DIY refugium?

[laezur]

Anyone built themselves a DIY refugium out of household items? A local reefer is giving me some chaeto but I have no place to really put it, I have the Red Sea 170 so there’s just not that much space in the sump between my skimmer and mechanical filtration

Wondering if anyones come up with some good ideas for a small refugium, maybe Tupperware with holes drilled in it for flow that will keep the chaeto in?

 

[bobnicaragua]

The best approach might be to just get a more suitable sump.

 

[laezur]

The best approach might be to just get a more suitable sump.

I don’t know what more suitable might mean, it can’t be any bigger - it’s limited by the size of the cabinet that the Red Sea sits on

 

[bobnicaragua]

I understand, I used to grow macro algae in the first section of my sump. I started dosing microbacter clean weekly and the nutrients dropped so low that I don’t bother with cheato anymore.

There is a video on coral euphoria about building a bucket fuge . Maybe you could try something like that on a smaller scale.

 

[laezur]

I understand, I used to grow macro algae in the first section of my sump. I started dosing microbacter clean weekly and the nutrients dropped so low that I don’t bother with cheato anymore.

There is a video on coral euphoria about building a bucket fuge . Maybe you could try something like that on a smaller scale.

I’ll have a look thank you! I currently run GFO and a skimmer but still can’t seem to keep the nutrients down so last resort lol

 

[ZombieEngineer]

If you are space limited and don't have a refugium, you could look into buying or building a chaeto reactor. That would serve a similar purpose.

 

[laezur]

If you are space limited and don't have a refugium, you could look into buying or building a chaeto reactor. That would serve a similar purpose.

Buying unfortunately not an option right now, those things are expensive from what I can see.

 

[Timfish]

Maybe a box made with eggcrate held together with tiewraps?

 

[laezur]

Maybe a box made with eggcrate held together with tiewraps?

That’s what I was thinking with the Tupperware box. One large enough with holes poked in both sides should allow flow through in and out, without the chaeto escaping. Stick a lid on it, put it in a high flow area in the sump. Holes can be pretty big, chaeto shouldn’t get through.

Unsure.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Yes u can drill a lot of holes in a tupaware np.
U can also zip tie together an eggcrate box as mentioned.
I would drill a hole in something decent sized and use a small auto top off pump and some hose. I would pump the water into the container and let the hole drain back out into the sump. U can attach a bulkhead and a downpipe with pvc...
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Keep the container above the sump in case it overflows. Lol.
D

 

[gibbers]

Why not a DIY algae scrubber in sump?

 

[laezur]

Why not a DIY algae scrubber in sump?

Sorry, what’s that?

 

[gibbers]

Sorry, what’s that?

this was the first one I grabbed, there are other methods.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

It's basically screen that high light penetrates. Its ruffed up screen. You flow water down it like a waterfall and it grows algae to eat up leftover nutrients ur skimmer or other filtration methods don't pick up.
+ it grows on the screen in a controlled area vs. Your display tank. Lol.
D

 

[MoshJosh]

That’s what I was thinking with the Tupperware box. One large enough with holes poked in both sides should allow flow through in and out, without the chaeto escaping. Stick a lid on it, put it in a high flow area in the sump. Holes can be pretty big, chaeto shouldn’t get through.

Unsure.

I've seen people throw chaeto in a breeder box with a light over it. I've never done it so not sure how well it works, but I imagine it would do the job.

maybe something like this:

Acclimation Breeder Box (Fish, Anemone, and Quarantine) | eBay

Can be used for Acclimation, quarantine, Breed, Display Fish. - insert-able divider. Small: 4.5"x 4.5"x 5" (.25" - 3" fish). Large: 13"x 6"x 6" (.25 - 7" fish). - cell cast acrylic. Veteran owned and operated.

www.ebay.com

(FYI not my listing, just something I found online)

 

[drmdvl]

Ive even seen it thrown into a tiny hampster ball and dropped into the sump like the skimmer compartment where it wont get sucked into the skimmer.

 

[areefer01]

Could always plumb in a 5 gallon bucket. I've seen that done a few times. Low power light. One of the vendors sells sumbergable that would work.

 

[john92708]

I would do the DIY algae scrubber, it's more efficient then chaeto in my experience

 

[Timfish]

That’s what I was thinking with the Tupperware box. One large enough with holes poked in both sides should allow flow through in and out, without the chaeto escaping. Stick a lid on it, put it in a high flow area in the sump. Holes can be pretty big, chaeto shouldn’t get through.

Unsure.

If smaller holes are prefferable another cheap option but a little bit more work is plastic gutter screen.