My frag trough idea. Need feedback.

whatcaneyedo · #1 11-02-2009, 05:34 AM

I'm seriously considering converting my 140gal stock trough sump into a frag-trough. Right now I have both my display and my 50gal frag tank running off of this trough which is mostly empty space. At the moment the trough contains some extra liverock, a DSB, a fuge section and a lot of extra water volume. The DSB is an H2S bomb, and the fuge section doesnt seem to be growing macro algae very fast despite detectable levels of phosphate and nitrate... so why am I bothering.

I can plumb the skimmer so that it sits outside of the trough and scrap both the DSB and fuge which would leave me with plenty of space in which I could lay down a 2'x3' sheet of egg crate on a PVC stand. Then I could hang my frag tank MH over the trough, add several Koralias for additional flow and dismantle the 50gal frag tank entirely.

I'd love to hear some ideas and reasons why I should or shouldnt do this. So far these are some of the advantages and disadvantages I've come up with:

Pros
I wouldnt need to clean the 50gal anymore!
Even more room for frags.
Less plumbing and wires.
More floor space without the 50gal.
I'm unemployed and need something to do.

Cons
I'd lose a little bit of system volume.
All frags would have to be viewed top down.
Egg crate is a PITA to keep clean.
No more place to grow macro algae.
Initial expense.

These two pictures show the current setup.

JDigital · #2 11-02-2009, 05:46 AM

Quote:

Pros
I wouldnt need to clean the 50gal anymore!
Even more room for frags.
Less plumbing and wires.
More floor space without the 50gal.
I'm unemployed and need something to do.

Quote:

Cons
I'd lose a little bit of system volume.
All frags would have to be viewed top down.
Egg crate is a PITA to keep clean.
No more place to grow macro algae.
Initial expense.

To me the pro's outweigh the cons... top down viewing would be awesome as long as you got a decent Coral Viewer box. You already mentioned your macro is growing too slow to really matter.

Go for it!

Dez · #3 11-02-2009, 01:41 PM

I think I would personally regret it if I weren't able to look through the sides. You'd probably find yourself constantly having your hands in the trough to pick up frags to check the growth. I would keep the extra water volume of the 50 gallon just for stability, and then replumb the skimmer and have the 50 gallon AND the through for frags (double the volume!). Now you can be an official farmer

. But maybe try it with both just so it won't be that hard to revert back if you regret it.

JPotter · #4 11-02-2009, 04:31 PM

Do many do frags by suspending from nylon lines?
This seems a useful idea as the coral pieces would move and thus get light and flow from various angles.

For those who grow frags what are the pros and cons of this method vs egg crate racks?

untamed · #5 11-02-2009, 04:35 PM

Con...the potential for skimmer overflow and floods.

I'm also very interested in the hanging frags. I've never thought of doing that. In my case, I constantly fight with hair algae taking root on the frag plug and the frag has to fight with hair algae for real estate. My frag rack itself also has to be boiled/replaced so often it drives me nuts...

GreenSpottedPuffer · #6 11-02-2009, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by untamed

Con...the potential for skimmer overflow and floods.

I'm also very interested in the hanging frags. I've never thought of doing that. In my case, I constantly fight with hair algae taking root on the frag plug and the frag has to fight with hair algae for real estate. My frag rack itself also has to be boiled/replaced so often it drives me nuts...

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-0...ture/index.php

whatcaneyedo · #7 11-02-2009, 06:07 PM

I learned about coral culture in suspension from the article that greenspottedpuffer posted so have a look and then ask if you think I might be able to answer any additional questions. The main advantage I found was that I can cram a lot more frags into a 50gal because I can use the entire volume to place frags anywhere I want.

If I do modify my trough for frags I think I wont bother with an egg crate shelf, instead I'll pour a 1" sandbed over the bottom (to create a reflective surface) then lay LPS and softies on the bottom and continue to grow my SPS in suspension. I can continue to grow gracillaria macro algae in there because it isnt invasive like Chaeto or caulerpa. The only real modification I need to do is change the plumbing on my skimmer a bit so that I can move it to the side and out of the way so if I dont like it then reverting back will be easy. The only purchases I need to make would be for some plumbing and larger koralias. I'll also need to make a top down viewer box of out acrylic.

Between the skimmer pump and the main displays return pump I have about 2000gph in the trough already (excluding the 50gal return pump). Would three koralia 4's work well to give me the additional flow I would need?