snakeblitz33
Well-Known Member
Snake’s Method for Refugiums
A refugium is a container of water that serves as a“refuge” away from the display tank that allows copepods, amphipods and other filter feeders and macroalgae to grow without predation. I would argue that the main purpose of a refugium is to grow algae. As algae grows, it uses nitrates and phosphates out of the water column as a fertilizer to produce their tissues. As you harvest the macroalgae out of the aquarium, you are removing the nitrate and phosphate from the system.
I want to go ahead and note right now that an algae scrubber, which grows hair algae, can also be called a “verticle refugium.” You can find more on algae scrubbers in this link. For this article, I would like to mainly concentrate on traditional refugiums.
There are many different types of refugiums and many more ways of setting one up. Here are a few of the different types of refugiums:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Macroalgae refugiums
[*]
Xenia refugiums
[*]
Mangrove refugiums
[*]
Display refugiums
[*]
Deep sand bed refugiums
There are many different reasons to set up a refugium on your main display tank.
[*]
Easy to maintain
[*]
Filter the water column of nitrate and phosphate through the use of macroalgaes
[*]
Add water volume to the overall system
Provide a refuge away from predators
Allow additional viewing time
Keep pH values constant
Grow copepods and amphipods for target feeders
Grow macroalges for tangs to snack on
Keeps the water temp more constant with the extra water volume
Allows a greater diversity of critters in the system overall.
[/list type=decimal]
There’s not one single benefit that you can really single out, but all of them together are reasons to add a refugium to your display tank.
A refugium can be as big or as small as you need it to be. The smaller, the more often you may have to harvest your macroalgae, and the less likely you can make it a display aquarium. The bigger the better, I would say. A standard refugium is between 10 and 20 gallons. Preferably larger, but many households do not allow that kind of room.
Refugiums can be incorporated into almost any system, but preferably connected to your display tank through a sump. Refugiums drilled tanks, for the most part. It allows water to more easily drain into the sump or display tank.
Refugium lighting does not have to be complicated. I recommend using one 23w CFL light with a reflector for every one square foot of area. That means there should be two above a 20g tall or at minimum one over a 10g (preferably two). The deeper the tank is, the more lights needed. A 20g long should have at minimum three 23w CFL bulbs. Also, keep in mind that these bulbs need to be replaced every two and a half to three months. This is because the light loses its intensity and macroalgaes don’t grow as quickly and efficiently as they should for the same amount of watts used. If you prefer a more complex approach, pink/red T5s would work, and so would LED grow lights.
I believe it’s a myth that water should be slow moving through a refugium. It is my reasoning that the more water delivered to the macroalgaes, the more nutrients, and therefore the cleaner the water. Just because it is a refugium doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t have a minimum of 10x the water volume turnover rate. Preferably more water flow can be added with a powerhead for additional flow. For example, chaetomorpha likes to be “tumbled” so that it can get light to all parts of itself.
Deep sand beds can be incorporated into refugiums easily. Keep in mind, however, that deep sand beds need to be a minimum of 6” to be effective. Deep sand beds also need to be maintained by critters. Often times, a hobbyist will notice striations of black substances in their deep sand bed over time. This is hydrogen sulfide buildup. It is created as a bi-product of the anaerobic Nitrogen Cycle. When enough builds up, it is dangerous to disturb the sandbed. Therefore, I highly recommend to take the refugium offline and completely clean it once every two to three years. Deep sand beds can be a very efficient means of converting nitrate into nitrogen gas, but it’s bi-products are very harmful to the health of your aquarium.
Macroalgaes are AWESOME! Macroalgaes use nitrate and phosphate as fertilizer to grow their tissues. Once you harvest the macroalgaes out of the system, you remove that nitrate and phosphate from the water. Macroalgaes also use carbon dioxide and light to produce glucose and oxygen. The oxygen in the water then increases and/or keeps the tanks pH constant. Macroalgaes also suck ammonia, heavy metals such as copper and iron, and other chemicals out of the water column and are readily harvested out of the tank. Macroalgaes have to use iron and some trace elements in their tissues. Therefore, it may be necessary to occasionally add a trace element supplement to your water column if your macroalgae seems to be dying back when your tank still has a nitrate or phosphate issue.
Mangroves are pretty cool. They grow into trees over time. A one year old mangrove tree can handle a decent bioload. It takes quite a bit of light to get these to grow – but they are awesome to watch and keep. One word of warning – do not start to grow them in a refugium under your display tank. Eventually, you will have to remove them. A mangrove is preferably grown next to the display tank and out of the way. When using mangroves, even some fish can be happy inhabitants of refugiums. Mangrove roots can often grow thick and out of control at times. Careful attention and pruning is required.
Refugiums can have a wide variety of creatures and organisms that can grow in it. For example:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Macroalgaes – (check your local laws before purchasing macros, some are considered nuisance algaes, and are banned in certain states.) such as Chaetomorpha, caulerpas, red kelps, red grape, pink galaxia, seagrasses and others are great additions to a fuge. Perhaps the two macroalgaes that stand out the most as far as being fast, efficient growers are Chaetomorpha and caulerpa sp.
[*]
Feather dusters
[*]
Cocoworms
[*]
Harlequin shrimp – read!
[*]
Jawfish (for deep sand bed fuges)
[*]
Copepods/amphipods
[*]
Fan worms/ other sessile filterfeeders
Bristle worms
Brittle stars
Hermit crabs
Cleaner shrimp / peppermint shrimps
Tube anemones
Xenia
[/list type=decimal]
The list can go on and on. If you would like to get some ideas of really awesome display refugiums, I highly suggest checking out some costal water lagoon tanks.
When I set up a refugium I think about the display tank. How big the display tank and how high the bioload is determines for me how big the refugium needs to be. Then, I determine what I am going to keep in it. Then, I determine what conditions I need in the refugium for maximum effectiveness. For examples:
Chaetomorpha is pretty common and widely used. It’s also easily harvested. So, if I’m going to choose chaeto for a medium to high bioload, I generally like to have a barebottom tank with no live rock, a powerhead to tumble the algae, and two or three 23w CFL bulbs on reflectors. Chaetomorpha does best in a tall tank like a 20g High.
Caulerpa Mexicana, racemosa, and prolifera macroalgaes are commonly used as well and are easily harvested. They can be used on tanks with medium to high bioloads. They prefer sandy bottoms and some live rock. A powerhead isn’t necessary as long as the fuge gets 10x the turnover rate from a return pump. Same lighting setup as any other fuge.
If the display tank has a low to medium bioload, I might choose to have a display refugium so that I can enjoy my aquatic hobby 24/7. In a display refugium, I might choose to have mangroves, if I have the space. If not, I will opt for the more decorative macroalgaes such as dragons tongue, pink galaxia, caulerpa racemosa and red kelp. If I am going to have a display fuge, it will be between 20g to 40g, and also include a variety feather dusters, cocoworms, brittle stars, crabs and other crustaceans, and perhaps a non-herbivorous fish or two to stir the sand bed and add movement. Xenia is also a popular addition to a well-lit refugium.
A refugium is a container of water that serves as a“refuge” away from the display tank that allows copepods, amphipods and other filter feeders and macroalgae to grow without predation. I would argue that the main purpose of a refugium is to grow algae. As algae grows, it uses nitrates and phosphates out of the water column as a fertilizer to produce their tissues. As you harvest the macroalgae out of the aquarium, you are removing the nitrate and phosphate from the system.
I want to go ahead and note right now that an algae scrubber, which grows hair algae, can also be called a “verticle refugium.” You can find more on algae scrubbers in this link. For this article, I would like to mainly concentrate on traditional refugiums.
There are many different types of refugiums and many more ways of setting one up. Here are a few of the different types of refugiums:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Macroalgae refugiums
[*]
Xenia refugiums
[*]
Mangrove refugiums
[*]
Display refugiums
[*]
Deep sand bed refugiums
There are many different reasons to set up a refugium on your main display tank.
[*]
Easy to maintain
[*]
Filter the water column of nitrate and phosphate through the use of macroalgaes
[*]
Add water volume to the overall system
Provide a refuge away from predators
Allow additional viewing time
Keep pH values constant
Grow copepods and amphipods for target feeders
Grow macroalges for tangs to snack on
Keeps the water temp more constant with the extra water volume
Allows a greater diversity of critters in the system overall.
[/list type=decimal]
There’s not one single benefit that you can really single out, but all of them together are reasons to add a refugium to your display tank.
A refugium can be as big or as small as you need it to be. The smaller, the more often you may have to harvest your macroalgae, and the less likely you can make it a display aquarium. The bigger the better, I would say. A standard refugium is between 10 and 20 gallons. Preferably larger, but many households do not allow that kind of room.
Refugiums can be incorporated into almost any system, but preferably connected to your display tank through a sump. Refugiums drilled tanks, for the most part. It allows water to more easily drain into the sump or display tank.
Refugium lighting does not have to be complicated. I recommend using one 23w CFL light with a reflector for every one square foot of area. That means there should be two above a 20g tall or at minimum one over a 10g (preferably two). The deeper the tank is, the more lights needed. A 20g long should have at minimum three 23w CFL bulbs. Also, keep in mind that these bulbs need to be replaced every two and a half to three months. This is because the light loses its intensity and macroalgaes don’t grow as quickly and efficiently as they should for the same amount of watts used. If you prefer a more complex approach, pink/red T5s would work, and so would LED grow lights.
I believe it’s a myth that water should be slow moving through a refugium. It is my reasoning that the more water delivered to the macroalgaes, the more nutrients, and therefore the cleaner the water. Just because it is a refugium doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t have a minimum of 10x the water volume turnover rate. Preferably more water flow can be added with a powerhead for additional flow. For example, chaetomorpha likes to be “tumbled” so that it can get light to all parts of itself.
Deep sand beds can be incorporated into refugiums easily. Keep in mind, however, that deep sand beds need to be a minimum of 6” to be effective. Deep sand beds also need to be maintained by critters. Often times, a hobbyist will notice striations of black substances in their deep sand bed over time. This is hydrogen sulfide buildup. It is created as a bi-product of the anaerobic Nitrogen Cycle. When enough builds up, it is dangerous to disturb the sandbed. Therefore, I highly recommend to take the refugium offline and completely clean it once every two to three years. Deep sand beds can be a very efficient means of converting nitrate into nitrogen gas, but it’s bi-products are very harmful to the health of your aquarium.
Macroalgaes are AWESOME! Macroalgaes use nitrate and phosphate as fertilizer to grow their tissues. Once you harvest the macroalgaes out of the system, you remove that nitrate and phosphate from the water. Macroalgaes also use carbon dioxide and light to produce glucose and oxygen. The oxygen in the water then increases and/or keeps the tanks pH constant. Macroalgaes also suck ammonia, heavy metals such as copper and iron, and other chemicals out of the water column and are readily harvested out of the tank. Macroalgaes have to use iron and some trace elements in their tissues. Therefore, it may be necessary to occasionally add a trace element supplement to your water column if your macroalgae seems to be dying back when your tank still has a nitrate or phosphate issue.
Mangroves are pretty cool. They grow into trees over time. A one year old mangrove tree can handle a decent bioload. It takes quite a bit of light to get these to grow – but they are awesome to watch and keep. One word of warning – do not start to grow them in a refugium under your display tank. Eventually, you will have to remove them. A mangrove is preferably grown next to the display tank and out of the way. When using mangroves, even some fish can be happy inhabitants of refugiums. Mangrove roots can often grow thick and out of control at times. Careful attention and pruning is required.
Refugiums can have a wide variety of creatures and organisms that can grow in it. For example:
[list type=decimal]
[*]
Macroalgaes – (check your local laws before purchasing macros, some are considered nuisance algaes, and are banned in certain states.) such as Chaetomorpha, caulerpas, red kelps, red grape, pink galaxia, seagrasses and others are great additions to a fuge. Perhaps the two macroalgaes that stand out the most as far as being fast, efficient growers are Chaetomorpha and caulerpa sp.
[*]
Feather dusters
[*]
Cocoworms
[*]
Harlequin shrimp – read!
[*]
Jawfish (for deep sand bed fuges)
[*]
Copepods/amphipods
[*]
Fan worms/ other sessile filterfeeders
Bristle worms
Brittle stars
Hermit crabs
Cleaner shrimp / peppermint shrimps
Tube anemones
Xenia
[/list type=decimal]
The list can go on and on. If you would like to get some ideas of really awesome display refugiums, I highly suggest checking out some costal water lagoon tanks.
When I set up a refugium I think about the display tank. How big the display tank and how high the bioload is determines for me how big the refugium needs to be. Then, I determine what I am going to keep in it. Then, I determine what conditions I need in the refugium for maximum effectiveness. For examples:
Chaetomorpha is pretty common and widely used. It’s also easily harvested. So, if I’m going to choose chaeto for a medium to high bioload, I generally like to have a barebottom tank with no live rock, a powerhead to tumble the algae, and two or three 23w CFL bulbs on reflectors. Chaetomorpha does best in a tall tank like a 20g High.
Caulerpa Mexicana, racemosa, and prolifera macroalgaes are commonly used as well and are easily harvested. They can be used on tanks with medium to high bioloads. They prefer sandy bottoms and some live rock. A powerhead isn’t necessary as long as the fuge gets 10x the turnover rate from a return pump. Same lighting setup as any other fuge.
If the display tank has a low to medium bioload, I might choose to have a display refugium so that I can enjoy my aquatic hobby 24/7. In a display refugium, I might choose to have mangroves, if I have the space. If not, I will opt for the more decorative macroalgaes such as dragons tongue, pink galaxia, caulerpa racemosa and red kelp. If I am going to have a display fuge, it will be between 20g to 40g, and also include a variety feather dusters, cocoworms, brittle stars, crabs and other crustaceans, and perhaps a non-herbivorous fish or two to stir the sand bed and add movement. Xenia is also a popular addition to a well-lit refugium.
