Question about Refugium size.

[fishstick41]

My tank is going to be around 60 gallons and I will be using a 20 gallon tank as the sump. I am wondering if there a minimum size required for a refugium for this size tank.


Thanks
Martin

 

[overskim]

Opinions I imagine are plentiful about this. Depends on your objective too. I'd say a refugium that is designed to be a major nutrient export needs to be about the same at the DT. If you are only looking for upward pH at night probably considerably smaller.

What is your goal?

 

[kw22]

I would generally recommend a Refugium half the DT's size.So anything 20-40 would be fine,but bigger is always better with Refugiums.

 

[Saltliquid]

Opinions I imagine are plentiful about this. Depends on your objective too. I'd say a refugium that is designed to be a major nutrient export needs to be about the same at the DT. If you are only looking for upward pH at night probably considerably smaller.

What is your goal?

Totally agree with you overskim, well written and complete!!
For me there is no such thing as a too large an algae area, mine is just under the same surface area of both my tanks, plus the off set lights to aquarium lighting times with 4 hours rest for your algae is all an immense support for your PH and small gilled species reducing aggravation leading to stress.
Just with caulerpa, as with all algae they will strip what they need out of the water like cal, mag, iron and so on!!! You have to dose with an alga area in play, or risk potential lowering of PH and especially low KH resulting in depleted coral growth, if not coral deaths. Just steer clear of caulerpa species with high caulerpenyne content.

 

[fishstick41]

Thank you guys

 

[ca1ore]

Any size refugium is better than no refugium, but I am in complete agreement with the folks who posted here that at least half of the DT will allow it to have a notable effect on nutrient export, pH, etc. Expecting a teeny Fuge to materially affect the tank is kind of silly.

 

[cloak]

Unless you have a specialized feeder such as a mandarin, I would just see if you can get by without the refugium first. If you want one, then by all means go right ahead and do it, but does your tank really need one to begin with? That is the question... KISS, GL.