please explain refugiums

[c_bell]

Can some one please explain refugiums and how they work. I'm currently setting up a 90 gal and looking for some ideas about the filtration. I have just puchased a Droptek wet/dry filter that uses a 10 gal aquarium as the sump. How would I include a refugium or do I need too?

 

[cap'n pete]

A ten gallon sump isn't going to be big enough for a refugium. You would have to set up another container for that.

 

[cap'n pete]

A refugium is a place were fauna (whether it be livestock or plant) can grow and reproduce without predation. Usually a seperate container placed under, beside, or over the aquarium. According to definition however, you could also have an in the tank refugium. The most popular item grown in a refugium is macroalgea, normally Caulerpa sp.. Macroalgea use nitrates for nourishment, and therefore keep nitrates to very low levels. Refugiums are also used to raise copepods, amphipods, and other reef critters. Refugiums will require lighting and a flow of water through them. They can be as simple as a container with some Caulerpa or as complex as a seperate tank containing plants, invertebrates, and even fish. HTH