Bio Filtration / Rubble in a new sump

[John340]

Hello, I'm new to the forum and have been reading and learning for about 6 months or so as I decided to get back into this hobby after a very long hiatus.

I decided to build a new larger sump with more refugium space to better control nutrient export. With this build, I have a few questions? The first being the refugium area. I made 3 removable trays approx 3.5 inches deep to hold the substrate. Either and refugium mud or deep sand bed, or combination of both. With a deeper sand bed, would it be beneficial to plant a caulerpa macro algae or keep with chaeto? I was thinking of adding a powerhead to the refugium, to keep the chaeto tumbling, but I do not want the sand moving through the refugium.

Next, I made an elevated platform to raise the skimmer to the correct height. I figured the best way to utilize the space underneath is to create an area that will hold bio rubble and allow for a lot of water movement. The question is about cycling the rubble prior to placing it in the sump. I would like to "cycle" the rock and get some bacteria established. I had a lot of dry extra base rock that I made into smaller pieces. I placed the rubble into a 5 gallon bucket and filled with tank water from a water change. I added some starter bacteria and a powerhead to the bucket. Do you think there is enough nutrients from the display tank to feed the bacteria and allow for the bacteria to grow, or should I feed the bacteria with a food source? How long should I let the rubble soak?

Thanks in advance.

 

[KrisReef]

Feed the rubble but keep the bucket in the dark.

I would not put caulerpa in my tank. Plenty of other algaes if you want something besides chaetomorpha, and it's not uncommon to get hair algae and bubble algae, and other stuff that blows in over time growning in a refugium.

Caulerpa can fragment and end up in the display like other stuff can hitchhike into the fuge. I recommend sticking with things that generally don't have the potential to create extra problems once they are present.

Nice 1st post, Welcome to Reef2Reef!.

 

[John340]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[John340]

Thanks for the advice.

How long should I leave the rubble in a bucket to cycle? Do you think 2-3 week would be sufficient?

 

[Garf]

Folk make this hobby really difficult. Waterchanges, add what's used, Cal, Alk, maybe Mag, add food. I've just got the rock that is in the display, nowt in the sump. My rock is non porous, thats how important excessive surface area is.

 

[ShanePike]

How long should I leave the rubble in a bucket to cycle? Do you think 2-3 week would be sufficient?

Why are you cycling it in a bucket instead of directly in the sump? If it's dry rock — i.e., there's nothing you're wanting to die off — might as well do it directly in the sump where it's going to live.