Refugium Tank- What,Why,How, an How Much?

[traveler]

Hello yall,
I need some info on theese puppys, What exactly do they do, Why do I need one, How do I get one, and how much would it set me back.
It would be set up with a 55 gal.
Thanks!
Christian

 

[ksheely]

reefrigums are just like sumps except u put a layer of live sand and small peices of live rock, and different types of caulerpa and u could use a flouresent light or u could buy a fixture at a hardware store called lights of america it is a 65 watt compact flouresent, u could do anywhere from a 10 gallon to a 30 gallon or bigger, it helps to keep the nitrates down, u should not get that big of pump to bring it back to the tank because u want the flow to be pretty low

 

[ksheely]

oh bye the way it wont cost that much the light fixture is 30 and the tank and a tank is cheap also, an overflow box runs about 50-100 depending where and what brand

 

[blutang]

Is the only benefit low nitrates?

 

[mr . salty]

Low nitrates,,,More water volume in your setup,,,More stable bio system,,,less or no more unwanted algae in your main tank because you are providing a perfect enviroment for it to grow in the ref,,,No more Ph swings(if you keep the ref's lights on 24/7)..A safe haven for macro organisms like pods and bristle worms to grow,,,That's just a few...Oh,and a much better enviroment for your fish...