Refugium

[remus]

Don know how many are keeping but i find it interesting to watch pods and other small creature swimming around.So enough talk i jus wanted to ask cos face a problem recently, wat are the lighting are u all using.For mi i using a 18w 1ft intially it grew but after two weeks all my macroalgea stop growing some even dying.i tested my NO3 it on the high side so how come they are dying.All my coral are strving,read some articiles saying dose iron some said iodine is it really necessary?For iodine i did dose but my elegance dosnt seen to like it too much so i very seldom dose.

[jervismun]

Don know how many are keeping but i find it interesting to watch pods and other small creature swimming around.So enough talk i jus wanted to ask cos face a problem recently, wat are the lighting are u all using.For mi i using a 18w 1ft intially it grew but after two weeks all my macroalgea stop growing some even dying.i tested my NO3 it on the high side so how come they are dying.All my coral are strving,read some articiles saying dose iron some said iodine is it really necessary?For iodine i did dose but my elegance dosnt seen to like it too much so i very seldom dose.

Bro I can't answer all your questions... but here's my take on some issues:

1) You need decently bright light to grow macroalgae... remember their primary source of food intake is still via photosynthesis. So providing them a 18W lamp may not be the "brightest" of ideas.

2) Macroalgae will absorb excess nutrients such as NO3 and PO4, but when they die, they will release back all the nutrients as they decay. That's why got to be very careful when dealing with Refugium, not plug and play. Imagine... those nutrients that your macroalgae collected within the last 3 months being release all at once back into the water... DISASTER!!! Remove them whenever you sense something is not looking right.

3) I think you should also rely on other source of food for your corals such as Phytoplankton, Cyclopeeze, Roti-Feast, Marine Snow & etc.

All the best bro! Je®vis

[ervine]

18W I think is not enough, go for 36W 2ft PL lights at least... also the type of macro algae makes a difference, try cheato (buy some from online reefers), seems to be quite easy to grow...