Red Sea Max fuge

[pwoller]

I'm getting some good results from this setup. I removed the stock skimmer and filled the first chamber with about 6 inches of sand. Put the Tunze skimmer right behind the water inlet, raised the gate about half way up and made a fuge to the left of the skimmer. I am using 2 10 watt submersible bulbs for the fuge and the algea back there is growing like crazy. I put about an inch thick sponge between the fuge and the heater section. It took a couple days to work out the bugs but its runnning well now. I used Stevies idea about the magnets to hold the skimmer in place and that worked awesome.

 

[Oceanic 30g]

I think I need to upgrade to the Tunze. I had decent results from the stock skimmer at first, but I am not getting much from it now. Not sure on the fuge idea. How do clean it when the waste gets back there?

[StevieT]

once you get that huge worthless skimmer out of there, you have lots of room for maintenance!

 

looks good, any change at a larger picture?

[Oceanic 30g]

That thing is certainly big. I see what everyone says about the stem getting filthy too. I am still getting some skimmate, but not nearly what I should be getting.

[pwoller]

I think I need to upgrade to the Tunze. I had decent results from the stock skimmer at first, but I am not getting much from it now. Not sure on the fuge idea. How do clean it when the waste gets back there?

 

 

Pull the cheto out put it in a bucket and do my weekly water change from the back chamber. Its actually easy to work with once you get the monsterous rsm skimmer out of there. I did have an issue at first with getting a film on the top of the water, but I raised the flow gate half way up and that eliminated that problem. I have never had a tank at zero's for nitrate/nitrites, so something is working.

 

[StevieT]

so there is a sponge against the surface skimmer?

[pwoller]

No at this point the only sponge is next to the heater chamber.

[StevieT]

I know some say that it doesn't matter about detritus, it will get broken down. But IMO it is best to keep everything that you can out of the filtration chambers.

 

what do you feel about letting junk in those chambers?

[pwoller]

Alot of the junk actually makes it into the sponge that is back there. Otherwise every couple of water changes, I take the water out of the back chamber. I think ideally there would be a sponge that is collecting the junk first, something easily removed and cleaned off, then the skimmer, then the fuge. Its possible but the fuge would have to be smaller.

[bluesky]

Alot of the junk actually makes it into the sponge that is back there. Otherwise every couple of water changes, I take the water out of the back chamber. I think ideally there would be a sponge that is collecting the junk first, something easily removed and cleaned off, then the skimmer, then the fuge. Its possible but the fuge would have to be smaller.

 

Great post pwoller. Do you still see any water tiny particles (not micro bubbles) in the water after this mod?

[pwoller]

Great post pwoller. Do you still see any water tiny particles (not micro bubbles) in the water after this mod?

 

 

No. Once I got everything dialed in the water is clear.

[Oceanic 30g]

Did you use the same magnet setup as stevie or did you go out and buy a special magnet?

[pwoller]

Yeap same as Stevie

[Normandy]

I don't know how you get enough flow into the powerhead chamber in the back. Mine can't ever pull enough water through. I would think that sponge would keep the flow from being sufficient.

 

Any hints?