What should I put into the refugium?

richardhmc · 01/06/2010, 11:48 AM

I'm in the process of building a sump and I'm thinking of what to put in there.
What kind of macro algae should I use?
I will put in small pieces of LR from the display tank for sure.
How do I breed copepods/amphipods/mysis shrimp?

corbett_n · 01/06/2010, 12:10 PM

cheato is the best macro and the copepods will breed in the cheato

thegrun · 01/06/2010, 01:08 PM

+1 on cheato

ChadTheSpike · 01/06/2010, 01:47 PM

Having used chaeto, gracilaria, halimeda, caulerpa, and ulva or some combination of the above in my refugiums over the years... I have found that with proper maintenance they are all reasonably equivalent (at least I didnt notice any huge difference in things like nutrient uptake and my nitrates were always at zero).
The only ones that I can say I noticed any difference with is the halimeda and ulva. Halimeda provided a noticable and measurable decrease in Ca daily (reduction of 30 ppm per day vice 20 ppm when I replaced it in my 40 gal fuge attached to a 125 gal sps reef).
Ulva seemed to have more 'pod production, especially amphipods, but this a feel, not a tested observation, Im sure there were other variables in play.
All that being said, I use chaeto because it is easy to get and easy to maintain.

I posted a lot of links on copepods and culturing copepods in this thread last night

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1769809

ChadTheSpike · 01/06/2010, 02:06 PM

I just noticed that you also asked about mysis shrimp... They are a bit tougher to culture (cannabalistic bastids!!), if you arer interested in anything more than what your system can maintain (mine has some, but nothing that is productive enough that it could be harvested as a food source), I do have some good culture information and solid contacts I can pass along.

richardhmc · 01/07/2010, 08:26 AM

Thanks for the info!
So Cheato is the way to go.
I heard that reef sand is a "nutrient sink" and will not help with the refugium. What does this mean?

ChadTheSpike · 01/07/2010, 09:57 AM

There are two schools of thought here:
Those that keep physically remove and limit nutrients to the maximum extent practical. These systems are usually bare bottomed and have very large skimmers.
And
Those that add to utilize the nutrients and convert them to biomass. These systems usually have DSBs and as many small 'critters' as the keepers can get a hold of.
Both methods will work, its more of understanding what the system goals are and what the benefits/limitations of the various methods are.
That all being said, sand can be a concentrator of system nutrients. Having stuff that uses the nutrients is important to the overall system.

01/06/2010, 11:48 AM	#1
richardhmc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 308	What should I put into the refugium? I'm in the process of building a sump and I'm thinking of what to put in there. What kind of macro algae should I use? I will put in small pieces of LR from the display tank for sure. How do I breed copepods/amphipods/mysis shrimp?

01/06/2010, 01:47 PM	#4
ChadTheSpike Reef Engineer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Washington DC Posts: 1,526 Blog Entries: 1	Having used chaeto, gracilaria, halimeda, caulerpa, and ulva or some combination of the above in my refugiums over the years... I have found that with proper maintenance they are all reasonably equivalent (at least I didnt notice any huge difference in things like nutrient uptake and my nitrates were always at zero). The only ones that I can say I noticed any difference with is the halimeda and ulva. Halimeda provided a noticable and measurable decrease in Ca daily (reduction of 30 ppm per day vice 20 ppm when I replaced it in my 40 gal fuge attached to a 125 gal sps reef). Ulva seemed to have more 'pod production, especially amphipods, but this a feel, not a tested observation, Im sure there were other variables in play. All that being said, I use chaeto because it is easy to get and easy to maintain. I posted a lot of links on copepods and culturing copepods in this thread last night http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1769809 __________________ ~Chad "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Current Tank Info: 195 gallons of fun

01/06/2010, 02:06 PM	#5
ChadTheSpike Reef Engineer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Washington DC Posts: 1,526 Blog Entries: 1	I just noticed that you also asked about mysis shrimp... They are a bit tougher to culture (cannabalistic bastids!!), if you arer interested in anything more than what your system can maintain (mine has some, but nothing that is productive enough that it could be harvested as a food source), I do have some good culture information and solid contacts I can pass along. __________________ ~Chad "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Current Tank Info: 195 gallons of fun

01/07/2010, 09:57 AM	#7
ChadTheSpike Reef Engineer Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Washington DC Posts: 1,526 Blog Entries: 1	There are two schools of thought here: Those that keep physically remove and limit nutrients to the maximum extent practical. These systems are usually bare bottomed and have very large skimmers. And Those that add to utilize the nutrients and convert them to biomass. These systems usually have DSBs and as many small 'critters' as the keepers can get a hold of. Both methods will work, its more of understanding what the system goals are and what the benefits/limitations of the various methods are. That all being said, sand can be a concentrator of system nutrients. Having stuff that uses the nutrients is important to the overall system. __________________ ~Chad "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Current Tank Info: 195 gallons of fun

01/06/2010, 12:10 PM	#2
corbett_n Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: SC Posts: 1,271	cheato is the best macro and the copepods will breed in the cheato

01/06/2010, 01:08 PM	#3
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	+1 on cheato

01/07/2010, 08:26 AM	#6
richardhmc Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 308	Thanks for the info! So Cheato is the way to go. I heard that reef sand is a "nutrient sink" and will not help with the refugium. What does this mean?