Highland Reefer
Member
I have collected about 10 gallons of live reef sand from fellow reefers over a period of about two months. I kept, the sand in buckets with saltwater. The sand is fine argonite (expensive) sand. Some of the sand had been kept outside in 36 degree temperatures before I picked it up.
I am in the process of making a refugium with a DSB out of a Pepsi barrel. I added the live sand to the barrel (6" sand bed) and filled it part way with new salt water yesterday. The readings for ammonia were about 1.5 in the barrel and it is not connected to my reef yet. I am not going to connect it up until the water parameters are correct. Should I take the sand out and rinse it thoroughly or should I continue curing the sand with water changes until the ammonia and nitrates are down to 0? I am also going to pick up about 150 lbs of additional live sand soon from another reefer which would give me a total of a 15" deep sand bed in this 55 gallon Pepsi barrel (20" diameter). Would this be over kill? I have drilled the Pepsi barrel to produce about a 40 gallon refugium. This would leave about 12" of water above the sand for the macro algae or about 16.5 gallons.
The reason for the refugium with a DSB is that my Nitrates in my 120 gallon reef system have been running between 5 - 20. I was thinking about adding some live rock to the barrel to help out with the ammonia reduction (aerobic). When would be a good time to add the live rock? How much would I add to a 40 gallon refugium in a 55 gallon barrel?
The next question is at what point do I add the macro algae and lights to the refugium?
I am also planning on adding on a 55 gallons frag tank to the system which is run by one pump.
I am in the process of making a refugium with a DSB out of a Pepsi barrel. I added the live sand to the barrel (6" sand bed) and filled it part way with new salt water yesterday. The readings for ammonia were about 1.5 in the barrel and it is not connected to my reef yet. I am not going to connect it up until the water parameters are correct. Should I take the sand out and rinse it thoroughly or should I continue curing the sand with water changes until the ammonia and nitrates are down to 0? I am also going to pick up about 150 lbs of additional live sand soon from another reefer which would give me a total of a 15" deep sand bed in this 55 gallon Pepsi barrel (20" diameter). Would this be over kill? I have drilled the Pepsi barrel to produce about a 40 gallon refugium. This would leave about 12" of water above the sand for the macro algae or about 16.5 gallons.
The reason for the refugium with a DSB is that my Nitrates in my 120 gallon reef system have been running between 5 - 20. I was thinking about adding some live rock to the barrel to help out with the ammonia reduction (aerobic). When would be a good time to add the live rock? How much would I add to a 40 gallon refugium in a 55 gallon barrel?
The next question is at what point do I add the macro algae and lights to the refugium?
I am also planning on adding on a 55 gallons frag tank to the system which is run by one pump.
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