What is Refugium for?

[marvin willis]

i always wondered

 

[lexluethar]

To cultivate bacteria and plant life that will reduce your nitrates within your tank.

 

[fishy.....]

It is also a good place to hide equipment that would otherwise be in your main tank. Skimmer, heaters, grounding probe, filters etc.

 

[scotts]

Along with the above, the water level in your refugium/sump will vary when the water evaporates out of your tank, and will stay at a constant level in your display tank.

 

[billy73]

They also work great for a copapod hatchery.

 

[rad]

a sump is the filter that goes under your aquarium that looks like another tank under it. it usually has your filter pads, bioballs, and carbon filtration in addition to being the place that most people will put their skimmers heaters and return pumps that go back to the tank.
now a refugium is different, think marsh lands in the ocean, its another additional filter that has a light over it that you would plumb in to your sump and grow macro algaes and caulerpa, free of predators. Its a great breeding ground for nitrate eating critters and other beneficial pods that can grow there.

 

[1journeyman]

A sump is a seperate body of water, normally hidden from your display tank, where you hide your equipment.
A refugium (aka "refuge") is a seperate body of water, free of any predation, where you can raise beneficial life for your tank. There are all sorts of refugiums. Some go with a deep sand bed refugium to primarily export Nitrate, others grow macro algaes for the same reason, some refugiums target producing pods and other micro foods for the tank, some go with a combination..

 

[jake0110]

Can you make your sump into a refugium?