Refugium - How Big?

[Khaley]

How big does a refugium have to be to have a positive effect on a reef tank? Should it be in its own tank and plumbed into the sump? I am building a 4x2x2 with the sump in the basement. Thank you.

 

[t11t5]

any size fuge is helpful. Plumbing it either way is fine...

 

[crazyguy34834]

best would be to have an extra refugium above the tank for just food production. the refugium could be small like 10g to even 30g and have a big positive impact on the tank. pipe it so it is gravity fed into the main tank so that the pods and other stuff doesn't go through a pump. Have the main refugium built into your sump and both full of algae so you clean all the water. The refugium thats built into the sump can be as big as you want it. Just pick a size that you have the room for and doesn't seem like you over did it. My sump is 35g-40g with half for equipment and half filtering refugium with algae. I have a 10g refugium producing food for the 100g main tank. I built the stuff my self as it would be a lot to buy. Just ended up costing me about $30 as I got the acrylic from the stand the tank came with free. Gosh I love the word "free" in this hobby, lol

 

[Khaley]

crazyguy - if the water is pumped through the basement sump will it kill the pods? At this point I don't know how I would put a 10g above the 120g without building something to hide it. Right now I will be running the tank open top. "free" - man I had to look that word up. lol

 

[graveyardworm]

if the water is pumped through the basement sump will it kill the pods?

There will inevitably be some losses, but most will survive the trip.

 

[Khaley]

Thank you. Will go for a 20g fuge.

 

[Chad Vossen]

here is a picture of my fuge. i expect alot of mysis shrimp, amphipods and copepods to be produced from this refuge!

this is on a 65 gal tank which is on the otherside of the wall.

 

[Khaley]

armagedon48
Nice! I love how clean that set up is. I may just copy your shelf set up over a large sump. You just inspired me to get out my tools!

 

[Chad Vossen]

haha its clean cuz its only a few days old . cost like 40$ in wood too plus alot of screws. the plumbing cost the most though...

today i added a few handfulls of chaeto to the top tray.

 

[Rosseau]

I wish i could drill through the wall like that and have a fuge room!

as a cheap temporary solution i've got a tank behind my nano that is about 2" taller. Water is pumped into it from my display and is gravity fed through a bulkhead back into the display tank....


Mainly I did this because of cost/lack of space/did not want to drill my tank


ah it does the job and I can't even see it, it just means that my tank now sits about 2x as far from the wall its backed up against than before the fuge

 

[Loralie]

I have a 110 gallon fuge under my 125. I have the fuge on a reverse lighting cycle. My PH is consistent no matter when I test. I have tested at 3am and at 1pm...PH 8.2. Mine has 13+ types of macro, 120 lbs of live rock, 3" sand bed, brittle stars, blue linka star, serpent stars, cabbage leathers, gorgonias, anthelia, mushroom corals of all types and colors. I love my fuge. It is teeming with pods and critters.

 

[Chad Vossen]

Loralie, are you a member of the TCMAS.org?

and that fuge sounds more like a display tank! i wonder how good your display is compared to the fuge

 

[Loralie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9007438#post9007438 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by armagedon48
Loralie, are you a member of the TCMAS.org?

and that fuge sounds more like a display tank! i wonder how good your display is compared to the fuge

Yes I am a member of TCMAS. I have been a member for a couple of years. Great club! When I set up my tank, the one great piece of advice I did get from the guy that helped me set it up was to put in a huge fuge. I spend as much time staring into my fuge as I do the display!