Refugiums

Znut Reefer · Dec 26, 2009

So how many of you are still running one? Thinking on setting one up soon. Now to find some cheato...

uchin · Dec 26, 2009

My sump has a huge space for a fug. But all have in there is little bubble and cheato. But I'm think about going cryptic with it. Just need to add more rock.

carlosR · Dec 26, 2009

I've got one that I inherited and it's o.k. I'm still not sure about all the benefits of the thing though. Thought I'd get some copepods going in there and with the algae and plants there must be some filtering benefits. Anyway it's cool.

mr_X · Dec 28, 2009

a refugium is an excellent way to export nutrients, and grow pods.

bangoo · Dec 28, 2009

mr_X said:
a refugium is an excellent way to export nutrients, and grow pods.

+++

I'm sorry if I'm budging in this thread, but I was wondering if anybody here also just use refugium/sump without any lights and macro algae?? I was thinking about just using sand bed, live rocks and protein skimmer. Thanks

NotTheFace · Dec 28, 2009

Some people have a spare deep sand bed plumbed to their tank when they go bare bottom in the display. That way they get the benefits of having a deep sand bed and they can remove the deep sand easier, so they can avoid old tank syndrome.

J. Montgomery · Dec 28, 2009

I highly encourage everyone to have a refugium. I use a hang on refugium (CPR AquaFuge) thats gets light from my MH. They're great for nutrient export as well as contributing to your pod population.

Fragged_it · Dec 30, 2009

mr_X said:
a refugium is an excellent way to export nutrients, and grow pods.

+1

If you have the space you should have a refugium.

WWC · Dec 30, 2009

Znut Reefer said:
So how many of you are still running one? Thinking on setting one up soon. Now to find some cheato...

Fonda do you still run BB ?

Znut Reefer · Dec 31, 2009

Hi Victor,

Yes I do still run BB.

Fragged_it · Dec 31, 2009

Znut Reefer said:
Hi Victor,

Yes I do still run BB.

What is BB?

Paul_N · Dec 31, 2009

Fragged_it said:
What is BB?

Bare Bottom..:bigsmile:

WWC · Dec 31, 2009

Znut Reefer said:
Hi Victor,

Yes I do still run BB.

then you don't need to export nutrients but imported them :wink: so that will equal no need for Refugium .

mpoletti · Dec 31, 2009

Fonda, I feel that once a tank has been set up for as long as your has been, a refugium may not be the best answer. I know I took mine off line a while back and Tim did the same as well. I got tired of the excess nutrients getting back to the tank. I'd rather use some GFO to suck the po4 out and vacumm the extra detritus out of the sump. This is partially because I feed everything including my CA reactor through my return pump. I was getting tired of the reactor having a layer of detritus built up on the media; thus it was being counterproductive.

It may take a few months and I think many people realize that tanks actually have more po4 than they originally expected when they first use the hanna. I know I did. Good luck and I know you will get things under control

SDguy · Dec 31, 2009

I run one, but just with rock for pods, sponges, and the like. No chaeto grows with the amount of vodka I dose

mr_X · Jan 1, 2010

WWC said:
then you don't need to export nutrients but imported them :wink: so that will equal no need for Refugium .

that's not true. everything you put in the tank MUST come out. sand bed or no sand bed has nothing at all to do with it.

Fishcrazy06 · Jan 2, 2010

I run a 55 Gallon Fuge on my system. Have 3 different Macros in there along with some rock rubble and mud. Just getting it going but have already seen an increase in worm and pod population. the feather dusters seem to be popping up now too!

WWC · Jan 2, 2010

mr_X said:
that's not true. everything you put in the tank MUST come out. sand bed or no sand bed has nothing at all to do with it.

I can tell you never run a BB before :tongue: :wink:

Znut Reefer · Jan 2, 2010

Thanks for the replies. I'm have the refug up and running. I added the chaeto this morning.

We'll see how it goes. I have enough nutrients thats in the tank now. Just want to get them lower. So I thought I'd give a refugium a try. I want to do it with a more natural approach. I don't like to use GFO in my tank, it always seems to cause more problems.
The tank has not been up for a full yr yet, but was transfered from an existing tank that had to be replaced. So, I hope to get through this algae bloom in the near future. I ran a refug a couple yrs ago (BB) and had no P04 or algae so hopefully it will work again.

I'll keep you all posted in the next few weeks. I'll take a P04 reading today and see if it starts to drop over the next few weeks.

Thanks Mark, I sure hope I can get it under control.

Ike · Jan 2, 2010

WWC said:
I can tell you never run a BB before :tongue: :wink:

I did for sevral years the first time it was popular, and the second time, and he's correct. Simply having a bare bottom tank doesn't mean you can't benefit from nutrient expoprt via a refugium/macro algae.