120 Reef...Custom fuge size recomendations.

[villious]

Hello all. I have a 120 primarily SPS reef with a sump that is approx 25 gallons. The sump is full of equipment, ie. skimmer, Ozone reactor, pumps.

I want to have a refugium, but have no room in the sump. I don't have much room in my cabinet either which is where a fuge will have to go. So, I want to build a custom fuge that will fit under my cabinet that I can run water from the sump through the fuge, then back into the sump.

The approx fuge dimensions would be 22"long, 6"deep, 12"high. I would have about 6 inches of sand and the open water area would be filled with cheato.

My question is, would this fuge be large enough to have an impact on nitrate reduction on my 120?

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Entacmaea]

Hi there- hard to say if it will impact... your fuge and growing macroalgae can help export nutrients, but you'll have to see how things go, test your water, etc. It is not a bad size fuge, but it could be bigger. It will be a combination of what export you have now (skimmer, etc) and what is causing the extra nitrate. You probably don't need 6" of sand- 4" would probably do it. The macroalgae will probably export more nitrate than your deep sand bed will process. I'm sure you thought of this, but you also might consider identifying other sources of nitrate- is your skimmer undersized, bioload too high, feeding too much, deadzones and detritus, etc. A fuge will be beneficial regardless, however, as long as it doesn't become a detritus trap.

Also, couple other things to consider- if you have the option to mount the fuge so it gravity feeds to your tank(sounds like you can't put it above your tank) - all the critters that grow there (pods, etc) will end up in the main tank, rather than being chewed up by your return pumps. You can put 6-8 peppermint shrimp in the fuge and they will lay eggs about every 2 weeks, making free plankton for your tank. Also, consider lighting the fuge opposite the display tank, as it can stabilize pH swing at night (at least a little). Also, take water from the sump after the skimmer and any mechanical filtration, then send it to the fuge, then directly to the return pump.

Hope that helps.

Best, Peter