Need ideas, frag tank and refugium

shingo43 · 11/01/2016, 05:05 PM

I have a 120 gal display and there is no room in sump for a refugium.

I wonder if it is possible to set up a frag tank and a refugium tank 2-in-1?
e.g. top as frag tank and bottom as refugium?

has anyone done this before and any better ideas?

Thanks

FirstContact · 11/01/2016, 08:15 PM

I have a separate 20g refugium upstream from my sump. No reason you couldn't do separate tanks for refugium and frag tank plumbed to the same system. Not sure I'd try to run frags and macroalgae in the same tank though.

shingo43 · 11/02/2016, 11:09 AM

why not in the same tank, any drawbacks?

FirstContact · 11/03/2016, 02:01 PM

I guess you could do it if you got an extra long tank and separated the refugium from the corals with overflow panels but your going to need different lights over each and it just doesn't make sense to me functionally or economically.

Walla2GSP · 11/03/2016, 04:09 PM

Possible yes, good idea no. I actually tried this exact thing with my first Reef tank. I was going to culture a couple of frags for my DT and grow a little bit of macro in there to deal with nitrates. The problem is it's hard to maintain a working refugium around a bunch of coral frags so eventually you have to pick between the macro and the corals. In my case, the macro killed the corals so I just kept the macro till a couple months ago and rearranged the tank into a dedicated coral tank with frag rack sideline. Also, as mentioned corals need more low spectrum light and macros need more high spectrum light, so finding a decent lighting balance would be a chore.

mcgyvr · 11/03/2016, 04:24 PM

All depends on what macro algae you intend to keep and if you can keep the macro from growing all over/contaminating the frags then sure.. go for it..

11/01/2016, 05:05 PM	#1
shingo43 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 223	Need ideas, frag tank and refugium I have a 120 gal display and there is no room in sump for a refugium. I wonder if it is possible to set up a frag tank and a refugium tank 2-in-1? e.g. top as frag tank and bottom as refugium? has anyone done this before and any better ideas? Thanks

11/01/2016, 08:15 PM	#2
FirstContact Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Glenn Dale, MD Posts: 1,613	I have a separate 20g refugium upstream from my sump. No reason you couldn't do separate tanks for refugium and frag tank plumbed to the same system. Not sure I'd try to run frags and macroalgae in the same tank though. __________________ No man is an island entire of itself; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne Current Tank Info: 120g Reef 100g Rubbermaid Sump, 20g Refugium; previous tank: 46g Drilled; Self Plumbed, Birds Nest, Anchor, Xenia, Zoas, Yuma Yuma Ricordea, Chalice, Mushrooms, Brain, Acan, Anenome Plate; Clams, Other Inverts, Fish, Live Rock

11/03/2016, 02:01 PM	#4
FirstContact Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Glenn Dale, MD Posts: 1,613	I guess you could do it if you got an extra long tank and separated the refugium from the corals with overflow panels but your going to need different lights over each and it just doesn't make sense to me functionally or economically. __________________ No man is an island entire of itself; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne Current Tank Info: 120g Reef 100g Rubbermaid Sump, 20g Refugium; previous tank: 46g Drilled; Self Plumbed, Birds Nest, Anchor, Xenia, Zoas, Yuma Yuma Ricordea, Chalice, Mushrooms, Brain, Acan, Anenome Plate; Clams, Other Inverts, Fish, Live Rock

11/03/2016, 04:24 PM	#6
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	All depends on what macro algae you intend to keep and if you can keep the macro from growing all over/contaminating the frags then sure.. go for it.. __________________ Who me?

11/02/2016, 11:09 AM	#3
shingo43 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 223	why not in the same tank, any drawbacks?

11/03/2016, 04:09 PM	#5
Walla2GSP Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Out here Posts: 201	Possible yes, good idea no. I actually tried this exact thing with my first Reef tank. I was going to culture a couple of frags for my DT and grow a little bit of macro in there to deal with nitrates. The problem is it's hard to maintain a working refugium around a bunch of coral frags so eventually you have to pick between the macro and the corals. In my case, the macro killed the corals so I just kept the macro till a couple months ago and rearranged the tank into a dedicated coral tank with frag rack sideline. Also, as mentioned corals need more low spectrum light and macros need more high spectrum light, so finding a decent lighting balance would be a chore.