Refugium
- Thread starter Brando
- Start date
Monkeyfish
Active member
Purpose - Removal of waste from display tank, especially phosphate and nitrate.
Best kind - Part of or after sump and protein skimmer in flow pattern. The CPR HOB models aren't bad if you don't have a drilled tank.
Best kind - Part of or after sump and protein skimmer in flow pattern. The CPR HOB models aren't bad if you don't have a drilled tank.
Funky_Fish14
New member
Refugium is best located above the tank.... thus allowing the critters seeking 'refuge' in there to flow gently down into the main tank(rather than chopped dead by impellers) providing live foods for whatever you have that would eat said critters were they not in the fuge. Also, the surfaces and algaes these critters live and produce in are great for nitrate, phosphate, ammo, etc... removal.
As was said, dual purpose.
Chris
As was said, dual purpose.
Chris
bergzy
New member
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2002/chem.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm
here are some starters for the benefits of a refugium.
i have since stopped using a refugium for my 180g reef and have gone full zeovit with slow but incredible results. but zeovit isnt for everyone and i would not recommend it unless you have a lot of time and energy to devote to tank maintenance.
i have a refugium though on my 125g fowlr and it does and incredible job at keeping water nitrates and phosphates low enough to be comfortable for fish only.
research refugium design and mechanics. the old school way of thinking is that a refugium needs to be large or it wont work effectively. the same goes for slow flow. what a horrible concept. a refugium of this design will be nothing more than a smelly disgusting settling chamber.
my refugium is profoundly small at only 3% of total tank volume, has a 70x/hour turnover and no rock, rubble or sand. to say that my refugium grows chaeto faster than rosie o'donnels beard...well, it cant grow macro THAT fast!
why is this design so effective?
the bucket is round...the incoming water flow goes 'around' the bucket interior in a swirl motion...causing the wanted turbulent alternating flow, the water level is very close to the light which also makes the light much more effective as well as efficient to grow the macro. the whiteness of the bucket is also a huge bonus as it reflects light back into the refugium utilizing the light even more effectively.
here is a pic of it. yep it is a 5g bucket! i love laughing cuz the bucket cost $5 and being fancy, i decided to use uniseals at $2.50 a piece. throw a light that costs $8.50 and you have a killer refugium that i doubt few could make more effectively and efficiently regardless of price or design. oh, it took me about 15 minutes to make.
here is a pic of it at the start with a softball sized ball of chaeto:
here it is 3 weeks later (i think...maybe only 2...cant really remember). note there is no light penetrating into the bucket anymore due to the amount of the chaeto growing and blocking the light.
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/august2003/chem.htm
here are some starters for the benefits of a refugium.
i have since stopped using a refugium for my 180g reef and have gone full zeovit with slow but incredible results. but zeovit isnt for everyone and i would not recommend it unless you have a lot of time and energy to devote to tank maintenance.
i have a refugium though on my 125g fowlr and it does and incredible job at keeping water nitrates and phosphates low enough to be comfortable for fish only.
research refugium design and mechanics. the old school way of thinking is that a refugium needs to be large or it wont work effectively. the same goes for slow flow. what a horrible concept. a refugium of this design will be nothing more than a smelly disgusting settling chamber.
my refugium is profoundly small at only 3% of total tank volume, has a 70x/hour turnover and no rock, rubble or sand. to say that my refugium grows chaeto faster than rosie o'donnels beard...well, it cant grow macro THAT fast!
why is this design so effective?
the bucket is round...the incoming water flow goes 'around' the bucket interior in a swirl motion...causing the wanted turbulent alternating flow, the water level is very close to the light which also makes the light much more effective as well as efficient to grow the macro. the whiteness of the bucket is also a huge bonus as it reflects light back into the refugium utilizing the light even more effectively.
here is a pic of it. yep it is a 5g bucket! i love laughing cuz the bucket cost $5 and being fancy, i decided to use uniseals at $2.50 a piece. throw a light that costs $8.50 and you have a killer refugium that i doubt few could make more effectively and efficiently regardless of price or design. oh, it took me about 15 minutes to make.
here is a pic of it at the start with a softball sized ball of chaeto:
here it is 3 weeks later (i think...maybe only 2...cant really remember). note there is no light penetrating into the bucket anymore due to the amount of the chaeto growing and blocking the light.
Funky_Fish14
New member
Note:
When I said flow 'gently' down, I didnt mean slowly, simply, floating in water, rather than being violently chopped!
Chris
When I said flow 'gently' down, I didnt mean slowly, simply, floating in water, rather than being violently chopped!
Chris
Funky_Fish14
New member
.... Ofcourse. I was suggesting that obviously if the option is possible, but didnt say it was the only way.
And yes... I guess chopped is chopped, haha. But a live pod is better than chop-pod.
Chris
And yes... I guess chopped is chopped, haha. But a live pod is better than chop-pod.
Chris
Serioussnaps
New member
You can also use Xenia of the pusling variety and clams in a fuge if you have the lighting to do so......chaeto is the macro of choice...grow it...start a fuge...one of the best things you can do for a tank
frank2926
Active member
bergzy you may want to see this
bergzy you may want to see this
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595109
bergzy you may want to see this
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=595109
bergzy
New member
thanks frank! 
i am familiar with that thread and have been using a bucket fuge well before that thread appeared...years before...
i do not use dsb's as i have never had any luck with them. i have tried them on several occasions and have always (for me) turned into smelly icky settling garbage dumps that wreak havoc on my tanks. note: this is MY experience and not in reference to others.
i have done remote refugium dsb's, bucket dsb's ec and just found it to be a lot easier to not have them...run zeovit and be done with...so much easier. like i said, i still run arefugium on my 125g fowlr with great success and still love buckets. do a search on my user name and find how a made a $20 zeo reactor rather than spending $200+ on a prefab one!
cheers!
i am familiar with that thread and have been using a bucket fuge well before that thread appeared...years before...
i do not use dsb's as i have never had any luck with them. i have tried them on several occasions and have always (for me) turned into smelly icky settling garbage dumps that wreak havoc on my tanks. note: this is MY experience and not in reference to others.
i have done remote refugium dsb's, bucket dsb's ec and just found it to be a lot easier to not have them...run zeovit and be done with...so much easier. like i said, i still run arefugium on my 125g fowlr with great success and still love buckets. do a search on my user name and find how a made a $20 zeo reactor rather than spending $200+ on a prefab one!
cheers!
