adding refugium to an existing tank

[redlion1968]

i have just built a refugium, i plan to use LR in 1st section & miracle mud & mangroves in 2nd, i have seperated 2nd and 3rd section with some egg crate that i may wrap in filter floss. i have had the mud brewing in some old tank water for a few days seeded with a bit of sand from an existing tank.
i am adding this to a recently set up nano that wasnt cycled (long story but i used mature water, rock and sand its running very nicely now)

the miracle mud website mentions something about a "smooth transition" when adding it to an existing tank but doesnt actually provide any details of what they mean by this!! any ideas what they mean by smooth transition??

they also mention cycling for 6-8 weeks, i assume this is only applicable for new set ups!

i was thinking of just running it for a while in a closed loop with pump in 3rd section pumping back into 1st just to help get things going, is this any benefit in doing this.

thanks

[redlion1968]

any thoughts? the refugium is now built and im running it in closed loop to let the mud settle, very keen to add it soon so any thoughts on connecting straight up or letting it run closed look would be welcome

[Dive Master]

I've just added a bigger sump/refugium, so pretty much in the same situation as you- here's my advice:


i have just built a refugium, i plan to use LR in 1st section & miracle mud & mangroves in 2ndI wouldn't bother with mangroves- they're hit and miss. Best go for chaeto and/or caulepra,

the miracle mud website mentions something about a "smooth transition" when adding it to an existing tank but doesnt actually provide any details of what they mean by this!! any ideas what they mean by smooth transition??

Use your existing filtration and use the ecosystem as a 'bolt-on' or slowly phase out your existing filtration method. I would personally have them both running!

they also mention cycling for 6-8 weeks, i assume this is only applicable for new set ups!

Yes, but you still need to cycle a mm bed, so keep an eye on those parameters ;)

i was thinking of just running it for a while in a closed loop with pump in 3rd section pumping back into 1st just to help get things going, is this any benefit in doing this.

I wouldn't bother having it too complicated.


HTH

[redlion1968]

:thanks:

i already have it running now, i ran it in closed loop for 1/2 a day and this cleared the water and allowed the mud to settle, im running the niagara (in the centre mud chamber) as well and will probably keep it running for a few months.


are you going to be running mangroves?

i have ordered 2 sets of mangroves from different suppliers to get a bit of variation in the height/maturity so hopefully these will help cover the niagara, the first batch arrived today, it looks like this supplier uses a strecthy tape measure as the 12"-15" size advetised measures 10" with all of my rulers :annoyed:

[Dive Master]

Not going with mangroves- hit and miss. Was contemplating getting a couple as decoration more than anything else!

[redlion1968]

my primary reason is for decoration as the nano is next to my desk, the benefits of nitrate reduction is a close second, how do you mean by hit & miss?

[Dive Master]

Hit and miss- I've found a lot of people use mangroves and they have done bug*er all toi reduce nitrates and phosphates.

[redlion1968]

i was advised by the seller of 1st batch to keep the roots away from the tank as they can penetrate the silicone, not sure if they would penetrate solvent weld though!!

he also added that keeping the roots out of the mud allows them to extract nutrients from water flowing through them rather than the mud itself, thus leaving the mud to do its magic, kindo makes sense i guess.
the second batch arrived with roots and leaves and these are beginning to open up now so the mangroves are starting to improve the cosmetics, it will be difficult to say if they do actually help the filtration but they look good and any contribution they may make to filtration is a bonus :)

[Cranners]

I think you will find that it is the roots in the mud which bring oxygen into there to establish different bacteria and other microorganisms. Hydroponics for aquaria eh?

http://www.thehydroponicum.com/page.php/8/About_Hydroponics.html

J