Fuge setup

Hi all, I am not really new to the hobby, but new to having a fuge. I have had a FOWLR tank for a few years and now just starting with coral and have been reading that a fuge is the best way to feed them. I hope to produce mostly phyto/zoo plankton and some pods. I currently have a 75 gal with about 90 lbs of LR, skimmer and phosban reactor in the sump. My idea was to put a 5 to 10 gal fuge with a DSB and macro. So, here are my questions:

1. Is a 10 gal too small (5 gal way to small)?
2. What is the best configuration? Trying not to add any additional hardware (pump) since I am already heat challenged. Initial thought was to T off of the return and then gravity feed back to the return. I would have a gate valve going into the fuge to reduce flow. I am concerned that I would get too much of a loop (fuge > return > right back to the fuge), but the gate should hopefully send as much as possible back to the display.
3. How should I stock the fuge? How much sand, macro, any livestock?
4. Do I need to seed it first with the plankton/pods, how?

Let me know if I am missing anything.


thanks

Any size fuge is better than none. The rule of thumb is to put the biggest one you can add. If you could only do a 5g it is still better than nothing. A 10 is better though. No hard rule on this. The bigger the better is true, but there is no "if you can only do 5g it isnt worth it" rule.

T the drain from you DT and send 1/4 or more of the flow into the fuge and the rest into your skimmer section. Have the 10g drain into the return section of your sump, bypassing the skimmer. You dont want all of your pods getting ground up in the skimmer, instead of feeding your DT.

The fuge stocking is totally up to you. Most people use chaeto as it is easy to keep, does a decent nitrate,phosphate,and other bad stuff removal, and has a low risk of going sexual. Some people prefer caulpera because it is said to have better nutrient removal, but it runs the risk of going sexual. You can put a 4" dsb in the tank for additional nitrate removal, and whatever rock you would like. Some people say a sandbed as low as 1" will remove nitrates, some say it cant be less than 6". Im not going there, I just wanted to point it out. Other things you could add would be fast growing softies such as xenia, or have mangroves growing out of the fuge. As for fish you dont want anything in there that will eat all of your pods. Amhipods like ulva so this could be added as well.

In my opinion, chaeto, ulva, sand, rock, codium, gracilaria, and a mangrove or 2, with a 24w flourescent plant bulb in a home depot clamp reflector housing make the perfect 10g fuge. the ulva, codium, and gracilaria can be feed to you DT herbivores, which is nice.

As for pod stocking. Plenty of options here. You can pick the algagen pods you would like by the species. Tisbe is the most popular. They also sell amphipods. The pods will eat the ulva, and any micro algae in the fuge, as well as detritus.

Another option is to buy a batch of mixed pods from reefcleaners.org. Their website will tell you everything you would ever want to know about algae for a fuge, and they sell every type of algae available at a very low cost.

Hope this helps.

Is the macro the source of plankton? Been reading that is the best source of food for corals, other than light.

Originally Posted by primo21

1. Is a 10 gal too small (5 gal way to small)? I had a ten gallon fuge on my 55 gallon and it worked well. I agree with Variko that any fuge is better than no fuge. Obviously, the bigger the fuge the more pods you will have. I would personally try for a 20-25 gallon fuge for your size tank, but if you already have a ten gallon, then go for it and save the money buying a bigger tank!

2. What is the best configuration? Trying not to add any additional hardware (pump) since I am already heat challenged. Initial thought was to T off of the return and then gravity feed back to the return. I would have a gate valve going into the fuge to reduce flow. I am concerned that I would get too much of a loop (fuge > return > right back to the fuge), but the gate should hopefully send as much as possible back to the display.I think Variko hit the nail on the head with his advice here, too. I would go with his suggestion.

3. How should I stock the fuge? How much sand, macro, any livestock? My fuges have always been very simple - rubble rock, macro, pods. I don't put any livestock in them, and I don't have sand in mine. My pod population is doing very well. I would definitely suggest a macro of some kind - it is a good breeding ground and hiding place for pods.

4. Do I need to seed it first with the plankton/pods, how? If you want to seed it, you can. I have never seeded my fuge. The pods that came in on liverock, sand, and other pieces I added to the tank were enough to seed it on its own. Granted yes, it will take longer, but I didn't have to buy a bag of pods. You can definitely seed it, however, as Variko had pointed out (man, he sure is on a roll!) by buying a bag of mixed from reefcleaners.org.

Let me know if I am missing anything.


thanks

Doesn't sound like you're missing anything! Can't wait to see how you decide to set it up! Because I KNOW you're going to post pictures for us all

+1 on the bigger is better - and in my opinion, bigger is better as it gives you more head room for when your power shuts off... a smaller sump gives you a heart attack every time you turn your return off and watch the water drain from your display down to your sump until the siphon breaks

do corals eat the pods? thought they ate plankton...so confusing. where does that come from, or do i just add it like food for fish? dont have a nitrate issue now, just looking to supplement feedings for my coral. have a couple polyps, ricordea and xenia now, but will be adding more.

Originally Posted by primo21

Is the macro the source of plankton? Been reading that is the best source of food for corals, other than light.

The macro feeds the pods. Especially ulva, pods love it. Phytoplankton has to be purchased or cultured in a separate container. Pods are considered zooplankton.

got it. thanks.

wow.......definitely great advice here..........and +2!!! when are you planning on setting this up primo? any chance you could take pics along the way for us? that would make an excellent step-by-step for others here!

dont have the tank yet. limited on space in my stand, so i am thinking of diy my own out of acrylic...but that is for a different thread.

probably in the next couple of weeks

OK.......I think we can be patient enough for a couple more weeks
don't forget to document the build with pics and writing.....it's good for us to follow, but it's even better for you to have a journal - - it'll help you for the next tank too!

While waiting on getting the tank, time to think about the setup...Gonna take some of the rock from my DT and put a ball of chaeto and let the pods do their thing. Do I give them time to multiply before I turn the return on, so they all dont get sucked into the DT without building a solid population? I am thinking a ball valve on the supply and return are needed to keep the water level consistent. Yes/No??? Do you think i will need a small powerhead in there to keep the water circulating or will the supply be good enough? I was planning on keeping it dialed down pretty low since it will be a small volume, <10 gal. Still on the fence regarding suppling off the drain or return. If I don't keep any CUC in the fuge and supply off of the drain I will get detrius and junk in there I dont want. Off of the return eliminates this.

Not exactly following you here. Are you planning on putting the rocks and chaeto in the return section of your pump? If you are asking about the flow through your fuge, it depends on what you want to get out of it. If you mostly want it for pods, then you want a slow/modest flow through the fuge section. If you have it stuffed with chaeto and are more interested in the filtration of the chaeto than the pod production, then let the water flow quickly. This said, I know people who have alot of flow through their chaeto have tons of pods in the chaeto in the fast flowing water. This seems to be yet another preference. People with algae turf mats or scrubbers with really fast flow, say that when they do their weekly algae scraping/removal the algae is stuffed with pods. If they can hang on to the rock in your reef tank, getting pummeled by currents and flow, Id assume they would be fine in a fast flowing fuge.

No, the fuge is a seperate tank with the supply coming from the return in the sump and the return of the fuge going back into the sump. Kind of like a closed loop with a fuge in the middle of it. Rocks and macro will be in the fuge. Mainly want it for pod production that will feed my corals and macro growth that i can feed my tang. I am thinking I want the flow slow. Do I run it for a while to let the population grow. I can plumb it and run for a few minutes a day to get some fresh water in there and put a small powerhead in for circulation, without the risk of too many pods making it to the display and not having a chance to get their groove on.

hmmmm......good questions!
I don't have a fuge, but I'd imagine that lower flow would benefit more of what you want from it.....but we do have quite a few members here who do have fuges and I'm sure they can help you out more.......

so..............anyone wanna chime in?

If your flow is only slow in the fuge (small return pump, no powerheads.) then they should multiply and only a few will get sucked out. You should be able to leave the return running all the time if it's only low flow back to your sump that keeps the nutrients going to the macro and oxygen goin to all your little critters in there, otherwise it would go stale with the still water for long periods.

I would feed the fuge from your drain from the DT. This way you are not feeding the fuge after the skimmer. T your drain and allow some of it to flow into the fuge.

Originally Posted by Variko

I would feed the fuge from your drain from the DT. This way you are not feeding the fuge after the skimmer. T your drain and allow some of it to flow into the fuge.

Great idea I might look into this as well

if I t the drain, wont I get detrius in there? i am afraid its too much for the pods to handle. if i do that should i put a couple snails in?

I doubt detritus would settle much in your drain........ and without light, it can't do that much harm. The flow should push most of it out a ball valve set to 50% on your return line also would allow for detritus to pile up, but I've never heard a horror story about it to date!!