Refugium/pump question

So I just purchased an Eheim 1262 for my sump/refugium an I'm wondering if I should run the pre-filter that it comes with it or not... I would figure not to run it so the coco-pods can enter my DT... I'm new to this so I'm just wondering cause the guy I bought it off of had the pre-filter in on his saltwater setup, though I don't know if he had a refugium or not. I do know he had a sump.

 

Since you are farming pods for food, then no, you do not want to run the filter. If your fuge was simply for nutrient export, the sponge would keep your macro out of the pump.

 

oh I've never seen a fuge just for nutrient removal, I've only see them with Pods growing in the cheato... That brings a valid reason to have a sponge filter in there.. Sorry for being a newb

 

No problem- ask more questions, thats how all of us learned and it will save you a ton of money and headaches in the long run.

The main reason people keep chaeto algae is actually for its ability to suck nitrates and phosphates out of the water, so that nuisance algae "starves" to death and doesn't appear in the display tank. It makes a great home for pods, but its primary function is actually nutrient export.

Also, the pump may still chop up pods as they get sucked into the intake, so if you are really interested in using them for food, you may want to consider pod piles: http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/diy-pod-nursery-144869.html

 

I have chaeto in my refugium but it's held back at the weir. I used to run the sponges, but they get nasty if you don't clean them. Since pulling it out, I see better performance.

 

Running through the pump will not hurt pods.I never use the foam on my Eheims.

 

What Vinny said...running thru a pump won't harm pods.

 

That will become a nitrate trap. I dont even think it will prolong intervals between cleanings. The really small stuff will still get through. Not worth it in my opinion.

 

Actually, I've been thinking about how I could set up a vertical system without killing any pods in transit.

What I came up with is that if you have access to a strong water flow from, say, a powerhead or pump in the main tank, and link it with a pumpless siphon from the refugium below, it should, in theory, be able to transport water and pods from the refugium to the tank, without chopping them up.

Like this:
display tank water ---> Pump ---+----> nutrient rich flow
................................|
................................|
...............Refugium water ->+

There are two problems with this... One is, in order to support a water column of even a few feet, the flow must be pretty strong.
Two, we need some kind of protection that would break the siphon if we lose power, otherwise it will result in a catastrophe.

 

I don't see the need? I believe it has been proven that pods will not get killed by going through a return pump. I have seen plenty of pods and other tiny inverts go through my powerheads and come out just fine. We are talking about minute creatures here, not snails.