- Location
- Upper East Side of NYC
So I've noticed lately nitrates have risen from 0 to not 0...maybe 10 ppm-ish. I added a bunch of new macro and have reduced feeding. Being the perfectionist, that's not good enough for me though...
My sump is this one. The smaller of the 2. I removed the sponge and glued in a 2nd baffle in between to create a bubble trap. The bigger does not fit in my stand. I can basically fit a 24" sump at most...maybe 25" or 26", but i'd have to triple check.
It's arranged, left to right...
drain / skimmer --- hunk of egg crate --- refugium--- more egg crate --- acrylic baffles for bubble trap --- return pump + small pump to feed reactor.
I'm seeing a lot of debris in the first section, despite my using a filter sock. I figure some of this is draining down from the DT and some of it is just falling out of the refugium area because it's not really separated from the drain/skimmer section with anything more than egg crate. (ie there is no baffle) I'm wondering if some of that ... junk is contributing to a rise in nitrates?
Thinking about various things like....
1) shutting down the sump and giving it a thorough clean out. I'd have to shove the macro + rubble in something temporarily... or should i replace the rubble...
2) the above + gluing in a baffle to replace the eggcrate and thusly separate the 1st section, the drain/skimmer from the refugium "area".
3) shutting down the sump and cleaning it out plus putting rubble and macro in an internal refugium like this one: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store.../aquarium-refugiums/cpr-in-tank-refugium.html I suppose this is similar to option 2 but avoids having to get the glue out...which means i'm back up in a few hours as opposed to i guess 24 hours if i'm gluing in a baffle...
4) getting a whole new sump - not a fan of this option unless i can do it on the cheap.
Skimmer is a Reef Octopus NWB-110. Return is a Sicce Syncra 2.0. The little pump i use to feed my reactor is an MJ 1200. Yeah I could t the return, but it was going to be cramped and this way I can isolate the reactor (it also feeds into a UV) for cleaning without shutting down the return loop.
Interested in opinions and other options. TIA !
My sump is this one. The smaller of the 2. I removed the sponge and glued in a 2nd baffle in between to create a bubble trap. The bigger does not fit in my stand. I can basically fit a 24" sump at most...maybe 25" or 26", but i'd have to triple check.
It's arranged, left to right...
drain / skimmer --- hunk of egg crate --- refugium--- more egg crate --- acrylic baffles for bubble trap --- return pump + small pump to feed reactor.
I'm seeing a lot of debris in the first section, despite my using a filter sock. I figure some of this is draining down from the DT and some of it is just falling out of the refugium area because it's not really separated from the drain/skimmer section with anything more than egg crate. (ie there is no baffle) I'm wondering if some of that ... junk is contributing to a rise in nitrates?
Thinking about various things like....
1) shutting down the sump and giving it a thorough clean out. I'd have to shove the macro + rubble in something temporarily... or should i replace the rubble...
2) the above + gluing in a baffle to replace the eggcrate and thusly separate the 1st section, the drain/skimmer from the refugium "area".
3) shutting down the sump and cleaning it out plus putting rubble and macro in an internal refugium like this one: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store.../aquarium-refugiums/cpr-in-tank-refugium.html I suppose this is similar to option 2 but avoids having to get the glue out...which means i'm back up in a few hours as opposed to i guess 24 hours if i'm gluing in a baffle...
4) getting a whole new sump - not a fan of this option unless i can do it on the cheap.
Skimmer is a Reef Octopus NWB-110. Return is a Sicce Syncra 2.0. The little pump i use to feed my reactor is an MJ 1200. Yeah I could t the return, but it was going to be cramped and this way I can isolate the reactor (it also feeds into a UV) for cleaning without shutting down the return loop.
Interested in opinions and other options. TIA !
