Refugium discussion

[impur]

I'm wondering everyones thoughts on fuges. I currently run one with maybe 1/4" sand, a few rocks, and cheato. I wonder how much it really helps the overall health of the system. My cheato grows real well, but i also notice some bubble algae growing in there, and lots and lots of detrius. I have about 5 ceriths and a couple astreas in the fuge (5gal), and lots upon lots of bristle worms and pods.

 

I've got some hair algae thats growing on the coralline on the glass of the display, but it does not grow anywhere else in my tank. I also find some bubble algae growing on rocks here and there in the display. This leads me to wonder if the fuge really benefits anything?

 

I'm considering eliminating it from my upgrade. I'd like to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Miles

[Ron Popeil]

i am a huge fan of refugiums. i have always had one on my systems, and i think they make a terrific difference in terms of water quality and stability.

 

i also utilize a larger refugium than most. with my 60 cube and 45 cube running to my 75 refugium, i am allowed an excessive amount of feedings, infrequent water changes and a nice big tank to put extra things.

 

my sand is not very deep in there. maybe just over two inches, at the very deepest. i have a large amount of excessive live rock in there. and about once a month or two i completely harvest all the of the four types of macroalgae that completely fills the tank.

 

im trying to spawn my two pairs of clowns, and so i feed a tremendous amount of food. a ridiculous amount even. and i never have ammonia, nitrite or nitrate problems. fish will die, if i dont find the bodies, no ammonia spike. my anemones are massive, and expell a tremendous amount of waste as well. still, no problems with water quality.

 

i use the tank to house stray fish. fish i dont want in my main display. fish and corals for babysitting. in a disaster, i can have it set up and ready to go as a lifeboat.

 

refugiums are definetely worth their continued use. in my opinion.

[vanz]

about once a month or two i completely harvest all the of the four types of macroalgae that completely fills the tank.

 

 

What do you do with them after you harvest them? Do you chuck it? If so, can I have them? I had some, but for some reason, all of my chaeto and halameda just disappeared. Probably lack of light when they were in my tank. I don't have a refugium so I just put them in the back side.

 

I'll pay for shipping.

[fly guy]

Personally I hate them. I think they are a dirty unecessary mess.

 

I never have to clean my sumps and i LIKE it that way. :p

 

If youre running a fairly excess nutrient free system and are getting bubble algae growing on the rocks in your display, it is feeding off of phosphates in the rock. You either need to continue to run a excess nutrient free system until it eventually goes away...which can take a long time....or cook the rock.

[SnowboardKid26]

I on the other hand LOVE mine. Super low nutrients... and I don't feed my 2 clowns. Of course I have a rather large refugium attached to my 16g nano Over filtrate. Thats my motto. That way you can never blame anyone but yourself when things go wrong. (whistle)

[CCR]

I'm trying to decide on a sump combo or not on the next project. I'm tired of constantly fighting with levels. i know i will have it loaded with lr, I haven't desided yet on a DSB. My thinking is a DSB, 4IN, Then drilled PVC, raising the rock on top of egg crate

[funstarfish]

do not do a combo with sump whatever you decide. its nothing but a pain and i speak from experience. i would never again combine the two. whether or not you use one should depend on what you are trying to achieve. Fuges are counterproductive if you are doing a low nutrient high flow system. but in a clownfish anemone system, they have a valid use, providing both food and filtration. figure out what you'd like to keep and how you would like to acheive success, and you will see if a fuge is worth your effort. but keep the thing seperate so it may be disconnected or easily cleaned.

[Nyles]

I beleive in a fuge simple from what the name comes from, its a refuge for critters I raise to feed to the main tank, I have cheato, but I don't know how much good it does, but I do like the fact I can keep the fuge stocked with life and it keeps all my pod hungry friends bellies full. I can look in there and watch some crazy stuff going on, its almost like another world, and the kids like it. But I still argue their worth other than simply providing a place for growing smaller copepods. Oh and tha fact it does add some stability to the tank simply due to added mass.

[fly guy]

I think funstarfish ahs some valid points there. But, for those of you simply running a fuge for pod production alone.......some rubble stacked up in the corner of your display can give the pods someplace protected to hide and multiply......just something to consider if thats the only reason you have a refugium and you dont have several fish relying on them completely for food.

[impur]

Yah i think that pods are the sole reason i have a fuge now. And the only consumers of the pods are my 2 clowns. I can use frozen pods for that. I just don't see the fuge providing anything useful for my next system. Piling up some rock rubble in the back of the rock walls would provide essetially the same thing. I wonder just how many pods make it thru the overflow in the fuge, into the sump, over the 3 baffles, thru the return pump, and into the display anyway.

 

I only have a few pieces of rock rubble that have bubble algae growing on them. Not sure why those few pieces grow it, but it is very easy to remove the frag, tweeze the bubble algea off, and put it back.