New Refugium--Need Help w/Setup

Rcpilot

Rcpilot

Reef enthusiast
I have the medium CPR HOB refugium.

As many of you know, I was on the hunt for a different skimmer a little while back, My Current Nano skimmer works okay, but it's in the tank and it's in the way of my light. It's also DUMPING micro bubbles into my tank.

So, in my hunt for a new HOB skimmer, I discovered that I just don't have enough tank width left to use this type of HOB skimmer. The refugium takes up too much space.

It dawned on me that CPR makes a refugium with a built in skimmer. :^:

I ordered it today and it should be here next week +/- (along with a 6 stage RO/2DI unit and a bunch of powerheads, phosban and etc.. $500 :shock:)

Now my question:
The existing refugium is on the back of the tank. It's fairly established. It's got a nice mess of cheatomorpha and some hitchhiker cholerpa. It's got a gazillion copepods and I found a small thorny cucumber. Haven't seen the cucumber but one time--he's in there, just really good at hiding.

I'm going to put this new refugium w/built in protein skimmer on the tank.

But how? Do I gut the old refugium and dump it all into the new refugium? Keep in mind there is about 3" of sand in there. I'm afraid that if I churn it all up and just dump it into the new refugium, I'll mess up my DSB and kill off some aerobic bacteria in the process. I'm thinking HUGE ammonia spike.

Or, should I hang the new refugium on the front of the tank and put new sand/mud into it? Put 1/2 my cheato and some live rock rubble in the new refugium and just let it cycle out for a month? I could seed it with a bit of sand from the old refugium or the tank if I just skim off the top 1/2" of the surface when I collect the sand.

Then after the new refugium shows good signs of stability, life and copepods--tear the old one out and move the new one to the back of the tank.

:question:
 
You have plenty of live rock and sand in the DT,right?
Switching over and moving the sand/chaeto etc. to the new fuge shouldn't cause any ammonia spike.
 
I have somewhere around 27--29 pounds in my DT.

I was just worried that if I dumped the refugium sand from the old into the new that I'd be stirring my DSB and cause a spike.

French:
The old CPR is a MEDIUM size. It's 19" long X 4.5" wide X 12" tall. It's got the black acrylic back to prevent light from spilling into the DT. No lights. I need them for the new refugium.

Make me an offer. I paid $135+shiping for it less than 2 months ago. It's in perfect shape.
 
So, how do ya sift a 1" cucumber out of the sand from an old refugium? :shock: Hate to lose the little bugger in my DT. Would rather keep him in the refugium is possible.
 
Sorry Rc,I have no idea about removing the cucumber.If its anything similar to a Sea Apple than keep it underwater if you remove it.
 
i have a cucumber and to get it off this is kinda hard but you have to get it in the sand by have movement near the sand so put a powerhead on top pf the sand and hopefully hell move
 
wanna trade a bak pak skimmer, or i would say a prizm pro but its a huge hang on skimmer for big tanks, i have 2 hang on skimmers altogether.
 
Or you could just take a little scoop of sand at a time and go through it by hand. Time consuming, but at least you will get him for sure.
 
d.french said:
wanna trade a bak pak skimmer, or i would say a prizm pro but its a huge hang on skimmer for big tanks, i have 2 hang on skimmers altogether.
Click to expand...

Not really.

I'm getting a refugium with a built in skimmer. Thats the whole idea behind the new refugium. My current refugium does NOT have a skimmer, so I'm using a skimmer in the tank. But that little skimmer is causing me grief with lighting location on top of the tank and it's blowing microbubbles all over my DT.

I can't use a HOB skimmer with my current refugium because the refugium is too long. I have like 3.5"--4" to get a skimmer in beside the refugium.

Sell ya the refugium for $85 shipped to your front door?
 
i know, thats only equipment besides a couple of maxi jet powerhead laying around, let me talk to wife and i'll get back to ya.
 
Can do. If ya want it later, I'm sure it will still be around. I have it advertised at R**F Central in the local club section, but nobody wants it. I'll just clean it up and stuff it back in the box.
 
Guess what I got today? :^:

Go ahead!! GUESS!!

ROa.JPG
 
Ohhh, ALRIGHT!! I'll show ya:

NewRefugiuma_634857.JPG


Green slime started forming and running into the cup with only a few minutes of hooking it up. The cup slides up and down with an O-ring added for friction to keep it where ya want it set. I'm getting wet foam right now, but it's green and nasty. Better to have that in the cup than in the tank.

I had a 3.6g refugium on before. This one is 4.6g. It's the full width of the tank at 24". I almost crapped myself when I pulled it outta the box because I was worried that it wouldn't hang on due to the intake and outlet tubes being spaced so far apart. I thought the tubes wouldn't fit down in the tank. But, they fit. It's a pretty tight fit. About 1/4" clearence from the intake tube and the side of the tank. Same on the outlet tube.

I filled this refugium with 10lbs of "live sand" I bought at the LFS. Then I put about 2lbs (3/4") of fine reef sand on top of that. Then I filled it about 1/4 with saltwater to submerge the sand. I have approx. 4" DSB in there. I drained my old refugium about 1/5 way. Then pulled it off the back of the tank and set the new one in it's place. Hooked up the powerhead. Had to swing the intake tube over a bit to make clearence. Then I skimmed off the top layer of sand in my old refugium. Probably the top 1" of sand. I dumped that sand into the new refugium--on top of all the new sand. I transfered my rocks from the old fuge. Transfered my cheatomorpha. Then I shook the snot out of the old refugium to mix up the water and all my copepods and dumped it into my new fuge. I tried not to disturb my DSB in the old refugium. I just wanted the top layer of sand with the aerobic bacteria and the critters in the new fuge.

Plugged in the powerhead and adjusted the air intake for good bubble flow.

Tank is a little cloudy, so I put the Magnum canister back on and refilled the carbon chamber with fresh carbon.

I'm going to test my water tomorrow morning. The fish seam fine. My mushrooms and zoas didn't shrivel up yet.

Top shot:
NewRefugiumc_445098.JPG


Right side:
NewRefugiumb_404296.JPG


:^:
 

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