Another Cycling Scenario with Questions.

[phastroh]

Ok I am following the directions on this page Live Rock - Tampa Bay Saltwater Aquacultured Live Rock - The Package Setup because I am getting my Sand, Rock and Critters from here. The only thing I may or do have different is my heater is set at 78.0F and they say 75.0F Maybe I will go to 77.0F but I want to see the fish, etc. I go with and I have time to adjust it so maybe the just want it at 75.0F to cycle.

Ok so my question is this.

I am using a refugium before the skimmer. It is just the way it fits in the sump so I have to go socks/refugium/skimmer and return pump in the last chamber.

Is this a bad idea? I was told it doesn't matter.

Ok so while I am cycling I figured I wold just choose the rock for the refugium and put it to the side of the aquascape and move it to the sump after the cycling is complete.

OR

Should I make the refugium using some of the live sand and put the rock in there during the cycling.

ALSO

Should I put any of the critters in there later on or leave them all in the main tank.

Lastly will the crushed shells that make the live sand be good in the refugium or should I use something else.

FINALLY

About the critters in the refugium. Wouldn't that be bad not to have some to stir the sand and stuff like the main tank.

 

[d2mini]

When ordering the package, he sends out part 1 first which is JUST live rock. After the ammonia spikes and then settles back down, usually within a week, you tell him to ship part 2 which is more live rock and all the critters and extra goodies. So the critters go in on round two.

Doesn't matter if you put stuff in the fuge or the tank, it's all the same water.
The sand can go in the fuge too. His sand is a variety of grain size from very small to some larger pieces. Some snails and stuff can go in the fuge but i usually only put things down there i might not want in my main display, like predator crabs or snails.

I don't like having the protein skimmer after the fuge because I don't want the skimmer sucking out pods and stuff that is good food for the tank. If the skimmer is before the fuge, at least the pods have a change of getting into the main tank and eaten, before finally returning to the sump and skimmer.

 

[phastroh]

I don't really have a choice about the skimmer.

Maybe I can put a sponge on the intake to try to block that from happening.

I can't do the HOB with it either.

If I wanted it before the return pump I would have to ditch refugium and I don't want to do that either.

Hmmm right now I have no idea how to do anything about that except try to have the Skimmer intake near the back of the last chamber so it doesn't just suck the first things that make it through the blue sponge inbetween the refugium and last chamber.

Now what about connecting a long tube to the intake of the skimmer and having it going into the first chamber of the sump.

It would be dumping into the last skipping the refugium but at least it wouldn't be doing all the water as some would surely be flowing into the refugium.

 

[phastroh]

I do have the room to make a totally separate chamber just for the skimmer outside of the sump but just fill it with water to quiet the water pump.

Then run the intake tubing into the first chamber of the sump. It pulls 650/700 GPH so it would be placed like a 4th chamber with the return hose hanging into the 3rd chamber with the return pump.

I am just trying to figure out a way to get the water from the first chamber and dump it into the 3rd chamber while the extra water the skimmer doesn't pull will auto flo into the 2nd chamber and into the 3rd.

I am only concerned that doing this will allow bubbles to skip the sponge between the 2nd and 3rd chamber and enter back into the tank by going straight from the skimmer to the return pump and only relying on the sponge on the skimmer.

 

[phastroh]

I saw a guy whos sump was drilled in the first chamber so his water flowed to the Skimmer and back to the sump then over to the return pump after passing his refugium but I don't want to rely on my skimmer to move the water because if his skimmer breaks then he has to fix it before he can restart his flo.

I mean yeah you don't want to run with no skimmer but while it is getting fixed the water still has to move.

I wonder what you can do if the skimmer fizzes.