refugium? help

[baldomero]

hey guys i have a 20L for a sump and that third chamber is lonely all it has is some sand and live rock.whats the easiest way to turn it to a refugium

 

[stingythingy45]

Just add a light and some chaetomorphea macro algae.
I have a 20 L also,but the whole thing is refugium.

 

[spleify]

Just add a light and some chaetomorphea macro algae.

Yep, thats about all you need

 

[baldomero]

will a clip on light like those cheap ones from walmart do the job

 

[MandM]

Just be sure it's safely attached and won't fall into the water. Be sure you have a properly grounded fixture and plug into a GFCI protected circuit. Home Depot has portable plug-in ones. Even without lights, you are already creating a refuge for copepods and amphipods just with the live rock. The sand is a good place for worms and such. Keep crabs and fish out of there, you can add a little flake food now and then if the tank return water doesn't flow directly into it. Otherwise, they will live on the bits that come in from the overflow.

 

[spleify]

will a clip on light like those cheap ones from walmart do the job

They sure will, thats what I use. I have a 6500K spiral flourescant bulb from Lowes in there.

 

[aaronnohren]

Throw a 6500k day light down there along with some macro algae and you're all set. Pretty easy stuff.

 

[HUNGER]

should work fine i us the ones at lowes

 

[lmsmith]

How much flow is too little for a refugium? I have a small tank that I can use as a refuge, but it will get no flow just water changes. I'll put a small heater in there too - is this a problem?

 

[sedor]

If it didn't have any flow you wouldn't have a fuge...just a tank with algae in it. A fuge is either built in, or plumbed into the sump. You won't need to add a heater because its the same water as the rest of the tank.

 

[spleify]

How much flow is too little for a refugium? I have a small tank that I can use as a refuge, but it will get no flow just water changes. I'll put a small heater in there too - is this a problem?

If it didn't have any flow you wouldn't have a fuge...just a tank with algae in it. A fuge is either built in, or plumbed into the sump. You won't need to add a heater because its the same water as the rest of the tank.

+!, Is this tank plumbed in to your display tank? If its not then it will just be another tank basically sitting in your stand.