do I need a refugium?
- Thread starter corally
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snailheave
Active Member
refugium is a place where you can grow macroalgaes to remove execessive nutrients or a place to grow pods.
hang-on-type refugium is a good alternative if you don't want the trouble setting up the more traditional type.
hang-on-type refugium is a good alternative if you don't want the trouble setting up the more traditional type.
madison
Member
The true definition of a refugium is a place where there are no predators. You can use the refg as a place where you can keep non reef safe species, cool hitchhikers, nutrient exports such as macro’s, miracle mud, a place where you can add / remove water so it won’t disturb your inhabitants in the MT, a portal for adding additives to your tank so it can mix before it reaches your MT, or you can keep frags or fragile corals…the corals you just fraged etc…
IMO a refg is as important or even more important then your MT…I personally have a 300g MT with a 150g Refg and had zero problems or even hiccups so far…knock on wood.
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IMO a refg is as important or even more important then your MT…I personally have a 300g MT with a 150g Refg and had zero problems or even hiccups so far…knock on wood.
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benj420
Member
If your tank is already up and running, it won't need a traditional cycle as it is a relatively small amout of water compared to that entire tank. It is no more stressful than a water change. You will need to get some macroalgae, put it in, get some light on it, and it should grow.
IMO, I don't really like the hang on refug's. I like to run the light on an opposite schedule from the main tank lights because it helps balance the ph of the tank from day to night. A hang on fuge makes that kind of impossible since the light from one will mess with the other. also you can't get much in the way of volume in a hang on. My best fuge is a 70 gallon (with 6 inches of sand) for a 180 gallon tank. Obviously you don't need one that big, but the bigger, the better.
IMO, I don't really like the hang on refug's. I like to run the light on an opposite schedule from the main tank lights because it helps balance the ph of the tank from day to night. A hang on fuge makes that kind of impossible since the light from one will mess with the other. also you can't get much in the way of volume in a hang on. My best fuge is a 70 gallon (with 6 inches of sand) for a 180 gallon tank. Obviously you don't need one that big, but the bigger, the better.
benj420
Member
You can buy it from several places including here. Click on "inverts" on the left side of any page, and then scroll down to "plants". I personally like Caulpera and Red Kelp. When it overgrows, I trim it back and put the trimmings in my tanks that have tangs. They like to eat it. There are many macroalgaes out there to choose from, and another one that my tangs like is "grape caulpera". I got all of mine by trading with friends, so it pays to get into a local reef club as the members will usually give you some for free to get you started.
J
jdragunas
Guest
ok, fuges are great!!!
I have a question, though. Why do you need to balance your PH from day to night. I know PH drops at night, but why do you need to balance it? It drops in the entire ocean from day to night, and that's where these fish live. I don't see how it can be stressful if the fish are used to that in the wild... am i wrong?
I have a question, though. Why do you need to balance your PH from day to night. I know PH drops at night, but why do you need to balance it? It drops in the entire ocean from day to night, and that's where these fish live. I don't see how it can be stressful if the fish are used to that in the wild... am i wrong?
mudplayerx
Active Member
Fuges are awsome for any number of reasons, but they are not mandatory by any means. I have a 55 gallon tank pretty heavily stocked with corals and no fuge and everything is fine. I do have two 330 gph hob filters that hold about a gallon of water though, so I guess I have a gallon fuge heh.