refugium vs sump

[unreal45]

I understand the concept of a refugium being a refuge for copods and macro algae. Is the mere addition of live rock enough to make a sump considered a refugium?

 

[thegrun]

Yes, since live rock would offer a place of refuge. We are getting down to semantics here, does it matter what it is really called? Is it beneficial to have additional live rock in your sump, yes!

 

[Fizz71]

Sump: A pit or hollow in which liquid collects, in particular.
Refugium: An area that has escaped ecological changes occurring elsewhere and so provides a suitable habitat for relict species.

Both are a description of a container, the only difference is a sump only needs a liquid to be called a sump, a fuge might also require something else (live rock, macro, etc.) to support the life.

So the answer to your question is: Yes. Although I'd recommend many small pieces of rock over big pieces for more surface area. Adding macro algae like chaetomorpha is good too...a lot of things will grow within the chaeto.

 

[unreal45]

Is the purchase of copods advisable with a new tanks refugium? I have noticed copods in my other two tanks from the live rock, but not in great numbers.

 

[organism]

Is the purchase of copods advisable with a new tanks refugium? I have noticed copods in my other two tanks from the live rock, but not in great numbers.

They'll grow out on their own if they're already on the live rock, adding more won't necessarily speed things up too much.

 

[dppitone]

IMO a refugium is mostly often used as a place where you are growing things, cultivating things that may later be removed. This is different from the display tank, where you're goal may be to create a balanced sustained environment.

Most folks in the hobby with refugiums use them primarily to grow aquatic plants like Caulerpas. The caulerpas use nitrates, a bi-product of the feeding cycle in the display tank, to grow. So if you have a display tank and a working refugium, you can remove nitrates in two ways. First, water changes. Second, growing the caulerpa and trimming it back and removing the trimmings. The trimmings represent nitrates being removed from the system.

There are many other reasons and ways to have a refugium, but that is the most common.

 

[lacybiker2000]

Off the wall question on this...does the refugium area need/benefit from having sand sand, is that suggested or just BB with rubble?

 

[mcgyvr]

Off the wall question on this...does the refugium area need/benefit from having sand sand, is that suggested or just BB with rubble?

Yes if you have plants that need a sand base for their root system..
Going to a "deep sand bed (DSB)" will potentially yield greater benefits but both sand and live rock/rubble just give surface area for bacteria,etc.. to colonize..

In general the more surface area the better but going bare bottom is really nice assuming this fuge is part of your sump.. Bare bottom makes it super easy to siphon out an detritus,etc.. that settles down there..

So take your pick...