What to put in refugium

s70 · Jan 8, 2023

I’m looking to start up my refugium and took a look on Algae Barn.
There are several options of algae. How do I know which to pick?
Also, would you get a starter kit or just stick in the algae?
I do have a light.

Fish Think Pink · Jan 8, 2023

s70 said:
I’m looking to start up my refugium and took a look on Algae Barn.
There are several options of algae. How do I know which to pick?
Also, would you get a starter kit or just stick in the algae?
I do have a light.

vote algae only from Algae Barn as it sounds like your TANK is established but algae in refugium is not... BUT if your tank is new/newish then yes @AlgaeBarn starter kits help get you some diversity but safely!

I'm a HUGE fan of Algae Barn pods, but I'm a huge fan of all pods LOL - this is my easy, lazy banana peel method of culturing pods using spirulina in a picnic beverage container:

raising tig pods - tiny 2.5g tank experimental culture #2

2nd attempt at raising tig pods is officially underway. Original attempt was outdoor lazy banana leaf method I found online - that is still underway but seems to be failing. Suspect Texas temperature and full day direct sunshine is too much, but that pod culture experiment still underway. 2nd...

forum.dfwmas.org

Crabby48 · Jan 8, 2023

s70 said:
I’m looking to start up my refugium and took a look on Algae Barn.
There are several options of algae. How do I know which to pick?
Also, would you get a starter kit or just stick in the algae?
I do have a light.

A mix in a fuge for export normally results in one macro chocking out others. If more of display then mix a few and keep under control. Chaeto and sea lettuce should be separate from other macros in my opinion

Fish Think Pink · Jan 8, 2023

so, if you have fish that will eat macroalgae, then I vote pick red ogo as it is more tender and easier for smaller fish to eat. If you have an established tank and older/larger tangs, their red pom-pom is a GREAT grower and suitable for 4-5"+ fish

My fish made faces at Sea Lettuce when I tried to get them to eat it - reminded me of my child when I try to make her eat vegetables lol... though fish would eventually eat it...

If you are just doing nutrient export then chaeto is popular though its never worked well as a macroalgae for my personal refugium.

Agree with above post - pick just 1 algae and try it out

If whichever algae should arrive in little bits, you can toss it in a tote with tank water (for the nitrate and phosphates) and a grow light over it to grow it out some first so it doesn't get pulverized depending the speed of water going thru your sump. I think this is why chaeto never did as well for me (but its wiry so I don't miss it... I'd rather have a multi-purpose macroalgae since I've got tangs)

s70 · Jan 8, 2023

Fish Think Pink said:
so, if you have fish that will eat macroalgae, then I vote pick red ogo as it is more tender and easier for smaller fish to eat. If you have an established tank and older/larger tangs, their red pom-pom is a GREAT grower and suitable for 4-5"+ fish

My fish made faces at Sea Lettuce when I tried to get them to eat it - reminded me of my child when I try to make her eat vegetables lol... though fish would eventually eat it...

If you are just doing nutrient export then chaeto is popular though its never worked well as a macroalgae for my personal refugium.

Agree with above post - pick just 1 algae and try it out

If whichever algae should arrive in little bits, you can toss it in a tote with tank water (for the nitrate and phosphates) and a grow light over it to grow it out some first so it doesn't get pulverized depending the speed of water going thru your sump. I think this is why chaeto never did as well for me (but its wiry so I don't miss it... I'd rather have a multi-purpose macroalgae since I've got tangs)

Do you take some out and use to feed or does it just end up in there?
No idea if I have macro eaters. Total beginner 2 months in.
I have a sailfish tang, some sort of wrasse(Malereus?), a blenny, and two clowns.
Just setting up quarantine for the rest. Had to get something in there!

Fish Think Pink · Jan 8, 2023

s70 said:
Do you take some out and use to feed or does it just end up in there?
No idea if I have macro eaters. Total beginner 2 months in.
I have a sailfish tang, some sort of wrasse(Malereus?), a blenny, and two clowns.
Just setting up quarantine for the rest. Had to get something in there!

Your sailfin will eat macroalgae. Your blenny may eat algae but may not be able to each macroalgae. SO, you wouldn't think your melanurus wrasse would eat macro, but mine loved it (and dry nori sheets). In fact, I was the third owner of wrasse, and it taught my tangs to eat from clip!

My vote is go with red ogo, though having some red in your light does help with the red macroalgaes. My $12 grow light from home improvement store does great! If green macroalgaes, I use a cheaper $3.50 LED bulb with 5k spectrum from home improvement store. I can not take credit for this, but i've been benefiting from this guy's post: