Seaclone 'fuge retro?

[RandyFolds]

I was thinking of ways to add a little fuge off to the side on my 30g since one side it about 6" from a wall and never gets cleaned because there is no point.

Here is the game plan. Seaclone 100(?? the small one) with the inner tube pulled out and collection cup left off. This leaves about 14" x 3" of cylindrical space. The water enters a chamber in the bottom then feeds up a tube about 6" and spills back to the bottom of the skimming chamber. What I am thinking of doing is filling the bottom up with sand so that the water enters the skimming chamber just above the substrate and flows through the macro and up and out. Then the 'pods aren't going through pumps, and I make use of what would otherwise be garbage.

Check out my sweet-You better mean it as in 'donkey' MS Paint diagram.




Everyone's input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Bergy]

in theory that should work, but i am thinking it wont...

that is just really small place/area for macro, and it really wont grow well, and will act more like a stopper/plug


that plus it will be hard to clean the reactor/chamber as you will be using light on it to grow the macro algae and in turn regular/film alage will grow all over


gl though.. lets see some pics of it as you get it closer to production... hehehe

[RandyFolds]

I was considering that, and I figured upon lighting it at an angle rather than from the top in order to promote growth along the length of the chamber. I am sure that between one of those clip on home depot lights and the tank lights, it will get enough light regardless of the film.

Volume-wise, I can't imagine it is much smaller than the smallest EcoSystem HOT.

Do you really think that macro will grow so dense as to be problematic?

[Bergy]

yea, but hot filters are not refugiums

[psykokid]

Really? What about those CPR aquafuges or the small aquclear hob filters that people gut and use as small fuges? I don't see why it wouldn't work if it was side lit.

[RandyFolds]

yea, but hot filters are not refugiums

I am talking about the ecosystem HOT refugiums. They are totally refugiums.

[Just_Greg]

i think it would work, altho i'd be more inclined to use rubble in place of the sand, as it will stay in place better.  if you use Chaeto in as your macro, it should be easy enuff to thin out and keep it "open" for water flow.  as for micro algae, who really cares?...it's a fuge for water quality and pods.

JMO...

[Bergy]

ooops, my bad...

yes, hot refugiums... duh!!!!


Again, when i havent expereinced/touched things myself, i tend to file that info in a different section of the brain, and then i tend to file that section in a category that usually dont get referenced...

or in other words,,  OOOPPPSSSS my bad!!!

[RandyFolds]

Well, I set up the Seaclone 'fuge a couple days ago and everything seems to work fine. I went with greg's suggestion of using rubble in the place of sand, but the way the flow moves, I think I could have gotten away with a sand bed. I am a bit concerned with the lack of flow at the bottom of the rubble bed. I just don't know how stagnant it will get. No detritus is really settling there, which is probably a good thing. I know there is at least some advective current running through it, but not direct flow.

I have yet to install a light on it since I am super broke. Soon soon.

I also need to buy a TINY pump. I am running a MJ400 throttled back a ton and it is a lot of flow. I am thinking something like 30 gph.

[Just_Greg]

you could probably run a mini or micro-jet as your pump.  they do a nice job as long as there's not much head.

[RandyFolds]

Picked up a zoo-med 104, since it had the right size output tube, and runs 35-55 gph. Things are much more manageable now. As far as a light goes, I got a 7w PC clip-on fixture that is currently mounted on a power cord for something else. Pretty janky, but working.

To prevent the algae in the chamber from flowing over the falls into the tank, I made a circle of bioballs, since they float and you can stick them together like legos. It is doing a good job of keeping the stuff in my tank, especially since it is that awful mini-grape stuff.

I actually think I could have gotten away with sand, as the lower regions of the rubble bed have no water motion save for advective current. There is only a couple feet of that terrible tiny grape caulerpa in there right now, but it is growing furiously. I haven't seen much of anything as far as invertebrate life, but that takes time. I busted up some LR that has been in a pretty murky holding tank for a while as the gravel bed, and I am sure it needs some time to cycle in.

I will post pics when I figure out photobucket.

[RandyFolds]

Here is the 'fuge in full swing. It is an awkward shot because of where it is stuffed. Jake hooked it up with some chaeto and some ulva, which are both growing like wildfire. I will post the construction pics sometime soon, and maybe clean up the cord situation so I can take a real pic.

[Just_Greg]

very nice, Lanny.

i'm guessing Jake shared the Ulva we sent him via Bill.  nice to see it getting around.  that stuff has been a real grower, and it came in on a the backs of a couple of snails!  gotta LOVE freebies.

[Bergy]

the origination of that ulva is from you greg...

and i look forward to finalizing my tank/fuge so i can get some growing, sorry, but i cant put algae in my DT yet.. just not there in my mind's picture

and, i am on the way out the door now...

one more post after this

[RandyFolds]

I just pitched both the chaeto and the ulva into the chamber. I wish I had a nicer locale to put the Ulva, but it would be a tang snack pretty quick. It is already growing over the falls of the fuge and scooping up light from the display.

I am actually surprised by how quickly this chaeto is growing... last time I tested, about two weeks ago, my nitrates in my 30g were at 5-10ppm. PO4 is totally negligable, as there is no hair algae anywhere but some on recent plug additions. Hopefully it doesn't compete with my clams.