Refugium vs Algae Scrubber

Guns286 · May 30, 2022

I would have assumed that this question was asked before, but I didn’t see it anywhere. But, I’m sorry if it’s a repeat and I just missed it.
‘Soon I will be ready to set up a 50g reef aquarium, with a 20g sump. My plan is to incorporate a refugium into my sump. I’ve read a lot of articles and seen a lot of videos about refugium setup, function and contents. One of the functions is to help keep algae out of the main tank. Adding a clump of Chaeto and a light will help a lot.
Then I read about Algae Scrubbers. They seem simple to DIY and some articles claim they are much better at algae reduction then Chaeto in a refugium.
So, as a noob, I have to ask a few questions. Is the scrubber better then Chaeto? I know that a lot of this has to do with bioload, what you’re keeping in the talk, and other factors, but is one method considered better then the other? If you use both, at the same time, is that overkill?

cpschult · May 30, 2022

The scrubber will be more efficient than the chaeto. Both can do nutrient export well. I’ve ran both on at least one of my setups, and will likely do both again. I really liked chaeto part of my fuge for pod haven.

theMeat · May 30, 2022

Refugium better for pods. Ats better at nutrient reduction

X-37B · May 30, 2022

On my 45 frag system I run a small fuge with red macro algae only. Chaeto is a messy macro, imo.
Plus the red macro algae can be fed to certain fish.
I am not a fan of light in the sump but I dont have to use any po4 reducing media anymore.
I run a 30g remote fuge on my 80g system.
Light spill is the only issue in your sump. My skimmer has coralline algae growth and needs to be stripped evey 6 months.

JessOReefer · May 30, 2022

Refugiums have worked well for me.

Jon's Reef · May 30, 2022

All about flow. If you can have high directional flow that keeps the walls clean and tumbles the chaeto, a fuge is great. If not I would go with a chaeto reactor as it still has the potential for micro fauna (vs an ATS with little to no pod potential)

Guns286 · May 30, 2022

Ok, so it seems that both work, as long as you have decent flow in the sump, but the refugium is better, in a sense, because of its other function as a beneficial bacteria/pod home and breeding ground.
Does the size of the scrubber make a difference? Meaning, if I have a sump, with chaeto, and add a small scrubber to it, would that be the best of both worlds?

DavidinGA · May 30, 2022

If maximum nutrient export is your goal, a scrubber will absolutely do it better. Zero comparison.

Greg Roberts · May 30, 2022

I've tried to grow chaeto three times with zero success. I had good flow, a Kessil H160 Algae Grow light, high quality clean chaeto from AlgaeBarn, and even used Brightwell Aquatics ChaetoGro. I contacted BRS and AlgaeBarn looking for advice on what I was doing wrong, but couldn't get any advice that convinces me to try one more time. I have heard many other claim that they could never grow chaeto either no matter what they tried. I haven't switched to an algae turf scrubber yet, but I'll be doing so very soon.

Guns286 · May 31, 2022

Greg Roberts said:
I've tried to grow chaeto three times with zero success. I had good flow, a Kessil H160 Algae Grow light, high quality clean chaeto from AlgaeBarn, and even used Brightwell Aquatics ChaetoGro. I contacted BRS and AlgaeBarn looking for advice on what I was doing wrong, but couldn't get any advice that convinces me to try one more time. I have heard many other claim that they could never grow chaeto either no matter what they tried. I haven't switched to an algae turf scrubber yet, but I'll be doing so very soon.

Let me know how it goes. I’m still new to all of this, so I’m really interested to see how yours turns out.

kinetic · Jun 21, 2022

I'm looking into a algae scrubber too to help with algae / bubble algae growth. I had a chaeto reactor but for years I couldn't grow any. Finally I started dosing ChaetoGrow (https://www.brightwellaquatics.com/products/chaeto-gro.php) and it started to work. Unfortunately it also increased dinoflagellates to a level that destroyed all my corals. I now know what kind of dinos I have and can get rid of them using a UV, but it's a fight between chaeto and dinoflagellates. I'm probably going with an algae scrubber next.

Duncan62 · Jun 21, 2022

Guns286 said:
I would have assumed that this question was asked before, but I didn’t see it anywhere. But, I’m sorry if it’s a repeat and I just missed it.
‘Soon I will be ready to set up a 50g reef aquarium, with a 20g sump. My plan is to incorporate a refugium into my sump. I’ve read a lot of articles and seen a lot of videos about refugium setup, function and contents. One of the functions is to help keep algae out of the main tank. Adding a clump of Chaeto and a light will help a lot.
Then I read about Algae Scrubbers. They seem simple to DIY and some articles claim they are much better at algae reduction then Chaeto in a refugium.
So, as a noob, I have to ask a few questions. Is the scrubber better then Chaeto? I know that a lot of this has to do with bioload, what you’re keeping in the talk, and other factors, but is one method considered better then the other? If you use both, at the same time, is that overkill?

Ive used diy scrubbers as the primary source of filtration since the late 80s. It's the best way to go in my opinion. Control nutrients with harvest. Very efficient.