Refugium algae mess

[MUTiger]

Tank: Red Sea Reefer 250 with V3 sump
refugium light: Tunze Eco chic refugium LED. Running for 12 hours overnight.
Marine Pure ceramic biomedia spheres in refugium
Algae Barn green Chaeto

I started a refugium in my sump about 4 weeks ago. Unlike pictures and videos I have seen on line with a bright green large ball of Chaeto and a very clean refugium, my Chaeto is slimy and dark green. The walls of the refugium are getting coated with hair algae. The exposed ceramic biospheres which once were white are now brownish black. The display tank still looks very good; No algae and I am having to scrape the glass far less frequently. What am I doing wrong?

 

[JCM]

Nothing, sounds like it's working. The whole point is reducing nutrients and keeping algae out of the display. It doesn't need to be pretty

 

[officetank]

I would take the cheato ball out, and maybe replace it with a different source. From what I would guess, there is a specific algae growth that's competing for the same nutrients and resources as the chaeto ball, causing it to die off. Try replacing it with caulerpa, maybe that will help. But from JCM's reply above, it sounds like it is working perfectly fine, and is doing its job as intended; it does not have to be pretty, in fact, the best refugiums I've seen look like a hairy jungle algae disaster. Remember, you're establishing an ecosystem full of symbiotic nutrients, bacteria, flora, and fauna. It will eventually find its balance.

 

[JCM]

in fact, the best refugiums I've seen look like a hairy jungle algae disaster. Remember, you're establishing an ecosystem full of symbiotic nutrients, bacteria, flora, and fauna. It will eventually find its balance.

Exactly. All that ugly algae in the refugium used nutrients to grow that would've otherwise been available for algae in the display. It's also supplying food and habitat for pods and other beneficial life.