Any SPS keepers still using a refugium these days?

[vijaym85]

Just wondering if this method is still popular with SPS keepers? With all the popularity of carbon dosing and bacteria, zeovit, not to mention GFO and other chemicals, I was wondering if this more classical method is still favored by many of you successful SPS keepers.

 

[TRENT_G]

I run one. Here is a picture from tonight (16 month old tank).

 

[MammothReefer]

I wouldn't say I run fuge, but I do have a fair bit of macro algae growing in my frag tank. It just showed up and I just let it do it's thing. If I were to get clean enough again where it shrivels and dies I wouldn't care.

 

[bamf25]

I run an all of the above theory. I run gfo, carbon, and a fuge, but I am not carbon dosing.

 

[karsseboom]

I wouldn't really call a fuge a way to export nutrients. Most people who run fuges are to small to be effective. A small section in your sump with a dsb, ball of cheato is doing very little at reducing nitrate and po4. I am I trying to grow pods or acros? Do I care if I can put a mandarin down there where nobody can see? No

 

[reefmutt]

great question!
i have always used a fuge in the past and would plan one into any new set up.
if for no other reason, to run on a reverse daylight schedule to reduce ph fluctuations.
does make it a little more difficult to keep one of those startlingly super clean sps systems, though..

 

[Marco Madeira]

Yep..
don't like chemicals, natural water and litle fuge in the sump. IMO, its more natural and creates a better bio diversity on the tank and the reverse daylight schedule also helps on the PH flutuations.
Been using this formula since 1998.

 

[jbannick18]

I wouldn't really call a fuge a way to export nutrients. Most people who run fuges are to small to be effective. A small section in your sump with a dsb, ball of cheato is doing very little at reducing nitrate and po4. I am I trying to grow pods or acros? Do I care if I can put a mandarin down there where nobody can see? No

I would beg to differ especially when your chaeto doubles/triples in growth over the course of a month.

 

[sullyfish]

I have a large fuge on my system and it is very stable PH w/ NO3=0. I have no reactors/ dosing except for alk & calcium, and only started that recently.

fuge's get a bad wrap from the fact that most reefers using them are too small volume to make any real difference IMO. I find a large fuge can eliminate the need for many other pieces of eqpt and save time and $$$.

 

[eskymick]

I use a macro algae refugium, algae scrubber, and gfo to keep my nutrients in check. It's always worked well for me.

 

[mc-cro]

I think a fuge can be of some benefit, if it is kept clean. Many people believe that a dirty fuge is a good fuge, but I am not sure that I agree with that.

For those people that have a fuge with a DSB, rubble, and macro algae, how/how often do you clean the fuge?

 

[mic209]

On my new tank I am not running a fuge, only because I got sick of the coraline that grew in my skimmer and sump when I did run a fuge. Also not having a fuge light equals one less thing to plug in.

 

[tmz]

I use a chaeto refugium, and a few of cryptic zone refugia along with gfo, gac and moderate vodka and vinegar dosing..

 

[gbru316]

I'm interested to see what the overall consensus is on this topic.

I'm building a 10g AIO SPS/zoo tank, and after the skimmer (hydor slim nano) and return pump, I'm left with a chamber of about 3"x5"x12" that I was originally going to use for chaeto, but now I'm wondering the small amount of chaeto is going to help a whole lot with nutrient export, or if I should just buy or DIY a reactor for GFO.

 

[reefmutt]

Gbru316, if you run your fuge on reverse daylight, it would certainly help in ph stability. And since your tank volume is so small, I think even a small fuge would help in nutrient export if you are harvesting algea regularly and removing it from the system.
I don't claim to know exactly what the relation would be but I'm sure there is a 'sweet spot' in terms of the size of the fuge compared to the size of the display.
In your case, with a nano display, I would think you only need a nano fuge..

 

[gbru316]

Gbru316, if you run your fuge on reverse daylight, it would certainly help in ph stability. And since your tank volume is so small, I think even a small fuge would help in nutrient export if you are harvesting algea regularly and removing it from the system.
I don't claim to know exactly what the relation would be but I'm sure there is a 'sweet spot' in terms of the size of the fuge compared to the size of the display.
In your case, with a nano display, I would think you only need a nano fuge..

I agree that a nano tank only needs a nano fuge, but my available fuge area is about 7.5% of total system volume, and unless I incorporate side lighting, the space available for chaeto growth is minimal, maybe the top 3-5" of the total 12" height. For comparison, it would be equivalent to a 4.25 gallon fuge on a 55g tank.

If I do decide to use it as a fuge, it'll be used strictly for chaeto, no rubble or sand on the bottom to prevent detritus buildup.

 

[reefmutt]

i would do the same.
and you are right, that's a pretty small area....

 

[29reef]

For that small of a tank water changes will be the easiest way to keep po4 in check. For keeping ph stable you can use a doser on a timer so alk is added at night helping to prevent ph drop.

I keep a 25 gallon BB fuge with a big chunk of live rock. The tank is less than a year old and I haven't had to run much GFO. I've been trying to keep my phosphates around .05.

 

[MammothReefer]

I used to run HUGE fuges on some of my older tanks. The benefits were minimal when compared to GFO, and regular water changes. I remember pulling out 5 gallon buckets of cheato on a regular basis and still having nutrients threw the roof. It wasn't until GFO was first introduced that I was able to get my phosphate down but that was my experience, other people have had great success.

It's a viable option if you want to append it to your system. To me it just over complicates things and takes up more space. However if you enjoy it why not. It's the reason I don't prune out all the algae in my frag tank. I use it as an indicator of my water quality since things mostly test very low the fact that I can still support macro algae means there are organics present.

I personally also haven't seen any benefit to the whole reverse lighting thing. If anything for an SPS tank I find it's at night when my corals extend there polyps the most and it's when I feed them. Even the smallest bit of light causes them to not extend as boldly. I don't even run a moon light anymore. (The lights on my vortech controllers are bright enough). I couldn't see running a bright fuge light next to my DT anymore these days. Not that i believe it's detrimental, simply not beneficial.

 

[gbru316]

For that small of a tank water changes will be the easiest way to keep po4 in check. For keeping ph stable you can use a doser on a timer so alk is added at night helping to prevent ph drop.

I keep a 25 gallon BB fuge with a big chunk of live rock. The tank is less than a year old and I haven't had to run much GFO. I've been trying to keep my phosphates around .05.

I agree, I'm planning on 10% weekly changes.

With the information posted, I'm strongly leaning away from a fuge, and towards a nano reactor (CPR's should fit, but it'll be a bit of a squeeze)

Thanks!