question about my fuge....

Don_Gnomio · #1 03/07/2006, 05:07 PM

ok so ive had my tank for abot 1.5 years and my sump seems to get progressively worse as far as "bad" algae groath is concerned

when the tank was just about 1 yr old it almost crashed due to a cyano bacteria outbreak and one of the many things i did was replace all the sand, LR, and macro algae that was in thesump.
every time i do a water change, i clean out the sump from any excess hair algae and any other detrus, but as of lately it seems to have gotten progressively worse.
now i have barely any calurpa(sp?) left and everything is run over with hair algae cyano and this brown detrus(not diatoms) i dont know if this is normal, or if i should do another haul of my sump, but now i ask you....

is this normal? should i leave it alone? if i should do something about it, what should i do?

thanks,
Victor

XeniaMania · #2 03/07/2006, 05:08 PM

What type of water do you use and it also sounds like your skimmer's not working properly.

Don_Gnomio · #3 03/07/2006, 05:09 PM

well... i dont have a skimmer...
and i use water form the LFS

XeniaMania · #4 03/07/2006, 05:42 PM

Well...that very well could be your problem there. What was your idea to substitute the skimmer? There has to be something that removes the organics, either biologically or mechnically. I'm pretty confident the moment you add a skimmer your red slime will decline. The only other ways that I know of to run a system without a skimmer is to have alot of sponges or a really big refugium.

Zoalander · #5 03/07/2006, 05:47 PM

whats your bio load? Have you tested your water?

jent46bow · #6 03/07/2006, 06:00 PM

you should get a skimmer....also how much flow do you have in your fuge? It sorta sounds like your flow is too slow.

XeniaMania · #7 03/07/2006, 06:02 PM

Well...too much flow through your fuge also doesn't allow the plants to absorb as much nutrient as they can. That's why people aren't running as much water as they can thru their fuge.

XeniaMania · #8 03/07/2006, 06:03 PM

And the ones who do will typically have a very long large fuge.

Don_Gnomio · #9 03/07/2006, 06:13 PM

the main reason why i dont have a skimmer is because i dont have any space to put it. and second i dont have enough money at the moment to get one.

i will test my params now, the last i tested was before the last water change i did which was 2 weeks ago.

jent46bow · #10 03/07/2006, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Don_Gnomio
the main reason why i dont have a skimmer is because i dont have any space to put it. and second i dont have enough money at the moment to get one.

A skimmer is a must. Don't cry to us, if your not willing to hear the avialable options. IMO this is your best option. If money is a factor DIY. It would be very easy to make a DIY counter current skimmer for around 50bux.

Don_Gnomio · #11 03/07/2006, 07:18 PM

im not cryng to you.

money isint even the first issue, the main issue i have with a skimmer is that i have absolutely no space to put a skimmer in my tank, a hang on would not be sutable because i have about1.5" in the back of the tank, i cant get one for the sump because the cabinet for the sump only holds te sump, and there is no space in the sump.

so, even if i were to make a DIY skimmer, i wouldent have a spot to put it...

i am sorry if i am comeing across as someone who does not want to listen, but i am, i am simply stateing my situation....

XeniaMania · #12 03/07/2006, 07:35 PM

Well, you can hang the skimmer on your sump, there's gotta be room somewhere. But yeah, your best bet is the skimmer. Maybe the money you're thinking of spending on the 20L can be put towards your skimmer. Look in the local classified, I'm sure there's someone selling a used one at a reasonable price. But without it, you may just end up spending more money on livestock.

Don_Gnomio · #13 03/07/2006, 07:49 PM

the only possible place would be in the same compartment as the return pump

here's a picture of the space i have

jent46bow · #14 03/07/2006, 08:16 PM

looks to me like your only using half your stand with your sump....plenty of space for ether an external skimmer, or another tank to hold the skimmer.

Seajuice · #15 03/07/2006, 10:03 PM

One, you could get rid of the bio balls, thats old school, skimmer could go there.

Or it looks like a skimmer could go in the return section.