Refugiums... explain it to me like I'm 5

[New&no clue]

I have a Nuvo 30L with high Phosphates and Nitrates, a lot of people suggested to add a refugium to help bring the levels down. As I like to go natural before I go chemical I thought I would try it. I bought a light and some chaeto, my chaeto is growing away. But I'm still lost on what I'm actually doing here. Maybe my questions isn't really explain a refuguim... maybe it is explain how chaeto is used as a nutrient export?

 

[Miller535]

Well I think the first thing that should be stated is that what most people call a refugium is not a "true" refugium. A true refugium is a refuge for small animals, inverts, pods and what not that would be consumed in the Display tank.

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Cheato is similar to our corals in that it uses nutrients to grow, however it sucks up significantly more than if you had something like a xenia refugium.

 

[Falcar]

The chaeto grows, which uses the nutrients to do, and then you remove some chaeto, thus removing the nutrients.

 

[Cell]

You growing chaeto in a controlled, secure environment is using up the excess nutrients that would have otherwise been used to grow undesirable algae in your tank. You are out competing the pest algae with your own, non pest algae.

 

[Cell]

Well I think a first thing that should be stated that would most people calling a refugium is not a "true" refugium. A true refugium is a refuge for small animals, inverts, pods and what not that would be consumed in the Display tank.

I guess in some situations, refugiums might be more accurately defined as algae scrubbers?

 

[Miller535]

What most people mean when they say refugium is that they grow cheato and maybe have some pods in a little compartment of their sump. Where a "true" refugium is usually attached to but not in the main system. Chaeto is like any other plant, it needs nitrogen (Nitrate and Phosphate) and trace elements to grow. So when you grow this in your system, it pulls it out of the water. And when you throw away the extra growth, you have officially removed those nutrients fromt he sysetm.

 

[Copingwithpods]

Cheato uses nitrates and phosphates to grow as well as iron. Though it isn't a fix all and you should still feed according to your nutrient levels or up your water change schedule.

It won't take long for you to notice that you'll switch from feeding the fish to feeding the cheato where the cheato will dictate how much and how often you feed. Low nutrients = feed more, high nutrients = water change/feed less. If you find yourself feeding under what the fish need then you switch to more water changes or skimming.

 

[MoreReefPlease]

Or like me, you try to keep chaeto in your fuge but giant turbos eat it faster than it can grow .... Smh

 

[Miller535]

Cheato uses nitrates and phosphates to grow as well as iron. Though it isn't a fix all and you should still feed according to your nutrient levels or up your water change schedule.

It won't take long for you to notice that you'll switch from feeding the fish to feeding the cheato where the cheato will dictate how much and how often you feed. Low nutrients = feed more, high nutrients = water change/feed less. If you find yourself feeding under what the fish need then you switch to more water changes or skimming.

Solid advice.

 

[WiscoFishNut]

Ditto what the others have said! I've found that keeping chaeto (or other macro algae like pom pom) in the sump has had a huge effect at reducing the NO3 & PO4 in both of my current tanks. So much so that I'm nervous I might be overdoing it.

 

[New&no clue]

The chaeto grows, which uses the nutrients to do, and then you remove some chaeto, thus removing the nutrients.

I have heard this several times and I think it's where I am stuck. So when and why do you remove the chaeto? How do you know how much to remove?

 

[Copingwithpods]

I have heard this several times and I think it's where I am stuck. So when and why do you remove the chaeto? How do you know how much to remove?

The nutrients are tied up in the cheato so you remove say 1/3 - 1/2 of it to remove the nutrients from the system. If left in there the cheato can die and re-release the nutrients back in your tank

 

[Falcar]

I have heard this several times and I think it's where I am stuck. So when and why do you remove the chaeto? How do you know how much to remove?

I think when it starts getting full. You really don't want it to start dying off in there, as that's counterproductive.

I think that really depends on your growth rate

 

[Miller535]

I have heard this several times and I think it's where I am stuck. So when and why do you remove the chaeto? How do you know how much to remove?

Because it will keep growing until it too full and can't move and can't get light in places. And if some of it starts dying it releases the nutrients right back into th system.

 

[mborn]

Chaeto doesn’t export N and P, it Uses it and locks it up in its tissue as it grows. The nutrients are exported when you remove excess chaeto to make room for continued growth. So, if your chaeto dies, the nutrients it locked up will be released back into the water. When there is no more room to grow, you remove some to make room for new growth.

 

[Fishbird]

I have heard this several times and I think it's where I am stuck. So when and why do you remove the chaeto? How do you know how much to remove?

Just remove whatever outgrows the container/chamber where you have the chaeto. Since the nutrients are bound up in the living chaeto they won’t be released back into the tank unless the chaeto grows. The amount of growth of the chaeto is what controls the amount of nutrient export, it doesn’t matter how much you remove (unless you’re leaving dead chaeto in the tank.)

 

[Hemmdog]

I have heard this several times and I think it's where I am stuck. So when and why do you remove the chaeto? How do you know how much to remove?

1/3rd

 

[nickkohrn]

I'm really sorry, but the title of your post made me think of my favorite show of all time, The Office. Thank you!

 

[sp1187]

looked at your build thread. how are you going to do a refugium in your sump? space seems limited.