hi all, i just set up a 120 gallon tank with a fuge/sump. the sump holds about 20 gallons, as does the fuge. i am looking for a macro algae that will help suck up nitrates. i have a shallow sand bed, and need help with extra filtration. also, should i add the algae before or after i add fish?
Tell us more about the fuge and sump. Is it illuminated? What type of lighting and what wattage? This is going to make a difference in the recommended algae.
Where is the "shallow sand bed"? In the sump? Fuge? Display? If you opted to have a shallow sand bed in the display, I'd try to make a deep sand bed (DSB) in either a sump chamber or the refugium. Others who are not into DSB may argue that it is unnecessary, or even un-recommended, but to each his/her own.
As far as when to add the macro. I personally say, unless you are JUST beginning a cycle (if your water is downright, low-tide, nasty, and as long as your water is stable in salinity, heat, etc. add it now.
Macro can and will "melt" if stressed by salinity swings. Otherwise, putting it in toward the end of a cycle, with some ammonia, nitrite, nitrate etc. will not harm it. It may actually help you absorb some of these compounds and "fix" it.
Again, before you get into the "when", lets talk about your system and figure out the "what".
i have a coralife 28 watt pc hood that i will be placing over the fuge. here is a pic of the sump/fuge. the fuge is the bucket on top that drains into the sump.
and here is a pic of the display tank, and yes, it is where the shallow sand bed is:
i JUST set the tank up 3 days ago, i just added the LR yesterday. so it is still very very new. i did use 25 pounds of aragonite from an existing tank to help set it up, the LR was also in an old tank, so it is pretty good.
here is a pic of the tank today, with the LR spread out and not scaped:
here is a pic of the skimmer and filter. right now i am running carbon temporarily with some of that polyfilter. it has gotten quite dirsy already, i think it's from the detris and stuff in the existing sand i added:
and finally a pic of the inside of the sump from the top. it has about 15 pounds of LR rubble in it. it has adjustable flow, so i can put it anywhere from 600 gal/hr to 10 gal/hr.
Is your ball valve made of metal? You may want to replace that with a plastic valve. Also the power strip on the floor of the stand is a disaster waiting to happen. Are you going to use the skimmerHOB or move it to the sump?
welcome russel!
exciting times with all the new stuff in the works! enjoy making mistakes on the smaller side, it helps us retain the knowledge better in the end!
good to have you back david, im a fan of the pro circuit tours, makes life better for me, cause im rusty!
ya, the ball valve is made of metal. i didn't know that you couldn't use it. i will be replacing it with pvc shortly. as for the power strip, i just have stuff laying around until i can get most of my equipment set up correctly. the skimmer is definately going to be in sump or at least hanging on the side of the sump.
my buddy fragged me about 100 polyps of zoanthids yesterday, i think i have about 10 different species he also gave me some lps stuff just to try out. i got a 2x175 MH setup to use for a while, he's just letting me borrow it or possibly buy it if i like it. i also got some chaeto for the sump! hopefully it will do ok, if not i can definately get more.
so is the metal gate valve on the left side of the divider in this pic going to mess things up? i can probably replace it fairly easily with a pvc ball valve if i need to:
You really want to keep all metals away from a marine system and for various reasons. First and foremost, we already battle with metals and the build up of said metals (to toxic levels) in our systems. The results of metal build up can be anywhere from simple water stability issues to total loss of invertibrates. Copper Kills!
The second issue is one of system maintenance. Reactions between metals and salt water can cause quick corrosion of your system components. By then, (after thought about point "A" above) your system is probably compromised, but there is nothing worse than having to re-plumb a running system.
Best to do what you can, from the get go, in PVC. Home Depot and other home improvement stores have just about everything you'd need...minus bulkheads (hit or miss) etc.
I'd wait until you at least have stability before you add anything. 
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