refugium design

[kalosbios]

Hello all,

Does anyone here work with a refugium that functions with a surge for a home aquarium? I was thinking of the surge as a way to transport live food produced in the 'fuge to the display tank in an interesting way.

Could this be accomplished in a sump, or would it be best done gravity fed into the display? (I thought of a back chamber within the display itself acting as a live-food refugium--sort of like an AIO false back). Since I have been reading about waveboxes recently, the idea of a wavebox-type device in conjunction with a refugium chamber intrigues me. Crazy. . . or no?!:spin1:

I am currently designing a 200 liter, mixed reef setup (2 or 3 types of very hardy sps, lps, and a few interesting softies) and would like to incorporate as many natural features as possible. This will be my first time using a refugium, so I can use all the help I can get. . . .

Thanks for your input--all is welcome, pro or con!

Gordon:artist:

 

[sullyfish]

My refuge is gravity fed into my display and I am very happy with the setup. I always have plenty of pods for my wrasse & mandarin.
Originally I thought about doing a surge tank since I have plenty of space for it, however I decided not to since they create issues with salt creep and overspray/splashing.

here is a pick of my refuge. The pic is old, now it is full of cheato

 

[ReefLife1680]

kalosbio - I was thinking of asking the exact same question!!!

Sully - that was the idea I originally had - I think I'm going to stick with it.

 

[kalosbios]

It could work. . . !

It could work. . . !

Hey Sullyfish,

thanks for the pic--it really helps feed the imagination. Very nice setup! I think you're right about the surge, though. Are you satisfied with the amount of live food traveling from the refugium to your display? Have you thought of or tried spawning organisms to increase the diversity of nutrition (thinking easily spawned shrimp, urchins, etc.)? Any experience you have is valuable.

. . . and Reeflife--it's not so crazy, huh?! Let's keep exploring this. I like the idea that our knowledge grows as we reach out in community. Thanks for the input.

Any others? Let's hear about your experiences with different refugiums for different reasons. How do they interact with your systems?

Looking forward to hearing more,

Gordon:frog:

 

[ReefLife1680]

kalosbios ... I'd really like to see more pics of fuge setups ...

 

[sullyfish]

Gordon,

Thanks for the compliments. When I first thought of the setup I envisioned a constant stream of pods flowing into the display. Although I do not see that, I do notice good pod growth throughout the system, which is only 5 months old.
I really like the setup and the system is very stable PH 8.1, NO3 at zero. I think this is due to the large refuge sections ( 75 gal and 30 gal in sump ). As far as my plans for the fuge go, I started out using it strictly for macro algea w/ no inhabitants, and part of the 75 gal was for cryptic zones. However you bring up a great point to add shrimp for spawning. I may do that soon.

by the way, I notice you are from france. I am a cycling nut and have watched the TDF every year since bernard hinault won it. Some day I want to go and participate in the l'etape.

 

[kalosbios]

More. . . let's turn this thread into a resource!

More. . . let's turn this thread into a resource!

Hello again all,

I would love to see more pics of systems like Sullyfish has so kindly shown--they really get the ideas flowing (pun intended. . .).

I would love to see other complex refugium designs as well. . . what ya got? What other organisms can be cultured as a steady flow of planktonic food for fish and corals alike? Do you have a cryptic zone? Algae scrubber? Other unorthodox ideas?

Refugiums have so much potential to bring an effective, natural resource into a closed system. I know there are older threads out there that deal with it, but it's time to see some recent work by fellow reefers. Are there some interesting threads you know of? Articles? Keep them coming!

Hey Sully--The TDF goes right by us sometimes (Uriage), on its way to either Alpes d'Huez or Les Deux Alpes for a big climb. . . very exciting to watch, as the crowd goes crazy. I'm not French, though. . . an American who married a French woman. I like to call it "living the American Dream". . . in France:lol:

If you ever decide to come, keep in touch and I'll give you a personal tour of one of the most beautiful places this side of the north coast of California. . . .

In the meanwhile, let's keep this thread going with some "advanced" thinking everybody!

Take care,

Gordon:frog:

 

[kalosbios]

someone?

someone?

C'mon, folks. . . no one out there with some thoughts and projects involving refugiums???

Let's see 'um!

Gordon:bounce3::bounce3::bounce3:

 

[stormrider27]

I'm in the begining stages of building a duplex above tank fuge, see link:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=969713

 

[sullyfish]

Gordon,

Thanks again for compliments, I really like the refuge setup and I am surprised more people dont use larger refuge's. I dont have to worry about nitrates and with all the extra live rock I dont think I will ever need biopellets.
I also have a 25 gallon fuge section in my sump that I use for a "cryptic Zone",which is mainly a fuge area with little/low flow and no/little light. This creates low dissolved oxygen and benefits nitrate reducing bacteria, among other things.
I also have 4 mangrove trees in my fuge that have helped keep nitrates down. I am getting several peppermint shrimp to go in my fuge since they breed fairly easily. This will be an excellent form of food for the corals.

Like you I am trying to do it naturally and also keep from having thousands of dollars of reactors & dosing pumps.

Mark

P.S. front row seats to the Tour ? That is awesome ! I know the crowds get crazy at times, like that old Devil guy with the pitch fork thing. He cracks me up everytime I see him. I will look for you on versus TV this year. I would love to take you up on the offer, that sounds great. You are very fortunate.