I have a 58 gallon with 50-60 lbs live rock and about .5-1" sand bed just for looks. I do not really want to add a refugium but I have been having small cyano patches for almost a year. It was worse when I had a 4" sand bed but has gotten a lot better since I removed most of the sand. I have been unable to totally rid the tank of cyano though. I bought a lifereef HOB overflow to add a sump but have not installed yet. I really don't want to add the potential for a flood if I can avoid it. Any opinions welcome.
Possible to have algea free tank w/o refugium?
- Thread starter unmc2001
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nemonick84
New member
I'm having the same problem and my phosphates are almost undetectable.
techigirl78
New member
How much flow do you have in your tank? Increased flow and eliminating dead spots helped my tank.
alaskaayers
New member
It is totally possible to have a algae free tank without a refugium. Patience and low stocking levels are key. I have a 54 gallon corner tank with moderate stocking that has zero green
algae growth.
You have to slowly add fish as the biofilter in the live rock reacts, you can add more, but be patient. I have a large number of detrviores in my tank to control excess waste as well. My rule of thumb is to add one fish every month max (or group if they are required to be added as a group) until you stocking plan is complete (which mine is now). That way you can see if the fish is properly eating and acclimated and give everyone in the tank time to adapt.
A refugium (in my opinion) gives you the ability to keep certain fish that might not survive in a normal reef tank because of a lack of food. Not having one doesn't keep you from being successful as long as you choose your livestock accordingly.
algae growth.
You have to slowly add fish as the biofilter in the live rock reacts, you can add more, but be patient. I have a large number of detrviores in my tank to control excess waste as well. My rule of thumb is to add one fish every month max (or group if they are required to be added as a group) until you stocking plan is complete (which mine is now). That way you can see if the fish is properly eating and acclimated and give everyone in the tank time to adapt.
A refugium (in my opinion) gives you the ability to keep certain fish that might not survive in a normal reef tank because of a lack of food. Not having one doesn't keep you from being successful as long as you choose your livestock accordingly.
IMO, the good points of a fuge far outweigh the negatives, as long as you leave enough "space" in it to handle overflow if a pump fails. A fuge, done right, will cultivate constant source of 'pods, greatly reduce nitrates which feed algaes, add volume to your total amount of water which is a good thing, and in a pinch, acts as a temporary holding tank for new livestock to aclimate in. I wouldn't be without one! LOL....Barry
alaskaayers
New member
By the way, the lifereef overflow, if installed correctly is very, very reliable. I built one of my own (on my 75 gallon reef that does have sump and a refugium) using the same design and have no fear of an overflow. It never loses siphon regardless of power condition on the return pump.
Undesirable algae grows when the tank has food available for it, so if you have too much nutrient content in the water column (too many fish, not enough live rock, not enough live sand, feeding too much) or the wrong spectrum of light you can get problems. I run carbon about once a month to clear organics out of the water column, which empircally seems to help, but it also looks nicer.
I would say that if the tank is completely cycled and you are still seeing major blooms you probably don't have enough live rock and / or sand to keep up with the bio-load of your tank. A good protein skimmer is assumed in all of these comments. By good I mean one that you are satifisfied is performing adequately. People argue about which is crap and which is best, but in the end the user has to decide if the device is functional and performing its task satisfactorally. Some are clearly better than others, but a lot of them do the job just fine.
Undesirable algae grows when the tank has food available for it, so if you have too much nutrient content in the water column (too many fish, not enough live rock, not enough live sand, feeding too much) or the wrong spectrum of light you can get problems. I run carbon about once a month to clear organics out of the water column, which empircally seems to help, but it also looks nicer.
I would say that if the tank is completely cycled and you are still seeing major blooms you probably don't have enough live rock and / or sand to keep up with the bio-load of your tank. A good protein skimmer is assumed in all of these comments. By good I mean one that you are satifisfied is performing adequately. People argue about which is crap and which is best, but in the end the user has to decide if the device is functional and performing its task satisfactorally. Some are clearly better than others, but a lot of them do the job just fine.
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