Let's Talk About ~Refugiums~

[NaH2O]

It's not a true aiptasia scrubber, as in an algal turf scrubber, but I call it that because my overflow box is full of aiptasia. In essence, it serves as a scrubber because those aiptasia are utilizing any excess nutrients and bits of food that make their way into the box. In the post you quoted above, I said: "if I harvested the aiptasia it would be nutrient export". I don't harvest them, intentionally anyway. I'm sure some make their way into the sump, only to get fried by the uv unit. I would much rather have the aiptasia happily living in my overflow box, than the display part of the tank. I suppose, if I did want to harvest them, I could stick a siphon hose into the overflow box and suck them out. They would regrow, for sure, but I would have done a form of nutrient export.

Hope this helps explain where I was coming from. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Krish]

Well, one aspect of refugiums that hasn't been touched yet in this thread is the use of refugiums on FO tanks or FOWLR. Yes, there are some of us out there who just don't want to go with full blown reefs. How will a refugium sum up into this equation? (just for th sake of those who may be in the same boat).

 

[Maxx]

under those circumstances, it would be a true refugium as opposed to a place for Macro algae export. If you're wanting a place for Pods to hideout in or maybe something else that wouldnt make it in the main tank....

Like I said, it would be a true refugium.

Nick

 

[Detri]

Ok on page 1 you see a sump/refugium diagram. It shows the inlet with skimmer, which flows into the fuge then into the outtake area. I read through all 3 pages. But didn't find the answer to my question.

Is there drawbacks to haveing the fuge in the center?

You see most setups that have the tank feed the fuge seprate and trickle into the sump.

With the room I have in my sump I would like the fuge in the center like the second diagram on the first page.

 

[NaH2O]

Detri - I don't see any drawbacks with having the fuge set-up that way. You can use that diagram as a guide for baffle placement.

PC lights were mentioned in the thread as lighting over a fuge. What else do you guys use over your fuges?

 

[Detri]

Thanks for the reply, It didn't make sense that there were drawbacks, but I had to ask. Since I am doing it myself. I want to do it right the first time.

I have an old Incadesent canopy I don't use anymore. I was thinking I may use that over the fuge.

 

[Marc]

If you want to call it a drawback, putting the refugium in the center of the sump does not allow you to control the GPH flowing through it. So if you have a monster pump and tons of flow going through the sump, that same flow goes through the refugium.

I had a sump set up that way under my 280g reef for 9 months, and the plants did not do well for me in that application. Since I switched to my new sump, growth has been phenomenal. http://www.melevsreef.com/280g/280g_sump.html

Here's the bulb I use and recommend. It is a 5100K bulb, but must be ordered online because Home Depot doesn't carry it anymore. At the base of this page there are two links to order them. http://www.melevsreef.com/fuge_bulb.html

 

[Detri]

You know Marc, I frequented that site for a while. But, the envy started to build, then slowly turned to jealousy. Rage started to set in and, I had to ween myself off that site. You just waved a beer under an alcoholics nose. Now I am hooked again.

LOL Kidding. I LOVE that site. The 2g Nano has my wife begging me to make her one lol. I will for the holidays I think.

As far as the fuge goes. I can have the fuge to one side and have it trickle into the input area, but then would the skimmer screw that up? Unless I put the return section in the center?

 

[Marc]

Beer good. (grunt)

If you have separate sections, the skimmer shouldn't be affected. You want the majority of the raw water to go right into the section where the skimmer is. The lesser amount of nutrient rich water will feed the livestock in the refugium, and the plants will pull out what they need.

I hope that answered your question. It doesn't need to trickle that slowly though. When my 55g was set up, the refugium was 5g in size, and the flow was 45gph. 9x turnover.

 

[Detri]

Thanks Marc! I will post a new thread when I start the proccess and get feed back then.

 

[Marc]

Feel free to PM me with the link to that thread and I'll be happy to follow your progress.

 

[Detri]

Will do, won't be till the new year though.

 

[aquariumdebacle]

There are three types of refugiums when concered with where they fit in the flow pattern of a system. The upstream model is above the main display and flows into it thereby washing bacteria, crud, and the occasional pod down into the display where it is immediately eaten. The downstream model is after the overflow and before the return pump. It gets bacteria, crud, and the occasional pod from the main display. Then the bacteria, crud, and occasional pod get thrown through the spin cycle before they are returned to the main display. The last type is a system wholly concocted by me and I have yet to see anyone follow my folly. I have both an upstream fed by the overflow and air risers and a downstream where it overflows into the main display.

 

[Marc]

Dan, you don't sound all that convinced that a refugium is a good thing.

 

[Krish]

Detri...In a few months, when you get finished with these members, you will be the smartest person on RF and I'll be the second smartest for reading all the questions you ask and the replies you get to them (LOL). I'm glad really glad to have you around because you make life easy for me!

 

[aquariumdebacle]

I am not convinced they are a viable food source or an active filtration method. I am convinced they are an interesting and unique addition to a display. I tried to maximize the benefits of both accepted methods and found it to be not much more useful than a sump. The animals simply stay away from the overflow as any 'pod or mysis can simply swim against the meager current flow. A refugium loaded with chaeto and 'pods with an attached surge might be able to enhance the addition of food but could not replace regular feedings for most fish. There simply is not enough mass entering the water column to sustain good nutrition.

 

[Detri]

Ok Now I am confused!!!!!! Thanks alot!!!!! LOL kidding. But I am confused.

I thought an in-sump refugium was mainly for bio filtration. Kind of like useing sponge or filter media in a hang on trickle filter and not rinseing it out, but swishing it in a bucket of clean water so not to remove the bio organizisms your tank uses. But less noisey and more Natural. I realize that you can maintain a constant feeding source, small but constant this way.

But aren't the bio filtration from the refugium what aquariusts want from a refugium?

I mean thats what I want it for. If its not, then I'll just put a few pieces of LR in and leave it.

 

[Detri]

Krish, I can be the most annoying member of any board. Alot of times I can come up with the questions that no one thinks of. And I am always trying to reinvent the wheel, so to speak. But, my goal is to learn the most from anything I am intreested in and then help the next person. Actually, I am not trying to get brownie points. But, Reef Frontiers, in my opinion, has to be the most dedicated forum to the hobby "I" have come across. The members here give the most honest advice, and knowledgable too. You have people here that go out of there way to find information, or help find equipment. Its great, I mean there are dedicated sites that have a ton of members in my area. But I like the topics here. They are from people that really do need the info and get there answers from people that REALLY know there stuff. This site has the least idiots that respond with dumb remarks. And I don't mean the whitty antics that we all play. Thats fun not rude

Funny thing about this whole situation. I HATE reading!. Yet I love descussion. You can't ask a question after reading a chapter in a book. But you can ask in the next post how it works or to be explained so you understand it more.

 

[Krish]

This site has the least idiots that respond with dumb remarks

I'm guilty...I'm one of them (LOL) You are right about the site. I can honestly say that I have learned more in the last 2 months than I have learned my whole life about keeping aquariums in general. I am a person who always wants to learn and I guess that's why I graduated 2nd in my grade and was offered full acedemic (as well as sports...can't forget the sports LOL) scholarships to a few collages in the US. Learning never gets old for me and I'm glad you have the same enthusiasm as I had coming into the hobby. I'm also a person who likes to play around (LOL). I got a trophy for being class clown, but still learned my work. So while all the other idiots sat in the class and laughed with me, I was getting straight A's and they were failing...go figure. So when you see me talking crap, it's either I'm in a good mood or don't know what else to say. Don't mind me though...I don't want you to be like my classmates and flunk reefkeeping 101(LOL).

 

[Detri]

LMAO Krish. You have no idiotic remarks. They are ment to be funny.


I ment more along the line of

Person 1: Can someone tell me a good place to get get a 250w Ballast (Icecap preferred) at a decent price.

Person 2: From the store.

I mean if you don't have anything decent to say, don't say it. I usaully wait till the person has few really good answers before I fool around.