refugiums questions

rdhanley

rdhanley

Member
whats the advantage and disadvantages of having a refugium. considering buying one.
am upgrading to a 125 gallon tank. also what is the recommended size for this tank. small(13 inches long) , medium(19 inches long) or large 26 inches long)
is it necessary to have a protein skimmer in the refugium. any help appreciated. thanks.
 
sign guy

sign guy

Active Member
you need to do a sump/fuge setup for a 125 and relax its easy. the advantage is 1 you have a place to grow pods for your fish 2 you add water volume 3 your chato will help with your pramiters and 4 you have a place to hide all your equipment.
As far as size dont buy that brand just make your own its cheaper and better
 
rdhanley

rdhanley

Member
Originally Posted by sign guy
you need to do a sump/fuge setup for a 125 and relax its easy. the advantage is 1 you have a place to grow pods for your fish 2 you add water volume 3 your chato will help with your pramiters and 4 you have a place to hide all your equipment.
As far as size dont buy that brand just make your own its cheaper and better

i currently have a wet dry system underneath right now. do i add the extra system you were talking about with the wet/dry system with a protein skimmer i currently have.
 
tomtoro

tomtoro

Member
Here's what I did. Was much cheaper than buying one and I was able to design it with a larger ref than the store was suggesting. I did get a lot of help from the guys on these boards. Nitrates have come down. All sorts of copes living in there. Happy with it.
Disregard the water level. The return pump was off for the pic. I'd like to disregard the skimmer. Saving up for an ASM.
 
tomtoro

tomtoro

Member
Thanks! This was when it was just set up. It looks a lot dirtier and has a lot more caulerpa now. Now I put Carbon in a nylon bag between the baffles. I tied fishing line to it so I can get it out without a hassle. If I get an algae bloom I put a phosphate remover in a bag for a couple of days the same way.
I don't use any kind of floss filter material to catch sediment. Thinking I'm not motivated enough to clean it so it won't increase the nitrates. Hope I have that right.
The skimmer I have isn't too good. I'm saving up for an ASM that I can plumb outside the sump.
 
sinister52

sinister52

Member
i didnt know u could run that with out somekinda filter material. does the filter material like the bags increase nitrate levels? i have the bags in mine which i have to clean like every four days. and i switch them with a new set after i clean it 4 times then i put them in my washer with bleach and by the time im done with all that the the others ones are almost ready to come out.
but if i can get away with out them and they increase nitrates ill just take them out totally
 
tomtoro

tomtoro

Member
It's a 50gal. 12x18x48. My refugium area is 21x12x12(baffle height).
Hopefully the advanced guys will correct me if I'm wrong, but if you use filter material and don't clean it, it can increase nitrates, but if you are diligent and it sounds like you are, it shouldn't be a problem.
I'm hoping the LR is going to do all the filtering for me. I do blow the detritus around in the dead areas to create a 'storm' periodically. Also, when I do my bi-monthly water changes, I siphon out as much detritus as I can see.
 
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