4050
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The Tang Heaven Red that IPSF sells is great food for herbivores as well.


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