Rufugium substrate?

LeRenard · 02/26/2015, 10:30 AM

It appears my tank has finally cycled so I'm staring to look at my first inhabitants. One thing that was recommended to me was to get some Chaetomorpha in my refugium now that I have nitrates so that it can start to consume them before nuisance algae does.

I hadn't really given much thought to my refugium yet - it's a CPR AquaFuge medium. Other than just chucking some chaeto in there, and maybe some pods, should I be looking at things like "miracle mud" or a sand bed?

Some of the mud seems to come right out of the ocean, don't I need to quarantine it somehow? How do I QT Chaeto and for how long?

To be honest I had just thought I could stick the chaeto in by itself and maybe use some more of the same sand I used in the tank.

FraggledRock · 02/26/2015, 10:34 AM

you dont NEED any sand in the fuge.

it could help trap some detritus as food... but i would rather a clean healthy tank than a dirty one.

dendrite · 02/26/2015, 10:42 AM

agree with Fraggledrock. No sand, I have some live rock to increase the live rock component of the system, chaeto, cheap shop lights with 6000 K leds, from Home Depot, and a spare power head for some circulation in the refugium.I originally used caulerpa which went sexual and nearly crashed the tank. I harvest chaeto every two or three weeks

02/26/2015, 10:30 AM	#1
LeRenard Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 116	Rufugium substrate? It appears my tank has finally cycled so I'm staring to look at my first inhabitants. One thing that was recommended to me was to get some Chaetomorpha in my refugium now that I have nitrates so that it can start to consume them before nuisance algae does. I hadn't really given much thought to my refugium yet - it's a CPR AquaFuge medium. Other than just chucking some chaeto in there, and maybe some pods, should I be looking at things like "miracle mud" or a sand bed? Some of the mud seems to come right out of the ocean, don't I need to quarantine it somehow? How do I QT Chaeto and for how long? To be honest I had just thought I could stick the chaeto in by itself and maybe use some more of the same sand I used in the tank.

02/26/2015, 10:34 AM	#2
FraggledRock Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: New York, New York Posts: 2,185	you dont NEED any sand in the fuge. it could help trap some detritus as food... but i would rather a clean healthy tank than a dirty one. __________________ “For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.”― Jacques-Yves Cousteau MarineBio.org Current Tank Info: 40 Gallon Breeder w/ Bean Animal Overflow 20G Sump, Mixed Reef.

02/26/2015, 10:42 AM	#3
dendrite Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: denver Posts: 493	agree with Fraggledrock. No sand, I have some live rock to increase the live rock component of the system, chaeto, cheap shop lights with 6000 K leds, from Home Depot, and a spare power head for some circulation in the refugium.I originally used caulerpa which went sexual and nearly crashed the tank. I harvest chaeto every two or three weeks