Advice for Waterbox 25 Peninsula AIO Filter Chambers

[talh]

As the title suggests, I'm looking for thoughts on what to put in each of the three filter chambers for my WB 25 Peninsula AIO tank. I have been testing weekly and I am not controlling nitrates well. To keep nitrates low, I have to do multiple water changes a week right now.

Currently, I just have live rock in chamber 1 & 2. Chamber 3 I have return pump, heater, ATO sensor.

I would like to do a refugium in chamber 2. I have a reefbreeder pico refugium light coming that I bought from another reefer here on R2R. Was thinking I would take out about 2/3 of the live rock in chamber 2 (it's currently filled to the top with live rock rubble) and fill that with chaeto. Chamber 1, I was somewhat interested in doing a mangrove tree. I was thinking I could fill the chamber with miracle mud and live sand and plant the mangrove in it. When the mangrove got too big, take it out and trade to another reefer or LFS and get a new one.

Understand both options above will strip nutrients (which is kind of my goal) and may require me to dose down the road once I get corals going. I am okay with that.

Thoughts?

 

[talh]

I will also add that I have an aquaculture of pods and phyto going currently. I have been dosing the tank with both. I think my pod population is doing OK because I can see them at night, but it would be nice to do the refugium so they have a place to hide out and multiply safely on their own. I'm not an expert, but I am assuming if I stopped dosing them into the tank, they may get wiped out with only rock in the display and filter chambers currently.

 

[talh]

This is what I've decided on doing, just going to test it for a month and see how it goes:
C1: Filter floss and bio balls
C2: miracle mud in a bag at bottom, chaeto and a mangrove (have a fuge light that will be directly over C2)
C3: Return pump, heater, ATO sensor

Hoping I can do a 5-10% water change, change out filter floss, and (if necessary) remove some chaeto once a week as the maintenance plan.

 

[Slimy serpent]

I have been running one for about two months now. I run a mesh sock just for solid waste for now in the first chamber. (I may be ditching it) Second chamber I have one of the black sponges that came with it, the carbon, bio bag cylinders and a cobalt heater 100w. (the main tank temp was swinging a lot, so I added an air line with air stone to get the water moving a little. That work well to stabilize the temp.) I ordered a mini q skimmer for the second chamber because I fell it will help my PH and keeping my no3/po4 lower. (I only want to change 3 gallons of water a week once a week) My third chamber is the pump that came with the tank and my tunze nano ATO. My main tank has an AI prime HD 16 and orbit 2 for flow, 20 pounds of dry rock, 20 pounds of sand, a mangrove tree that is being grown by a full spectrum light from amazon and I have one of those cheap digital temp probs in there.

I am currently not had with my flow setup so I may be moving the pump around, it just does not seem to get the solid waste to the overflow good enough as is.

My livestock currently is two clowns, 3 blue leg hermits and two snails (one Nassarius and one Astraea)

I plan on putting some macroalgae in the main part of the tank. Looking for slow growing ideas.

 

[talh]

I have been running one for about two months now. I run a mesh sock just for solid waste for now in the first chamber. (I may be ditching it) Second chamber I have one of the black sponges that came with it, the carbon, bio bag cylinders and a cobalt heater 100w. (the main tank temp was swinging a lot, so I added an air line with air stone to get the water moving a little. That work well to stabilize the temp.) I ordered a mini q skimmer for the second chamber because I fell it will help my PH and keeping my no3/po4 lower. (I only want to change 3 gallons of water a week once a week) My third chamber is the pump that came with the tank and my tunze nano ATO. My main tank has an AI prime HD 16 and orbit 2 for flow, 20 pounds of dry rock, 20 pounds of sand, a mangrove tree that is being grown by a full spectrum light from amazon and I have one of those cheap digital temp probs in there.

I am currently not had with my flow setup so I may be moving the pump around, it just does not seem to get the solid waste to the overflow good enough as is.

My livestock currently is two clowns, 3 blue leg hermits and two snails (one Nassarius and one Astraea)

I plan on putting some macroalgae in the main part of the tank. Looking for slow growing ideas.

I will have to check on your results and compare to my own in a month or so.

 

[Tamberav]

Mangroves are not very helpful for nutrients, just fun to look at.

A refugium that small may not have a big impact on your nitrates but will provide a place for pods. They won’t get wiped out in the display even if you don’t have it though.

The rock in the chambers is probably not needed, make sure it isn’t just becoming a trap for debris. Putting rubble in there is pretty old school method and not the general go-to anymore but pods will like it.

If you are not running floss, that would be a good idea, change it frequently.

 

[Slimy serpent]

Mangroves are not very helpful for nutrients, just fun to look at.

A refugium that small may not have a big impact on your nitrates but will provide a place for pods. They won’t get wiped out in the display even if you don’t have it though.

The rock in the chambers is probably not needed, make sure it isn’t just becoming a trap for debris. Putting rubble in there is pretty old school method and not the general go-to anymore but pods will like it.

If you are not running floss, that would be a good idea, change it frequently.

One thing that drove me towards the mangrove tree other than the dope look it gives is the idea of how much co2 it may use up in my air. Using it like a house plant on steroids to help get my PH up.