Refugiums
- Thread starter laxplaya
- Start date
sign guy
Active Member
A refugium (fuge) is like a sump it sits under your tank and siphones water from you tank down thru it. Its two main purpouses <sp? is to a hold macro algea like chato and grow copods
A macro algea if set up properly will lower your phosphates and nitrates
copods are those little tirmite looking things you might see in your tank. the fish will eat them pluss the act like a small clean up crew
A macro algea if set up properly will lower your phosphates and nitrates
copods are those little tirmite looking things you might see in your tank. the fish will eat them pluss the act like a small clean up crew
hot883
Active Member
A sump is the first stage to a holding tank under your tank that the water drains into from the display. A refugium is the second part that allows the water to flow across macro algeas to control/delete unwanted phosphates. The next stage is the "return"; just another portion of the same tank that often holds the skimmer, heater and WILL hold the return pump. The return pump will lift the water back up to the display.
A refugium is an excellant place for copepods/amphipods/tigerpods to grow and reproduce.
A refugium is an excellant place for copepods/amphipods/tigerpods to grow and reproduce.
larryndana
Active Member
Sump/fuge is basically the filtration system for the tank.
Three types of filtration: Biological, Mechanical, and Chemical.
Biological, a refugium will allow you to have a deep sand bed for nitrification....letting bacteria eat the waste in the tank, which means it breaks down ammonia. Being that you have a deep sand bed in the refugium, its not needed for the display. Live rock is also used here, this way you can have little or no live rock in your display but able to utilize the benifits of it. My lfs has a display with fish only, lr isn't in the display but down under it.
Mechanical, this is a type of filtration that traps wastes like left over food, fish poop, ect. you can use a sponge to trap this, i am in the process of getting a new tank up....not sure how i will take advantage of this type of filtration. any suggestions? thanks.
Chemical filtration, carbon and protein skimming....carbon helps with smell and yellowing of water....skimming is another way to reduce waste in the water.
just the basics, i reckon.
A fuge also adds to the tank volume. a 75 gallone tank 20 gallon fuge, 95 gallons total, more water the better. easier to maintain when problems arise.
Three types of filtration: Biological, Mechanical, and Chemical.
Biological, a refugium will allow you to have a deep sand bed for nitrification....letting bacteria eat the waste in the tank, which means it breaks down ammonia. Being that you have a deep sand bed in the refugium, its not needed for the display. Live rock is also used here, this way you can have little or no live rock in your display but able to utilize the benifits of it. My lfs has a display with fish only, lr isn't in the display but down under it.
Mechanical, this is a type of filtration that traps wastes like left over food, fish poop, ect. you can use a sponge to trap this, i am in the process of getting a new tank up....not sure how i will take advantage of this type of filtration. any suggestions? thanks.
Chemical filtration, carbon and protein skimming....carbon helps with smell and yellowing of water....skimming is another way to reduce waste in the water.
just the basics, i reckon.
A fuge also adds to the tank volume. a 75 gallone tank 20 gallon fuge, 95 gallons total, more water the better. easier to maintain when problems arise.
larryndana
Active Member
i.e. addition to what was already stated.
blood shrimp
New Member
In my opinion, always try to go with biological over mechanical/chemical if you can.
hurt
Active Member
A refugium is nothing more than a refuge, that is it is free from predators. It is a separate tank plumbed into our systems meant to grow critters and beneficial micro fauna. When we put macro algae into our "fuges" the fuge is technically now a vegtable filter or algae scrubber. If you have any fish, shrimp, etc in your "refugium" you technically don't have a refugium any more.
earlybird
Active Member
Originally Posted by Good Alex
Im thinking about making a fuge for my soon-to-be 55g reef , and my question is what kind of lighting is needed for the fuge inorder for the cheato and LR to grow?
Very minimal lighting. Many have a simple clamp on light fixture from Walmart with a grow light bulb in it.
Im thinking about making a fuge for my soon-to-be 55g reef , and my question is what kind of lighting is needed for the fuge inorder for the cheato and LR to grow?
Very minimal lighting. Many have a simple clamp on light fixture from Walmart with a grow light bulb in it.