Refugium

[Mickle]

Hello,

I was wondering if I should make one of the spaces a refugium on my 13.5 fluval evo. I don't have a protein skimmer, right now my media is in the middle and the first one is empty. What are your thoughts?


Thanks!

-Mick

 

[Mickle]

Image wouldn't show on my original post

 

[Water Dog]

I’m personally not a fan of running a refugium in a space that small, it’s cramped back there and the chaeto can’t tumble. For a while, I ran a refugium using an InTank fuge basket in the rear chamber of my Biocube 29. While initially, it grew well, over time, the chaeto just disintegrated and added to the detritus and mess in the rear chambers. I replaced it with a mesh bag of Seachem Matrix to add biological filtration to my system.

 

[Mickle]

Okay, what should I add to the first chamber? I was told a skimmer isn't nessesary on a smaller tank, I will only have softies. Thanks!

 

[landlubber]

I’m personally not a fan of running a refugium in a space that small, it’s cramped back there and the chaeto can’t tumble. For a while, I ran a refugium using an InTank fuge basket in the rear chamber of my Biocube 29. While initially, it grew well, over time, the chaeto just disintegrated and added to the detritus and mess in the rear chambers. I replaced it with a mesh bag of Seachem Matrix to add biological filtration to my system.

agreed. it takes a significant amount of light and macro algae to get anything positive going. it may be deep but the light only has a small space to shine on leaving the bottom 90% shaded.

 

[Water Dog]

Toss in a bag of Seachem Matrix or Siporax for extra biological filtration.

 

[Mickle]

Toss in a bag of Seachem Matrix or Siporax for extra biological filtration.

Alright! Thanks everyone who helped me out!

 

[ectoaesthetics]

I think you are fine to light it and do a fuge back there! My initial thought was that it was too small but then I realized that the tank isn't that big either. The trick would be NOT to light it from the top. It looks like you can light it from the back and light it all the way down... I would do it. Your chaeto doesn't need to tumble. To do so is a newer trend. It does help keep detritus out of the chaeto -but more than anything it looks cool on YouTube and so it has caught on. I have never seen growth difference between tumbling and not. I can say that I have (sample size of one here) seen much smaller pod populations in the tumbling version. As for the detritus -I just pull my chaeto out, remove about 1/3 of it, and shake the rest in a container of water and put it back in the fuge. Harvesting and cleaning done at the same time. I would only rinse it every 2-4 weeks.

While you would definitely see a benefit in a larger fuge I think the lights down the back would give you ample "growth space" for such a small tank. I think LED strip lights or a flat LED grow light pushed up against the side would work just fine. Also in my past nanos the night to day pH swing was heavily stabilized by a fuge with a reverse photo period.

Unless you are running a super minimalist scape you probably have enough rock and sand to support more than enough bacteria for filtration. If you have gone bare bottom you are much better off scraping the fuge and adding more filtration to the back as suggested above. Been running nanos since 2002 and have done some pretty small but pretty helpful refugiums in that time. You DO need to give them enough light or they are in fact useless -but I think you can do that given the transparency of your "sump."

Figured I would at least give you a counter opinion.

 

[Mickle]

Thank you! Do you know of any specific light I could use?

I think you are fine to light it and do a fuge back there! My initial thought was that it was too small but then I realized that the tank isn't that big either. The trick would be NOT to light it from the top. It looks like you can light it from the back and light it all the way down... I would do it. Your chaeto doesn't need to tumble. To do so is a newer trend. It does help keep detritus out of the chaeto -but more than anything it looks cool on YouTube and so it has caught on. I have never seen growth difference between tumbling and not. I can say that I have (sample size of one here) seen much smaller pod populations in the tumbling version. As for the detritus -I just pull my chaeto out, remove about 1/3 of it, and shake the rest in a container of water and put it back in the fuge. Harvesting and cleaning done at the same time. I would only rinse it every 2-4 weeks.

While you would definitely see a benefit in a larger fuge I think the lights down the back would give you ample "growth space" for such a small tank. I think LED strip lights or a flat LED grow light pushed up against the side would work just fine. Also in my past nanos the night to day pH swing was heavily stabilized by a fuge with a reverse photo period.

Unless you are running a super minimalist scape you probably have enough rock and sand to support more than enough bacteria for filtration. If you have gone bare bottom you are much better off scraping the fuge and adding more filtration to the back as suggested above. Been running nanos since 2002 and have done some pretty small but pretty helpful refugiums in that time. You DO need to give them enough light or they are in fact useless -but I think you can do that given the transparency of your "sump."

Figured I would at least give you a counter opinion.

 

[Water Dog]

I used a JBJ Nano Glo magnetic refugium light against the back wall of my Biocube as well... my chaeto still eventually disintegrated in the rear chamber... just sayin’.

 

[Mickle]

Thank you, I'm not sure if I'm going to attempt or not yet.

I used a JBJ Nano Glo magnetic refugium light against the back wall of my Biocube as well... my chaeto still eventually disintegrated in the rear chamber... just sayin’.

 

[wlittlefield]

I've got a 30L Innovative Marine tank and am running a fuge in the two outer most return chambers (on the left and right side). I'm using the original IM fuge light and the new one. I find the old one grows cheato faster, but it gets slimy and gross quicker... and the new one grows it a lot denser.

I have to take a 1/3 - 1/2 out every two weeks or so because it grows so quickly.

I can't say how effective the fuge is at cleaning water/ keeping elements in check since I haven't done anything else but will say, the tank has been up for a little over a year and seems very happy.

 

[Reef of Fillory]

Hello,

I was wondering if I should make one of the spaces a refugium on my 13.5 fluval evo. I don't have a protein skimmer, right now my media is in the middle and the first one is empty. What are your thoughts?


Thanks!

-Mick

I run a DIY media rack [filter floss, chemipure Elite] and a refugium in chamber 1 of my Fluval EVO.

In Ch2 I run a skimmer for aeration. My chaeto grows like mad and is very dark green and tightly wound [thick mat].

I use an Amazon grow light that I attached to the back of the tank using 3M mailbox/adhesive tape.

I have 0 nitrate and 0 phosphate despite my attempts to feed extremely heavily [flakes + LRS frozen food]

Here's my build thread if you'd like to look it over: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/michigan-evo-12-13-5-gallons.366050/

 

[Reef of Fillory]

Here's the light that I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N47QRHV/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Before I bought the skimmer, I grew chaeto in both chamber 1 and 2:

 

[Auto-pilot]

Thank you! Do you know of any specific light I could use?

I have a led grow light that I got on Amazon and I've been really happy! I will advise that if you do get a led light and it gets wet at all LEDs blow out. My refugium chaeto grew x2 one week with my led and it was cheap!

 

[Mickle]

Thank you Littlefield, Reef of Fillory and Auto-Pilot!
I will check out those lights, the problem is I dont know where to get macroalgae I don't want to buy it online. Shipping is too expensive. One of my lfs might have some. I'm going there this weekend ,If they do ill make a refugium in the first chamber. Thanks!

I've got a 30L Innovative Marine tank and am running a fuge in the two outer most return chambers (on the left and right side). I'm using the original IM fuge light and the new one. I find the old one grows cheato faster, but it gets slimy and gross quicker... and the new one grows it a lot denser.

I have to take a 1/3 - 1/2 out every two weeks or so because it grows so quickly.

I can't say how effective the fuge is at cleaning water/ keeping elements in check since I haven't done anything else but will say, the tank has been up for a little over a year and seems very happy.

I run a DIY media rack [filter floss, chemipure Elite] and a refugium in chamber 1 of my Fluval EVO.

In Ch2 I run a skimmer for aeration. My chaeto grows like mad and is very dark green and tightly wound [thick mat].

I use an Amazon grow light that I attached to the back of the tank using 3M mailbox/adhesive tape.

I have 0 nitrate and 0 phosphate despite my attempts to feed extremely heavily [flakes + LRS frozen food]

Here's my build thread if you'd like to look it over: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/michigan-evo-12-13-5-gallons.366050/

Here's the light that I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N47QRHV/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Before I bought the skimmer, I grew chaeto in both chamber 1 and 2:

I have a led grow light that I got on Amazon and I've been really happy! I will advise that if you do get a led light and it gets wet at all LEDs blow out. My refugium chaeto grew x2 one week with my led and it was cheap!

 

[Reef of Fillory]

Thank you Littlefield, Reef of Fillory and Auto-Pilot!
I will check out those lights, the problem is I dont know where to get macroalgae I don't want to buy it online. Shipping is too expensive. One of my lfs might have some. I'm going there this weekend ,If they do ill make a refugium in the first chamber. Thanks!

You can usually get some in the for sale section here shipped for $10-15 from a fellow reefer. Also, check craigslist for local reefers, they'll usually just give it away

 

[Mickle]

You can usually get some in the for sale section here shipped for $10-15 from a fellow reefer. Also, check craigslist for local reefers, they'll usually just give it away

Okay! Thank you so much!

 

[ectoaesthetics]

Thank you Littlefield, Reef of Fillory and Auto-Pilot!
I will check out those lights, the problem is I dont know where to get macroalgae I don't want to buy it online. Shipping is too expensive. One of my lfs might have some. I'm going there this weekend ,If they do ill make a refugium in the first chamber. Thanks!

If I had a tank right now I’d just mail it to you. Someone on here is probably willing to hook you up. It doesn’t need to be overnighted!! The pods and algae will be fine. It isn’t a fragile shipper. If you do use heavy duty lights on it make sure you don’t over cook it at first -it too will need to be acclimated to high light.

 

[Mickle]

I might go ahead and go check a lfs today. Have any lfs ever sold macroalgae or is it only online? Thanks!

If I had a tank right now I’d just mail it to you. Someone on here is probably willing to hook you up. It doesn’t need to be overnighted!! The pods and algae will be fine. It isn’t a fragile shipper. If you do use heavy duty lights on it make sure you don’t over cook it at first -it too will need to be acclimated to high light.