Huge fuge!

[Hoss]

I just wanted to show off my system. I recently plumbed a 55g in as a refugium for my 29g display tank and all I can say is "wow"! It's amazing what a difference it has made in the health of my corals and the cleanliness of my sandbed. I had previously been having trouble with a major diatom bloom to the extent that diatoms were even growing on my toadstool leather and causing everything to recede. Now I am diatom free, the sandbed is sparkling white, and everything is showing renewed vigor! (clap)

 

The refugium has Chaeto, Caulerpa prolifera, Caulerpa serrulata, Botryocladia, Xenia, and a bunch of random mushrooms, and it is absolutely teaming with pods, colonista snails, and stomatella snails. It is lit by 4 24watt 6500k spiral bulbs.

 

I usually hear about refugiums being a small section of the sump, but mine is almost twice the water volume of the display. Is anyone else out there running an oversized refugium?

 

[nnewhouse]

Very cool! I think I like watching a refugium mature just as much as a display. It would be neat to see this concept applied to large aquariums.

[CA2OR]

I too must admit I have considered doing something like this. I have thought of doing a planted tank like Pledo's and using it as a fuge to the display. You know lots of color variations and such.

[mytshall]

plumbing

 

Can you take some pictures or describe how this is hooked together?

[huskerduck]

Are refugiums supposed to be very low flow for the " filtering" to actually work? It looks like you have a wave going on the top

[Hoss]

@mytshall: These two tanks are connected by a 10g sump. Each one uses a seperate return pump.

 

@huskerduck: It actually is extremely low flow. I have the flow from the return line aimed at the top of the water to prevent a film from forming.

[ClayTheSavageFraser]

I have a 100 gallon refugium for my 210! It's awesome!! I love it!!! I think I have too much macro algae though. Is there such a thing as too much?

 

Clay

[Hoss]

Lets see a picture clay! If it's too much algae you can always pull some out. It'll grow back.

[pledosophy]

IME more flow through refugiums is better. There was a rule of thumb awhile back that your refugium should run your tank volume 3-5x though it per hour, some people were up to ten. That wasn't meant to dictate the overall current of the refugium though. Many people myself included find benefit to adding powerheads into the refugium.

 

IME adding more flow will help things not to settle and seems to make certain algaes like chaetomorpha and ochotodes grow a lot faster.

 

I have a 25g refugium on my 34g system, it's cool, the 34g is my planted tank so there is a lot of algae.

 

IME there seems to really be a difference in the growth rate of LPS as well. All of those pods releasing there eggs and fry are a good food source for the system. It's like having a constant supply of food instead of being fed a couple times a day. In the ocean these corals have a ridiculous supply of food going over them. JMO

 

Just wait until that 55g fills up, you'll be able to feed your 29g anything.

[MadReefer]

I usually hear about refugiums being a small section of the sump, but mine is almost twice the water volume of the display. Is anyone else out there running an oversized refugium?

 

 

I wish I was. Space and money limit mine. My fuge takes up most of my sump though. If I ever have space for a fish room I will have a very large fuge.

[AquaticEngineer]

I have just about 20 gallons of water total in my sump, 10 of which is refugium, and I have 15 gallon display tank.

 

I've always loved having display fuge's. Soon as I move into a place of my own ( hopefully before this summer) I'll definately have a 2 tank system on a single sump. Been debating on a back to back peninsula style setup out of acrylic.