Topic of the Month:refugiums
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promisetbg
Active Member
A good healthy refugium can keep this from happening
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sensesfail
Guest
Is their anywhere to buy Chaeto? I've looked at my LFS' and they have no idea what it is. maybe a plant shop?
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sensesfail
Guest
whats the link? or do you mean e-bay
1journeyman
Active Member
Just finished getting up and running my 20 gallon refugium.
Return is 3 holes drilled into the acrylic, that gravity feeds back into the tank. I used egg crate to protect the drains from getting fowled by algaes. Also used egg crate for the top.
GPH is about 100.
I'm just trying a regular pendant plant light to see if the algae likes it.
Added pods i bought online, as well as 4 types of macro algae and a mat of sea grass. We'll see which one grows the best.
I also put in my horribly aggressive hitchhiker crab that came in on my Carribean live rock. Not sure what species he his, but man is he mean. He has about 50 small snails to keep him company.
Sand bed of 2 inches.
Return is 3 holes drilled into the acrylic, that gravity feeds back into the tank. I used egg crate to protect the drains from getting fowled by algaes. Also used egg crate for the top.
GPH is about 100.
I'm just trying a regular pendant plant light to see if the algae likes it.
Added pods i bought online, as well as 4 types of macro algae and a mat of sea grass. We'll see which one grows the best.
I also put in my horribly aggressive hitchhiker crab that came in on my Carribean live rock. Not sure what species he his, but man is he mean. He has about 50 small snails to keep him company.
Sand bed of 2 inches.
mdog30001
Member
now to get a refugium to flow by gravity back into the main tank it has to be above the main tank right? So wouldn't that mean that you had to have a pump to get the water out of the tank? Couldnt that be a proublem. For instance wat if the pump just kept pumping the water out of the tank and you ran out of water in the main tank and had a huge flood? Also how would you keep the fuge above the main tank? Is it possible to have it flow by gravity both ways?
celacanthr
Active Member
yes I believe it is possible you just need the refugium next the tank so that it's water level is level with the main tanks. you just need one tube, but the problem is that there isn't much water flow so u will need an extra powerhead in the fuge. At least i think this how you would do it but i think promisetbg can answer better.
bergamer
Active Member
I just started my refuge today, it is in a 32 gallon (i think) rubber maid type container, but it is very hard plastic and not soft plastic like rubbermaid.
atm I only have 20lbs of live sand in it and I am planning on adding 20 or so lbs of LR.
anyone have any recommendations on how deep the sand bed should be?
as for lighting I am only using a 100watt bulbs, how does this sound?
atm I only have 20lbs of live sand in it and I am planning on adding 20 or so lbs of LR.
anyone have any recommendations on how deep the sand bed should be?
as for lighting I am only using a 100watt bulbs, how does this sound?
celacanthr
Active Member
i have a 8 inch dsb in my-soon-to-be refugium, but just make sure to not shift the sand bed too much or you will release ammonium into the water which is an even bigger algae promoter.
1journeyman
Active Member
Originally Posted by mdog30001
now to get a refugium to flow by gravity back into the main tank it has to be above the main tank right? So wouldn't that mean that you had to have a pump to get the water out of the tank? Couldnt that be a proublem. For instance wat if the pump just kept pumping the water out of the tank and you ran out of water in the main tank and had a huge flood? Also how would you keep the fuge above the main tank? Is it possible to have it flow by gravity both ways?
That is the big problem I faced. My fear was that my pump would fill my refugium after my drains (I drilled 3 of them) clogged up. That would drain about 30 gallons of water onto my floor beofre the pump would begin to run dry.
Hopefully I've solved that potential nightmare by:1. using 3 drains.. if 1 clogs the other two will still maintain the balance 2. Using egg crate around the drains to act as a sort of screen to keep large mats of algae from flowing into the drains. 3. Buying a neat little invention that will cut power to the pump if the water reaches a certain point above where it is supposed to be. (It's called a flow valve sensor or something...)
now to get a refugium to flow by gravity back into the main tank it has to be above the main tank right? So wouldn't that mean that you had to have a pump to get the water out of the tank? Couldnt that be a proublem. For instance wat if the pump just kept pumping the water out of the tank and you ran out of water in the main tank and had a huge flood? Also how would you keep the fuge above the main tank? Is it possible to have it flow by gravity both ways?
That is the big problem I faced. My fear was that my pump would fill my refugium after my drains (I drilled 3 of them) clogged up. That would drain about 30 gallons of water onto my floor beofre the pump would begin to run dry.
Hopefully I've solved that potential nightmare by:1. using 3 drains.. if 1 clogs the other two will still maintain the balance 2. Using egg crate around the drains to act as a sort of screen to keep large mats of algae from flowing into the drains. 3. Buying a neat little invention that will cut power to the pump if the water reaches a certain point above where it is supposed to be. (It's called a flow valve sensor or something...)
killergoby
Member
Originally Posted by Marco333
sorry about the pic's size but i cant figure out how to resize them. Can someone do it for me?
hey thanks so much for resizing them
Post your pics on Photo Bucket then post that link on this website using the image function.
I had made a HOB fuge out of a AC300 filter and I liked the result it gave me so I bought CPR's 12" HOB fuge w/ 2" of Mineral Mud and Cheateo in it. Here's a shot of the 29 gallon it's on.
And here's my new open brain which is not in that shot:
sorry about the pic's size but i cant figure out how to resize them. Can someone do it for me?
hey thanks so much for resizing them
Post your pics on Photo Bucket then post that link on this website using the image function.
I had made a HOB fuge out of a AC300 filter and I liked the result it gave me so I bought CPR's 12" HOB fuge w/ 2" of Mineral Mud and Cheateo in it. Here's a shot of the 29 gallon it's on.
And here's my new open brain which is not in that shot:
goulding.c
Member
any ideas for lights?? My 55 refuge has the middle 2/3s of it for 4 inches of sand and mineral mud, loaded with caulerpa (sp?). I have noticed the kelp does not grow very much at least not as fast when I got some in the big tank under the big lights. Should I put bigger lights on it to get it growing fast. I have just standard florescent on it now. Also does anyone ever have a problem getting the kelp in the main tanks and it taking over everything in sight? I had it once and had to scrap about 20 lbs of live rock to get rid of it.
CG
CG
kjord97
Member
You ideas and pics look great. On my 125 gal reef and my 45 gal FOWLR i run the same type of refugium. They are the large CPR aquafudge. I use 4 inches of sand and random types of culepra. It grows like crazy and i am constantly feedin my herbavors in the main tanks. i use a standard 20 watt plant light on a 24 hour cycle. I keep snails in the refugium with some rubble rock. Cyclopods run around like crazy, i see thousands of them in there at night when i can see them better. I really like the refugiums and would recomend them to anyone that does not want to deal with plumbing or haveing all the equipment under the tank. I have been runnin my CPR on the 125 for about a year and my paramaters are great. the only other equipment i have on the 125 is a seaclone protein skimmer. Take care all
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sonicboom1
Guest
Originally Posted by promisetbg
A good healthy refugium can keep this from happening
There is some sort of fish that just GRAZES on that, there was a thread a while back a kid rented one and it ate every piece of green algea he had growing...look into it.
A good healthy refugium can keep this from happening
There is some sort of fish that just GRAZES on that, there was a thread a while back a kid rented one and it ate every piece of green algea he had growing...look into it.
celacanthr
Active Member
i believe you are talking about a sea hare?