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Pet Forum / Aquaria / Marine Reef / November 2007Live rock in sump -yay or nay?
Yes I know I can read up on it, and I have, but I want some real life opinions here. Brief background, since most of the regular posters seem to be following my adventures with some regularity: 72 gallon bow, about 100lbs of live rock, 4 inches of argonite sand (give or take) over most of the bottom, 15 gallon sump, protein skimmer etc, 10000k flour bulbs...basic newbie setup... Now what I've read alot of is that it is absolutely crucial to get some live rock down in the sump, along with a separate lamp so that it can grow algae, caulerpa etc. I've also read several tales of people having no problem WITHOUT adding those things to the sump....so my question is this: How do I know if it is necessary to get some live rock and light down there as opposed to leaving it be? It seems that I already have plenty of rock in the tank to allow for adequate filtration (at least at this point...my bio load is EXTREMELY low with only one teeny clownfish and one PJ cardinal)...aside from that, a small chunk of zoanthid and some large, unidentified, brown mushrooms. So, am I a candidate for needing the extra hardware? I don't mind adding it, but I'll tell you the basic reason for asking rather than just doing...the base for my tank has a glass door, and adding a lamp will, obviously, cause that glass door to be quite see through. While I can add a pad or osmething to the door to block that, I'd rather not have to start futzing if I can avoid it... Suggestions? Comments? Thanks, Mitch Sounds like you are confused between a refugium and a sump. >Yes I know I can read up on it, and I have, but I want some real life >opinions here. [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] >Thanks, >Mitch > Sounds like you are confused between a refugium and a sump. > [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > > - Show quoted text - That is quite possible, since I've never gotten a definition of the difference. The LFS tells me I have a refugium, but it looks the same as a sump to me. I mean, isnt the sump the big glass box under the tank? Mitch Sump is usually a high flow rate enclosure. A Refugium is a very slow rate enclosure. This is where you put rock, sand and plants and a light. They can be beneficial, but are not absolutely necessary. Certainly can't hurt. >> Sounds like you are confused between a refugium and a sump. >> [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > >Mitch A sump, is simply a container that holds water that drains into it. Then a pump, pumps the water from the sump. A refugium is simply a place for things to take refuge. This gives seaweed, and critters the ability to reproduce without being eaten. There are a variety of benefits to doing this. A sump can double as a refugium. But if you have a refugium that is above the tank, as some people do, then it's definitely not a sump. :-) No it's not absolutely critical to get live rock in the sump. By the way, live rock can be very beneficial without any light. The only reason to have light, is to grow algae. Wayne Sallee Wayne@WayneSallee.com gaijin wrote on 11/14/2007 3:00 PM: > Sump is usually a high flow rate enclosure. A Refugium is a very slow > rate enclosure. This is where you put rock, sand and plants and a [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] >> >> Mitch > A sump, is simply a container that holds water that > drains into it. Then a pump, pumps the water from [quoted text clipped - 65 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Wayne, Thank you - that is exactly the answer I needed. So my sump could be a refugium, simply by putting critters in there essentially...and for the moment I'll hold off on the live rock : growing algae is not a problem at this point (green gone, incoming red..oh joy) Mitch > Sounds like you are confused between a refugium and a sump. The LFS puts LR in some of their sumps and not in others. I always guessed it's because they don't have enough LR to go around. I'll ask the next time I'm there. I looked at refugium, in the dictionary, and an aquarium along with it's sump, could be considered a reugium. But you aquarium guys may have a more esoteric meaning for the word. :) In a false back Bio Cube, the LFS uses only LR as a filter. But that aquarium is full of LR. Jim > Yes I know I can read up on it, and I have, but I want some real life > opinions here. The guy I bought my tank from had a bunch of rock in the sump. It's not a bad idea if you think about buying dead rock at a bargain and then allowing it to seed over time. It's not unheard of, but I think most people prefer the water volume in the refugium. Usually a sump doesn't have any light, so I wouldn't recommend putting live rock there unless you want to cook it (ie, kill algae). Refugium is good because the copepods prefer rock to sand. --Kurt > Yes I know I can read up on it, and I have, but I want some real life > opinions here. [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Thanks, > Mitch I would not put LR in the sump. I tried this and found it very quickly accumulated detritus. It can be done, but I am happier with just macroalgae in the sump. If you don't have macro in the sump, you don't need light, although having a refugium with some algae growing helps with nitrates. Mark A pile of live rock rubble that the water is forced through works better than large pieces of live rock. Wayne Sallee Wayne@WayneSallee.com Mark Cooper wrote on 11/17/2007 2:19 PM: >> Yes I know I can read up on it, and I have, but I want some real life >> opinions here. [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > Mark |
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