jmichaelh7
2500 Club Member
Thinking of upgrading my sump again from 30gallon to 70 gallon. In efforts to start refugium. What do y’all think?
Do you Really Need a refugium?
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jmichaelh7
2500 Club Member
Please emphasize maintenance
blaxsun
10K Club member
You need a grow light, and this will typically cause algae to also start growing outside the refugium as well (unless it's self-contained and blacked out) - so this means higher maintenance with other equipment. You also have to continually remove algae from the refugium on a constant basis as this is how you export nutrients. And the refugium chamber can also end up being fairly gross. But refugiums are relatively cheap to operate and self-sustaining.
I run a zeo reactor, it's self-contained and a lot cleaner. And I replace the zeo every few months. But there is a cost to this, which is the tradeoff. As I don't have a dedicated refugium I also have more room in my sump so I have more room for equipment, etc.
It's really personal preference.
X-37B
Fight The Good Fight
I am not a fan of light in my sump
so I am in the process of setting up a remote fuge on my 120.
Its 24x20x18 corner overflow with 3 black plexi sides.
It will give me about 30g's to my system.
I will run my 150 watt halide since I have it.
I plan on running it opposite my tanks lighting schedule.
120 lights 11:30-8:30.
Fuge will run 12-12.
I plan on macro algae 3" sand bed and most likely my lps from my frag system and 1 from my 120.
No cheato just macro, pods, and stuff I cant keep in my 120.
Stand is done and I now need to make 30g's of water and reduce the alk.
Here is the bare tank.
so I am in the process of setting up a remote fuge on my 120.
Its 24x20x18 corner overflow with 3 black plexi sides.
It will give me about 30g's to my system.
I will run my 150 watt halide since I have it.
I plan on running it opposite my tanks lighting schedule.
120 lights 11:30-8:30.
Fuge will run 12-12.
I plan on macro algae 3" sand bed and most likely my lps from my frag system and 1 from my 120.
No cheato just macro, pods, and stuff I cant keep in my 120.
Stand is done and I now need to make 30g's of water and reduce the alk.
Here is the bare tank.
OP
OP
jmichaelh7
2500 Club Member
How’s algae scrubber for you?
mdb_talon
2500 Club Member
No it is certainly not needed, but in some cases well worth it. Personally i always run a refugium with cheato. Not just for the nutrient export but because it is a great place for pods/etc that add to the health of the tank.
Again though obviously many have fantastic tanks without one. As far as maintenance i guess it depends on the setup. My maintenance schedule is grap a big chunk of cheato out every week and either take to LFS or throw in flower garden. Nothing more than that.
Again though obviously many have fantastic tanks without one. As far as maintenance i guess it depends on the setup. My maintenance schedule is grap a big chunk of cheato out every week and either take to LFS or throw in flower garden. Nothing more than that.
Timfish
Crusty Old Salt
Nope, don't need a refugium, or a sump, or a skimmer or reactors. Just water and corals and sponges to filter the water.
Reef System with no external or internal filtration
Old Sea Urchin
World's funniest fish
Reef System with no external or internal filtration
Old Sea Urchin
World's funniest fish
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I started a fuge early on in my tank and GHA got the better of my tank and fuge.
Vibrant finally killed the balance.
Now while the cheato died the algae on my scrubber took off.
Now that the GHA is gone, I'm not sure that I will start the fuge again, my scrubber is killing it and I feel that they are competing against one another and the scrubber is alot less maintenance. But I haven't ruled it out.
Vibrant finally killed the balance.
Now while the cheato died the algae on my scrubber took off.
Now that the GHA is gone, I'm not sure that I will start the fuge again, my scrubber is killing it and I feel that they are competing against one another and the scrubber is alot less maintenance. But I haven't ruled it out.
PeterC99
Solarbenchmark.com
Will not run an aquarium without Refugium with chaeto. Keeps my overstocked 90g with low PO4 & NO3. Keeps aquarium in balance and avoids so many other things. Here‘s my cheap egg crate refugium with Neptune Grow light.
Dkmoo
Valuable Member
Absolutely love my 0 maintainance refugium. I do not grow chaeto, I just let whatever algae grow in there and explode and scoop out a handful every couple of weeks. Right now its got a very diverse group of algaes, various hairy kinds.
Added an egg crate with 1/8 mesh on it that cut across the water flow. Algae grew on that too kinda like dyi algae scrubber
This also resulted in a very healthy amphipod and copapod population. Kinda gnarly to see 1/2 inch "sea cockroches" crowling in there...
DT is spotless bc all the algae is growing in fuge instead.
Feed very heavy and overstocked livestock. No3 never exceeds 1 and po4 never exceeds 0.04.
Been running this "method" for 6 months now. Tank is 4 years old. Other methods of setting up fuge the "normal" way with chaeto and keeping it clean has never worked out more than 1 month.
Added an egg crate with 1/8 mesh on it that cut across the water flow. Algae grew on that too kinda like dyi algae scrubber
This also resulted in a very healthy amphipod and copapod population. Kinda gnarly to see 1/2 inch "sea cockroches" crowling in there...
DT is spotless bc all the algae is growing in fuge instead.
Feed very heavy and overstocked livestock. No3 never exceeds 1 and po4 never exceeds 0.04.
Been running this "method" for 6 months now. Tank is 4 years old. Other methods of setting up fuge the "normal" way with chaeto and keeping it clean has never worked out more than 1 month.
cww81
Active Member
I personally have tried to get cheato going for a refugium and it just died every time. I do know that it is extremely useful if you get it growing successfully (most people do). Going to try Caulerpa next and if it doesn’t work I’m gonna skip on the fuge.
cww81
Active Member
I have a light that many people here recommended me, it’s 100W
flagg37
Custom stair builder - TreeofLifeStairs.com
I’ll repeat what others have said; it’s not necessary but I wouldn’t do another tank without one. I’d think about a scrubber since the only advantage to the fuge vs the scrubber is a safe haven for pods. I never thought my fuge was much work. I’d scoop out some chaeto occasionally, that was about it. The light for it didn’t produce a lot of micro algae on the walls or other equipment in the sump but there was some.
Spare time
10K Club member
I would re-word the question. You don't "need" any filter. But different types help a lot. I am a fan of refugium only tanks with carbon+socks (meaning no skimmer, no GFO, no other nitrate or phosphate remover, etc.). I do no water changes, have no algae in the display other than my purple covered rocks, no issues with high nitrate and phosphate. I can overdose any food, feed however much I want, and my tank never has any issues. Refugiums are the most under valued and over looked filter item and nearly everyone thinks the skimmer must come first and then the refugium if you have room. I think the reverse is better.
