[Reticentregret]

refugium tank whats that all about?!?!? I'm very interested in this... how does it work if I even spelled it correctly. Its a small tank that you put down inside the stand for small animals to grow in to provide a food source for corals and inverts and the like? More info please!!

[fishtk75]

Originally Posted by Reticentregret

refugium tank whats that all about?!?!? I'm very interested in this... how does it work if I even spelled it correctly. Its a small tank that you put down inside the stand for small animals to grow in to provide a food source for corals and inverts and the like? More info please!!

I is a tank that grows mico algae that the fish will not eat it and the plant suck up all the nitrates so it will lower it to zero and to cut some of to feed the fish.
Here is a link to read
Building A Refugium - Page 1 - What Is A Refugium? - About Saltwater Aquariums Featured Article by Don Carner

[Brians125]

Here's an example on refugium's and what it is/does..........I cant tell you on here the name of the web site that I read but I hope this help's
G/L Brian


Hello Guys,
< Howdy James! >
I have a 300G main tank and a 100 gallon sump with bioballs, coral chips, and Caulerpa. Up top there is 150lbs of live rock and 8 x 5 inch fish - angels, tangs, triggers, wrasse, oh and 1 x 20 inch snowflake eel.
< Kewl! >
I have a Aquamedic baby skimmer rated for 500 gallons I think. I do a 10% water change with seawater once a week. We have a marine lab here in Cape Town who have a pipe going 5 miles out to sea, they then filter the water. It's free to us fishy folk. So, for over a year my nitrates were always 0. I hadn't checked in 3 weeks, but bam, up to 50+ I have no new fish and my feeding regime is the same. Ammonia is 0 and nitrite is 0. I did remove
some ceramic rings?? Can't be that can it?
< Wouldn't think so. The bacteria on the rings would do little to reduce nitrates, thus would have little impact on increasing same if removed. >
Anyway, I've decided to build a refugium for NNR in a 60 gallon tank with 6 inches of aragonite and another 50\60 pounds of live rock. Does this sound ok to you?
< Excellent to hear, I'm a big fan of refugium and DSB methodologies. >
Do I plumb the refugium to and back from the sump?
< I would bleed raw tank water from a return line to the 'fuge, and then gravity drain from the 'fuge to the sump.
Should I also add Caulerpa or anything else?
< Can do...my suggestion would be to exclude the live rock from the 'fuge and use the space to culture Chaetomorpha rather than Caulerpa, if available. >
And what kind of water flow would it need?
< 5x - 10x tank (refugium) volume should suffice. >
My bioballs are in the first chamber in the sump, but completely covered in water. Does this mean they won't be working properly?
< Working properly, maybe just not to their full potential as in a "wet-dry" application. >
I intend to start taking them out with the addition of the live rock.
< Would not just remove, but would replace with more live rock. >
In the main tank I have around 4 inches of aragonite. I have not siphoned it for a year as it looks very clean.
< Unless this is sugar-fine sand, you'll be surprised at the amount of detritus that will accumulate. This may well be the source of your nitrates. With the addition of the refugium, my recommendation would be to reduce the substrate in the main tank to 1" or less of fine aragonite gravel. This will prove much less problematic considering the large (potentially) messy feeders you have. On the other hand...if you need a deep substrate for the wrasses, or wish to employ a DSB in the main tank, then increase the substrate to 6 or more inches of sugar-fine aragonite sand. >
Does this mean my circulation is working well? I only have the 2 return pipes coming in at the top, each rated at 1500 gallons an hour.
< For a FOWLER this should be enough flow in this tank, though there is no harm in adding more...your fish will appreciate it.
Sorry for all the probably obvious questions, the LFS people are no help.

[Reticentregret]

yeah i found this site but thanks this site is liek a fun playground Melevsreef.com | Acrylic Sumps & Refugiums

thanks for the effects info though

[Krazy]

I made a thread about sumps and refugiums over in the Equipment section..

Take a peek when you get the chance...