Refugium?
- Thread starter thejiro
- Start date
ManotheSea
New member
One strong vote for refugium.
Best not to have any permenant mechanical filter. Go with refug, remote dsb, macro and run carbon in a filter bag for short times periodically.
Best not to have any permenant mechanical filter. Go with refug, remote dsb, macro and run carbon in a filter bag for short times periodically.
I have LPS and softies, but I think SPS benefit more from carbon and a fuge.
Each medium does something different, Bio-balls heavily oxygenate seawater, blowing off ammonia before it can convert to nitrites and nitrates. They do not remove color and odor. Suspended, granular activated carbon (GAC) does. An SPS system however, should have such a low bio-load (few fish, little food) that there is not a lot for bio-balls to blow-off.
Since you should have a mechanical filter somewhere (a micron sock is popular on SPS systems), you only have to replace the mechanical filter with GAC for a day or a night. I have a small hang-on-the-tank mechanical filter. I replace the fiber pad with a carbon grid (covered in a fiber pad) most weekends to reduce color and odors.
An algae refugium however, provides an isolated benthic zone for life forms tolerating low oxygen levels. These include macro and micro algae, worms, copepods and the minute animals upon which SPS feed. Isolating the benthic zone allows the aquarist to maintain a high-light, high water motion display tank with little or no ugly substrate.
The algae not only provide some of the same, slow bio-chemical transformations of the bio-balls, they also produce the skin conditioning colloids that gives healthy seawater its slippery feel. While it is documented that the colloids benefit fish, I know of no research indicating that colloids might also benefit the flesh of LPS corals, but I would not be surprised if they did. The success rate for SPS and LPS corals with an algae refugium is almost double (Tom Frakes, Aquarium Systems, 2000?)!
Each medium does something different, Bio-balls heavily oxygenate seawater, blowing off ammonia before it can convert to nitrites and nitrates. They do not remove color and odor. Suspended, granular activated carbon (GAC) does. An SPS system however, should have such a low bio-load (few fish, little food) that there is not a lot for bio-balls to blow-off.
Since you should have a mechanical filter somewhere (a micron sock is popular on SPS systems), you only have to replace the mechanical filter with GAC for a day or a night. I have a small hang-on-the-tank mechanical filter. I replace the fiber pad with a carbon grid (covered in a fiber pad) most weekends to reduce color and odors.
An algae refugium however, provides an isolated benthic zone for life forms tolerating low oxygen levels. These include macro and micro algae, worms, copepods and the minute animals upon which SPS feed. Isolating the benthic zone allows the aquarist to maintain a high-light, high water motion display tank with little or no ugly substrate.
The algae not only provide some of the same, slow bio-chemical transformations of the bio-balls, they also produce the skin conditioning colloids that gives healthy seawater its slippery feel. While it is documented that the colloids benefit fish, I know of no research indicating that colloids might also benefit the flesh of LPS corals, but I would not be surprised if they did. The success rate for SPS and LPS corals with an algae refugium is almost double (Tom Frakes, Aquarium Systems, 2000?)!
"An SPS system however, should have such a low bio-load (few fish, little food)"
I agree with the principles of most of the article, but the quote above is behind the times.
Corals benefit from the waste products of fish and from some fish foods. The key is to export EXCESS nutrients, that being food or detritus, prior to the nutrients breaking down into NO3 and/or PO4. That is best accomplished with a foam fractionator (protien skimmer). A refugium will assist in exporting NO3 and PO4, as well as adding dissolved oxygen the the water column, helping to stabilize pH.
I agree with the principles of most of the article, but the quote above is behind the times.
Corals benefit from the waste products of fish and from some fish foods. The key is to export EXCESS nutrients, that being food or detritus, prior to the nutrients breaking down into NO3 and/or PO4. That is best accomplished with a foam fractionator (protien skimmer). A refugium will assist in exporting NO3 and PO4, as well as adding dissolved oxygen the the water column, helping to stabilize pH.
In his illuminating and valuable article, EcoSystem Aquarium Comparison (SeaScope, Volume 17, Summer 2000), Tom Frakes compared the mud-based EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ algae refugium versus a more traditional Berlin style system on two tanks.
The Berlin style does not have a wet/dry section with bio-balls. It relies on live rock and vigorous protein skimming. Contrary to some aquarists' fears, Frakes' informal study found that the EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ water did NOT turn yellow.
The constant-daylight, mud-based algae refugium (CMAR) promoted by EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ does not require an expensive skimmer of constant replenishments of activated carbon. Perhaps the most important statistic of all, Frakes reported a very high survival rate for corals. Frakes reported that almost twice as many corals survived in his one-year side-by-side experiment with a comparison Berlin system! Coral survival rate in the EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ was an impressive 90%. Many aquarists add sand, mud and live rock based refugiums to the sumps of their hard and soft coral displays.
The mud-based algae bed encourages the new reef aquarist to go slow. Ecosystem recommends that new tanks be set-up for six weeks before the addition of any species.
The mud goes in first, according to their literature, followed by the macro-algae two weeks later. The algae are given a head start; allow it to establish. Then slowly add one new fish or invertebrate. Ecosystem suggests a rate of one new addition per week, but only after the initial six-week period.
The Berlin style does not have a wet/dry section with bio-balls. It relies on live rock and vigorous protein skimming. Contrary to some aquarists' fears, Frakes' informal study found that the EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ water did NOT turn yellow.
The constant-daylight, mud-based algae refugium (CMAR) promoted by EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ does not require an expensive skimmer of constant replenishments of activated carbon. Perhaps the most important statistic of all, Frakes reported a very high survival rate for corals. Frakes reported that almost twice as many corals survived in his one-year side-by-side experiment with a comparison Berlin system! Coral survival rate in the EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ was an impressive 90%. Many aquarists add sand, mud and live rock based refugiums to the sumps of their hard and soft coral displays.
The mud-based algae bed encourages the new reef aquarist to go slow. Ecosystem recommends that new tanks be set-up for six weeks before the addition of any species.
The mud goes in first, according to their literature, followed by the macro-algae two weeks later. The algae are given a head start; allow it to establish. Then slowly add one new fish or invertebrate. Ecosystem suggests a rate of one new addition per week, but only after the initial six-week period.
thejiro
New member
Ok good advice the only thing is I will be turning one of the chambers of my internal filter system into a fuge on my Solana. I think I have the lighting issue figured out. I was planning on going with the packs of fuge mud dont remember who they are made by. THe macro I was thinking of going with was a mix of chaeto and calupera.
What are your thoughts on this?
Oh yea one more question.... If you use carbon only on weekends do you have to replace it everytime you want to add more in or does it still last for a month?
What are your thoughts on this?
Oh yea one more question.... If you use carbon only on weekends do you have to replace it everytime you want to add more in or does it still last for a month?
european freak
New member
refugium
"Coral survival rate in the EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ was an impressive 90%."
I would consider that a failure...only 90% survival.
"Ecosystem suggests a rate of one new addition per week"
I moved 53 corals from the QT to the display on the same weekend. I guess I don't fit their program.
I would consider that a failure...only 90% survival.
"Ecosystem suggests a rate of one new addition per week"
I moved 53 corals from the QT to the display on the same weekend. I guess I don't fit their program.
"Coral survival rate in the EcoSystemâ"žÂ¢ was an impressive 90%."
At the time, the documented success rate for corals in home aquariums after one year was only 50%, so Aquariums Systems’ success with an algae refugium was almost double what the hobby experienced eight years ago. Algae refugiums are common now. Ecosystem found that even a 10-gallon refugium made a significant difference on most sizes of home aquariums (mammoth 390s not included).
Their suggested coral addition rate at the time was for new, un-established or cycled aquariums.
Wasn’t yours pre-cycled?
At the time, the documented success rate for corals in home aquariums after one year was only 50%, so Aquariums Systems’ success with an algae refugium was almost double what the hobby experienced eight years ago. Algae refugiums are common now. Ecosystem found that even a 10-gallon refugium made a significant difference on most sizes of home aquariums (mammoth 390s not included).
Their suggested coral addition rate at the time was for new, un-established or cycled aquariums.
Wasn’t yours pre-cycled?
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