Do you run a refugium in your sump?

[Be102]

I was interested how many people run one, vs do not. What do you use it for other than equipment, if not a refugium?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

What do you use it for other than equipment, if not a refugium?

To hide new corals from the spouse or the ones she doesnt like in the Display.

 

[Reefnewb]

To hide new corals from the spouse or the ones she doesnt like in the Display.

haha that's a great response!

To answer your question I mainly use it for the obvious equipemt, more tank water volume, and also have some cheato growing but that's it.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

I started it as a refugium, actually a separate tank plumbed to my sump, but low nutrients didn't allow chaeteo to suck anything up leading to having a golf ball sized piece in forever. Now I banish floating shrooms, anthelia, and anything that becomes a nuisance. It's like a 14gal time out box. Ha. Been actually thinking of stocking it with something. I run it off cycle of my lights so it'd give me something to look at day and night.

 

[Be102]

I started it as a refugium, actually a separate tank plumbed to my sump, but low nutrients didn't allow chaeteo to suck anything up leading to having a golf ball sized piece in forever. Now I banish floating shrooms, anthelia, and anything that becomes a nuisance. It's like a 14gal time out box. Ha. Been actually thinking of stocking it with something. I run it off cycle of my lights so it'd give me something to look at day and night.

Thanks for another idea. I guess if all other conditions are met, it isn't necessary for macro algae. Probably just another place for live rock and whatnot.

 

[bump3rb33tl3]

I have a fuge chamber in my sump. I banish my turbos down there when I get tired of them knocking my frags over. It has a 1" thick bed of miracle mud with chaeto, dragons breath, sprinella, mermaids tail, blue algae. I also have my macro brittle stars, pods, and mysis down there. Grows like crazy. Im thinking of adding a mangrove. I also run my grow light opposite of my DT lights.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Look what this dumb guy did.

By Putting the pump chamber in the back, the flow is limited on the right. There was a conversation whether to put in in the right corner but its hard to argue with a dumb guy with OCD.
Worked ok till the dumb guy got a rock with awesome blue sponges and put it in the right corner and the sponges died due to low flow and nuked the tank a bit. Lost the two large oysters from the grocery store you see in the picture.
One good thing the dum guy did do was to measure the space on the left very well so the exact model of skimmer would fit and also the next size up skimmer as well just in case.
This was done knowing biological filtration would be key in nutrient export and the livestock in the tank need a large amount of dissolved organics in the water column and the skimmer was chosen to NOT oveskim . the fuge also has a deep sand bed.

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

here's mine: a jbj 14 with the back wall ripped out and a simple eahoppe overflow and return pump that drops back into my return section of skimmer. Glass pretty dirty at moment as I cut on at 10pm and that's to late to start that project. Also have been debating between the livestock idea or getting a kessil a80 and building a light diffuser frag rack over rocks for some grow outs. I'm pretty wishy washy on the idea hence it being a coralline dissaster at moment. Lol

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

The real reason I started it. Aaaaaaaalmost gone. Thank you little baby Jesus. They were a beast to get out the display. Felt like a master Reef keeper with how fast it was growing. Oh to be naive again. Lol

 

[Be102]

I have a fuge chamber in my sump. I banish my turbos down there when I get tired of them knocking my frags over. It has a 1" thick bed of miracle mud with chaeto, dragons breath, sprinella, mermaids tail, blue algae. I also have my macro brittle stars, pods, and mysis down there. Grows like crazy. Im thinking of adding a mangrove. I also run my grow light opposite of my DT lights.

Adding a mangrove would be really cool! Maybe I'll look more into that idea. I was reading earlier about someone's mangrove tank and was fascinated by it.

 

[bump3rb33tl3]

Adding a mangrove would be really cool! Maybe I'll look more into that idea. I was reading earlier about someone's mangrove tank and was fascinated by it.

One of the perks of living near Galveston is all the mangrove seed pods that wash up on shore! Been lots of talk on our local forum about them recently.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

^this is why I'm ready to buy a house. Idk if the wife is ready for the tankapalooza that will begin. Lol

 

[Reefnewb]

^this is why I'm ready to buy a house. Idk if the wife is ready for the tankapalooza that will begin. Lol

Exactly lol

 

[FishGuyBri]

That setup is huge! Although my tank isn't set up right now, I'm definitely using a fuge. Years ago, I had SW tank and used a hang over box mini fuge on a 40gal long. I love it almost as much as my tank. I liked the hang on because you can always see it. My new setup will be in-sump.

 

[SteveSTL]

My HOB (CPR 2) just came today. I'll get a couple of pounds of rock grunge and some rubble from the LFS and have it run off cycle just so I can watch all the life that I usually don't see. It will replace my HOB filter so I'll throw the heater in there as well.

 

[BigHildy53]

I'm "listening" in for ideas. I had cheato in the refugium section of my Trigger Systems sump. My issue was keeping the cheato in the refugium section. It would clog up the sponge filter leading to the return section. The water level rose and the stuff would spread. Came back after a few days out of town, and my skimmer pump (external skimmer) wasn't pumping any water into the skimmer (very little water). The pump intake screen was covered in chaeto. So I put it in a reactor wrapped with an LED light strip.

I like the idea of growing red algae and then moving it to the display tank for my herbivores.

 

[Cary Meredith]

Had to say no because mine is separate from the sump.

 

[cloak]

I've never really found the need for a refugium. I'm not a big fan of Mandarins or Pipefish so having a thriving pod population is not a big deal and I'm able to keep my nutrients pretty low with regular water changes, a skimmer and a little elbow grease.

 

[Cary Meredith]

Had to say know because mine is separate from the sump.

Here's mine the main tank you see if the refugium, the one on the left is a DSB.