Bio-balls VS Refugium??

Don't even bother with the pods... you already have them. Your fuge will populate itself.

DSB are usually 4-5 inches. Mine was 5". At least do 4... some do 6" heck some fill up a 5 gallon bucket as a DSB. But it isn't just sand... depth provides the low oxygen areas for anaerobic bacteria to live and consume nitrates. So 4 or 5. Even though... my 3" sand bed in my tank bubbled nitrogen all day.

 

ok if i do 4 inches ill need 21lbs of sand, and the finer the better? i do have pods living in my sump actually and ive got baby peppermint shrimp that just hatched the other day, so i guess id be ok with everything ive got already, again thanks alot for the help! its greatly appreciated!

 

powerman why arent we supposed to put live rock in a fuge, everyone i know and everywhere i have read says too

 

alright well now im just confused? live rock or no live rock? i know theres been a lot of mixed feelings here but maybe we can get someone new to chime and and see what everyone else is doing? i have the rock available so if i can use it i will just so it doesnt go to waste!?

 

ive always heard to use live rock, its help filter the water and give more places for your pods to hide and establish even more..

 

i mean it makes a whole lotta sense to have something for them to hide in? and get out of the flow when they need to but im getting mixed reviews here lol and that always makes me question myself on what to do and what not to do b/c i dont want something to happen to my tank! lol

 

LR or rubble in a high flow area just collects waste. The sand bed needs circulation. Placing rock in the fuge on a DSB basically chokes it out. LR in the display tank provides habitat for all kinds of things. LR in the display tank will provide all the needed biofiltration. DSB in the fuge denitrifies. Macro in the fuge provides habitat for the pods.

You have a very small area in the fuge for a DSB. You should do what you can to maximize it's effectiveness. If you don't want a DSB then put rubble in and clean out the ditrius regularly that collects.

 

i agree with that, i dont have a dsb just because i have read that it can turn into a nitrate sink..and read for you to have an effective deep sand bed fuge you have to have a very large fuge so that you can get around the nitrates building up in the sand..

 

I'm not sure what you are talking about. DSB provide habitat for all kinds of critters. Worms mostly but a bunch of other stuff. They keep the sand bed tilled and circulating. A DSB is a living thing as with everything in out tanks.

I have never heard anyone give any kind of a size to tank requirement. One guy used to say if it was not big it was useless... but when pressed on how big no answers. Many consider a tenth of your display tank to be adequate.

Nitrates are not produced nor accumulate in a DSB. Nitrates are consumed in a DSB by anaerobic bacteria in low oxygen areas. The whole point or DSBs are for nitrate reduction to nitrogen gas. The bed needs to be tended to by the critters and putting LR on top of it hinders that.

Other good things is that a fuge is a refuge for pods.... macro reduces nitrates and phosphates and provides habitat and food for pods. A DSB provide habitat for sand dwelling critters and reduces nitrates. Add mud and it leaches trace elements. All those critters have eggs and feed coral in the tank and provide nitrate and phosphate reduction and crystal clear water.

Every thing has it's purpose and everything has it's place.

 

yeah it had been a couple years, but some mods on another site were talking about how unless you have a large fuge, like a 30 or 40 gallon fuge maybe a little less then you dont to have a deep sand bed in your fuge..idk its been a couple years since i read that, ill try finding the post on google..