125g Refugium (500g main)

[Sparg93]

This is all for a freshwater setup.

I'm hoping at some point later in the year to build my 500g plywood tank --- currently thinking through the design of the sump.

I'm a big believer in as much natural filtration, (Nitrate export), as possible. With that in mind, I'll be setting up more of a refugium style sump.

Anticipated size is a 125g tank as the sump, inside the stand.

For the Planted portion of the sump, I'm between guppy grass and Java moss. My experience with Java Moss is that it's really easy to grow and a great Nitrate exporter --- but I've only used it as such on a small Planted aquarium. Reading about guppy grass, I'm seeing similar comments.

With that in mind, anyone with experience that used both on a large sump and can comment on pros/cons?

Thanks in advance and looking forward to getting you all!

 

[RyanScanner]

From what duanes does it looks like the best way seems to be an outdoor sump with larger plants growing emersed with room to grow. I’m using plants as nitrate export too but it’s so much work to balance everything just right for it to be effective indoors with aquatic plants.

Wisteria and stem plants are excellent immersed for growth and easy propagation, but probably require good lights, co2 and aqua soil and possibly balanced fertiliser to compensate for what the water column is lacking for maximum nitrate export for overstocking a tank.

 

[RyanScanner]

Personally I really hate guppy grass, it does grow quickly but it’s volume is very little and I wouldn’t mix it with mosses (unless you want to spend hours untangling it). The mosses are all very slow growing.

Large floating plants like antler ferns, frogbit grow extremely fast and large volume with no need for ferts or CO2. Tiger lilies look cool and once they take off strip the water column of all nutrients so only good by themselves.

 

[duanes]

Although I have used a number of submerrged aquatic plants over decades of refugium experimentation such as a number of aquatic ferns, Cryptocorne

its the ones like Vallisneria that have quick growth that worl best, with lower light situations

Floaters such as Salvinia work well, because as they overpopulate, they can be tossed on the compst heap, directly exporting nitrate. And water lilies are heavy feeders

I especially like emergiant plants with roots in the subsrate such as Papyrus and mangrove trees that use ambient light

Papyrus(umbrella palm) above.
Mangrove saplings below

And of course those terrestrial tropical plants like Daiffenbachia that do well under subdued light, bare root, simply hanging in the tank.

A daiffenbachia branch below

 

[RyanScanner]

Although I have used a number of submerrged aquatic plants over decades of refugium experimentation such as a number of aquatic ferns, Cryptocorne
View attachment 1561638View attachment 1561639View attachment 1561640
its the ones like Vallisneria that have quick growth that worl best, with lower light situations
View attachment 1561641
Floaters such as Salvinia work well, because as they overpopulate, they can be tossed on the compst heap, directly exporting nitrate. And water lilies are heavy feeders
View attachment 1561642
I especially like emergiant plants with roots in the subsrate such as Papyrus and mangrove trees that use ambient light
View attachment 1561643
Papyrus(umbrella palm) above.
Mangrove saplings below
View attachment 1561644
And of course those terrestrial tropical plants like Daiffenbachia that do well under subdued light, bare root, simply hanging in the tank.
View attachment 1561645
A daiffenbachia branch below
View attachment 1561646

Do vals prefer hard water? My vals seem to do poorly in my soft water, 3 dKH and 5 dGH.

 

[duanes]

Yes Vals prefer hard water, and sometimes even do best when there is a slight salinlty.
There is some research on Vals, claiming a salinity if 3 ppt is best for growth, which coinsides with my sump situation, being 50 ft from the Pacific, outside in the salt air.
And may have relevance to my poor luck with plants like Amazon swords, and water sprite.

 

[Sparg93]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts -- this has been really helpful!

duanes -- for the planted portion of the refugium, would you simply load it up vallisneria...or a different approach?

With Vallisneria being a root feeder, how would you recommend planting it in the sump?

 

[Sparg93]

Another question to see what everyone thinks.

For my ATO and for water changes, my plan is to have ~100g prepped in a seperate container, that I'd like to draw directly from and plumb into the sump. Water prep drum is about 10ft from where this tank would go, so I'll hard plumb the prep drum (pump in bottom of drum) to sump.

My water is 9.2pH out of the faucet so I prep water in a tub loaded with natural materials to bring it down to ~7.7

I like the Innovative Marine ATO controller for this because I can remotely run a big pump in the water prep drum...with the hi/lo sensors in the sump. So when I'm low in the sump, this large prep drum is effectively an ATO.

Also, HydroCheck makes device that when it senses water, cuts of power. I'm thinking this might be a good backup for the Innovative Marine controller in case the controller malfunctions and tries to pump 100g into the sump.

I'd also have a high and low water alert system in the sump --- so I'd receive an audible + phone notification.

Thoughts on this approach? Any ways to simplify or improve upon it?