refugium

[dmax]

What is the purpose of putting sand and live rock in a refugium?
Wanting to know if I can remove the sand and live rock out of mine to make room for a bigger skimmer.
I dont really see the benifit of the sand and live rock?
Want to take it out and just have a bare bottom refuge with cheato.
Thanks

 

[cam78]

LR acts as a natural filtration. The more LR you have in a tank the healthier. As for the sand I cannot tell you what it exactly does. I do hear though how deep sand beds are beneficial.

 

[dmax]

Thank you..... I replaced my sand and live rock in the sump with a new pm RL 225 skimmer. So I had to block off a corner with egg crate to hold the cheato. The only reason I wanted to keep that was for the pods. If anything it will work better because the sand was kinda nasty at the surface. Which could be the cause of my hair algea problem.

 

[jstdv8]

Ive seen in pics where they box off the skimmer so that its getting good water and then put the sand and cheato around it in the other compartment

 

[florida joe]

The more LR you have in a tank the healthier
not necessarily true when you are talking about a refuge
As for the sand I cannot tell you what it exactly does. I do hear though how deep sand beds are beneficial.
considering your new tank project this is a subject for you to research

 

[cam78]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3207277
not necessarily true when you are talking about a refugeconsidering your new tank project this is a subject for you to research
Didn't you give me enough homework Joe?

 

[gill again68]

Do you have your cheato in the same compartment as the skimmer? I know the skimmer doesnt get 100% of the water in the sump but wont a bunch of the pods just get sucked up into the skimmer? I was under the impression that you would want to keep your refugium to where it would feed to the return without going past any filtration?
Just asking for my benefit really because I want to start a refuge in my sump.
On another note, the Monster avatar you have, do you work for them? The only reason I ask is that I work for Coca- Cola and we have picked that brand up just last year.

 

[dmax]

No... lol... I dont work for them but I prolly should if you get a deal on mosters. I love them!
The way I have my sump setup know Is the water enters in the first chamber from the display.
The middle chamber holds the protein skimmer and my heater.
The last chamber is where I have a 2.5" hole cut for the return pump and it is split using eggcrate to hold my cheato.
So to answer your question i quess the skimmer wouldnt affect my pods and critters in the cheato. Dont know if this is suffecient? But I will shortly find out.
I have pics but i am curretly in louisiana for work.

 

[jstdv8]

the other question about the sand: Sand is natural filtration too.
Its not entirley neccesary, but its probably a good idea

 

[gill again68]

Thanks DMAX.
I went ahead and set my sump up the following way. I have my skimmer in the first section, followed by a bubble trap, then my return pump and after that I have my refugium. My Fuge gets its water from the down pipe that goes to the skimmer section. Just did a T fitting and divert 15% maybe over to the fuge. Seems to be working well. I did put LR rubble and sand in my fuge. Mainly want my fuge to raise copepods and such. Ill try to get a pic of my set up in the post today.