refugiums

[duke62]

hi i bought a 5 gal tank some miracle mud and some plants to make a fuge.my question is that is the mud going to mess with the parameters in my tank to where my live stock is going to be in jeopardy.i know its good in the long run but a new fuge with new mud going to be harmful

 

[LeslieS]

how big is your tank, deep is your sand bed, and much is your live rock?

 

[duke62]

my tank is 110 gal i have a 3 in sand bed and 180 lbs of rock.i already have the fuge running.i know its a small one but that is a i had the room for.i guess its better than nothing

 

[crox99]

You should be fine. How are you connecting the sump to the fuge?

 

[duke62]

i just finished drilling a 3/4 hole in the fuge .running a hose right into compartment with return mag.

 

[crox99]

Can you post I pic?

 

[duke62]

i would when i get a camera.only camera i had was my sister inlaws.ill get a film pic and post it when i can

 

[crox99]

I am just to make sure that you re setting it up right. You don't want a flood.

 

[lunner]

I used to use miracle mud, now I use regular fine sand. I don't notice any difference.

 

[duke62]

well i have a 3/4 hole in fuge.the hole is 2 in from top of tank.i have a rio 180 for return into fuge.if the pump fails it will flow right back into sump.when i shut all my pumps off,all the water from main tank and fuge go around 1" to the top of sump so no worries there.thanks for your concern crox i really appreciate it

 

[crox99]

NP. duke

 

[duke62]

Got To Tell U The Truth I Was Real Nervous Drilling The 5 1/2 Gal Tank.it Is Only 1/8 Thick And I Took My Time Took Me Ten Min To Finish It

 

[ozone]

I have a 55 gallon and when I added 10lbs of miracle mud to my refugium I had a mini-cylce. This was a new setup and only LR and sand was in the tank at the time.

 

[digitalreefer]

Are you sure the cycle was from the mud and not the sand or rock?

 

[duke62]

i just checked all my parameters and for 8 hrs of running fuge my parameters are all fine

 

[ozone]

I take back what I said. Now that I thing about it. Nitrites and ammonia were at 0 with just LR. I added 80lbs of dry sand and dry miracle mud within 24 hours of each other.

Since the mud has dead organisms in it I assumed it was the source of the cycle, with out realizing the sand could of also caused it. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[duke62]

ill check everything tomorrow for update.did a small water change a little while ago 15 gal should be good though