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Unread 01/09/2010, 12:43 PM   #1
Sk8r
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What can a refugium do for my tank? FYI

Fuge. Refugium. A small green tank. Green in various senses.
It is either part of your sump (the central chamber), or is set up on a closed loop with your tank.
OK: definition: 'tank on a closed loop'---simply put, you put a maxijet pump in a second tank, clamp the input AND the output hoses firmly into place in your sump OR display tank, and water continually comes out of your system, into the adjacent tank, and water from tank 2 continually cycles back into tank 1.

Now---what's the setup with this second tank or this middle division of the sump? You set up another deep sandbed, put in more live rock, and get a nice ball of cheato moss to add to it. You light it (mine is lit 24/7, though some just light it whenever the other tank is dark). And you don't have to cycle this one: its sandbed will quickly come live from the bacteria cycling through your water.
Critters that can live in there: copepods will skyrocket; various snails, hermits, anything you've been warned not to put in your reef, predatory crabs, starfish, etc. Small fish (but not with predatory crabs!)
Critters that can escape it into your main tank: copepods, beneficial bacteria and algae spores, should you put caulerpa into it---this is why I say Cheato, because it doesn't sporulate.
What your tank sends into it: phosphates, nitrates, round-tripping copepods, spores, spare food, etc, which are caught in the cheato, which also eats phosphates. Yay! And the sandbed eats spare nitrates. And the little critters eat the spare food. Plus copepods eat micro algae.

What it can do for you: 1. it feeds your fish copepods constantly, especially mandarins and scooters. 2. it sops up phosphate that grows algae in your display tank. 3. it serves as an extension of your sandbed and live rock, and should anything serious befall your main tank, immediately shut down the link to the fuge: let the fuge continue on its own, and even if you have to go so far as a re-set-up on the main tank, the fuge once engaged again will immediately start repopulating the main tank sandbed and filtering anything the main tank can't do yet. It's sort of an 'instant' cycle---not entirely instantaneous, but close to it. I've never heard of anyone shortening their initial cycle by setting up a living fuge first, but imho it would help.

So in short, it improves your water, feeds your fish, serves as a growth tank for tang and rabbit treats (algae) and serves as a backup sandbed in case you have need of it. It's a good place to put spare rock, in your rearrangements, and it's a good place to store a misbehaving specimen until you can get it back to the lfs for trade.

You can also make them pretty so they serve as a second, green, display.

Worth doing, and not only for reefs.


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Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
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Unread 01/09/2010, 01:06 PM   #2
Misterchinn
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Thanks for this SK8R! I love my fuge! Right now it's feeding my turbo snails because my DT is so algae free!

Question: My fuge is on a ledge above my DT, so it is visible, I really like the look of it, like you said, it's like a "planted" salt water tank. Can you recommend any macro-algae's that I can get to plant in it. I have Chaeto which does an awesome job, but isn't much to look at. I live in CA so I'm not supposed to keep Caulerpa. Though, there are some species of Caulerpa that I think are ok in CA, but no one out here sells it. Any other suggestions? Gracilaria perhaps? I've heard sea grasses are hard, but I like the look. The lower the maintenance the better!


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Unread 01/09/2010, 01:07 PM   #3
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Excellant write up like always pal!


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Unread 01/09/2010, 01:08 PM   #4
Sisterlimonpot
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SK8R, are you putting all these somewhere for quick reference?
like sk8r's blog..?


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Unread 01/09/2010, 01:30 PM   #5
gtfourmn
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Nice. Do you setup the refuge higher than the display to allow gravity feed? Also, how large of a refuge will be needed to provide a benefit to say a 50 gallon?


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Unread 01/09/2010, 01:36 PM   #6
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30 gallon - 10 gallon ? I plan to use a 40 or 50 gallon for my 90 just because I like to have space for refuge.


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Unread 01/09/2010, 01:44 PM   #7
Sisterlimonpot
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtfourmn View Post
Nice. Do you setup the refuge higher than the display to allow gravity feed? Also, how large of a refuge will be needed to provide a benefit to say a 50 gallon?
You can do it that way or most people put them below the display tank. I personal have a 20g fuge above the display tank and a 20g sump below. It works well for me.


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Unread 01/09/2010, 02:03 PM   #8
FortyFour
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I just set up my first refugium 2 weeks ago for my 80G FO. I was able to fit an 18G tall in my stand/cabinet, so I went with it. It might be a little small for my tank, but I hope it will work well for me. It has a 6in sand bed, some LR and a ball of cheato. I've had the bulb (19W Par38 5100K) for 4 days and the cheato loves it. 18hr light cycle (including when the DT lights are off)

When asking about the pod population in my new fuge, someone wise told me "if you build it, they will come."

Right not, my fuge is so clean I feel like i need to throw some crap in there LOL


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Unread 01/09/2010, 02:29 PM   #9
Sk8r
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Pods frequently come in on the cheato. And it is not a bad place to install some 'grunge' if you can get some of high quality.
Note: when setting up, the one thing you want to be sure is that you don't get a siphon action if the pump should cut off. The entire contents of a fuge headed for your system via a-not-supposed-to-be-siphoning pump is bad news.
And copepods have no trouble at all getting through a pump: I have an Iwaki 100, which is like a cuisinart, and even amphipods make it upstairs.

Re algaes, gracilaria would be an excellent choice if you can get it. Do not under any circumstances get caulerpa, and if some comes in with your cheato, pick it out and toss it. A sporulating algae is as bad as bubble algae---worse, because this stuff roots into your rock and never dies.


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Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
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Unread 01/09/2010, 03:47 PM   #10
Sk8r
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot View Post
SK8R, are you putting all these somewhere for quick reference?
like sk8r's blog..?
Thanks for the idea!


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Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
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Unread 01/09/2010, 05:36 PM   #11
seadub1
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Another A+, Sk8r!! Can't wait to get my fuge up and running


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Unread 01/09/2010, 06:04 PM   #12
cloak
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Great information here, no doubt, but the reality of it is IMO, that you don't need a refuge to keep a successful reef aquarium. It's just something else. Kind of like chess. Why win in 6 moves when it can be done in 3.


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Unread 01/09/2010, 07:21 PM   #13
reefscape15
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No you don't NEED a fuge, but it's a very great addition to any reef system. It reduces the amount and frequency of feedings, and provides more oxygen to the water. Also draws different types of nutrients out of your system than just a skimmer or reactor can do.

SK8R.....I have been loving these posts. Very informative! I just wish you were around when I started up my tank!!!!


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Unread 01/09/2010, 08:24 PM   #14
amnesia
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Another very informative post Sk8r, thank you for sharing your knowledge with the community.

May I suggest, a sticky thread containing links to all of your little articles. I'm sure it would be great for newer members, to be able to find all of this valueable information quickly and easily.


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Unread 01/10/2010, 01:59 AM   #15
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Thanks, great post.


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Unread 01/10/2010, 10:22 AM   #16
Sk8r
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I collected several recent FYIs and put them in my blog, in case you want to track them down. Brilliant idea, Sisterlimonpot!


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Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
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Unread 01/10/2010, 10:29 AM   #17
Sisterlimonpot
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I got the idea from capn_hylinur, he has a great blog as well.
It'll definitely make it a lot easier to to find your info and link it to the NTTH folks.


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