Refugium for main filtration?

[Sumguyy]

I am about a year into the hobby. Have a reefer 525xl that is doing great. I recently bought a used reefer 170. The seller included and larger custom made sump. The sump design has no spots for filter socks. He said he had only a refugium growing chaeto for filtration and nutrient export.

I had never heard of this. But as I look into it, it seems kinda neat. Anyone ever try it? Success stories? Fails?

The sump section is just under 30 gallons. I will be running a H380. The tank will be home to a couple clowns, few clean up crew, and mainly Zoas and lps corals that sway in the current. It will be bare bottom woth live rock that has been sitting in my current sump for about 6 months.

I also have the stock Red Sea sump for the 170. So, if I have to go that way I can.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

I just run an algae scrubber & GAC on a mixed reef with a heavy fish load ???

Triton something similar.
The algae basically remove ammonia as a fertilizer rather than conversion to no2/3. Removes po4 very effectively if set up correctly

 

[Subsea]

Look through BRS TV videos. Check out the complete series on algae filtration.

 

[najer]

I run 550 litre water volume with a sump refugium and a display refugium, it works for me.

 

[joe berkman]

I run a trigger triton 44 on a heavy stocked 72 gallon display, I haven't cleaned a filter sock in a year and my reef runs better all the time