Refugium stocking ideas

J3838 · 08/13/2006, 02:33 PM

Hey everyone...

I have a HOB refugium on my 33 gallon tank... It has been up and running for a few months now. I have 3 inches of sand, LR rubble, and a ball of chaeto... I was wondering what else i could stock this refugium with. I have heard things about different algaes that make the refugium more productive, however i am curious as to what i should add, and where i can buy it. Thanks in advance...
J3838

bertoni · 08/13/2006, 04:44 PM

I'd probably leave well enough alone. If I were to stock anything, I'd look at some animal cultures, if there appeared to be any categories that were missing.

A lot also depends on your goals for the refugium. Do you want more nutrient export, for example.

J3838 · 08/13/2006, 06:17 PM

thanks for the quick reply... Ummmmm.... yes, i would like the refugium to provide nutrient export, and eventually id like to maybe cultivate coepods as a food source for my tank n other tanks...

bertoni · 08/13/2006, 07:33 PM

Chaetomorpha is good for nutrient export. You could remove the sand to make more room for it. If the tank doesn't have any copepods, adding a live culture or finding a piece of live rock to seed the system might help. Feeding phytoplankton gets a whole food chain going, too.

everl0ng · 08/13/2006, 08:04 PM

does it have to be live phyto, or will the dead work?

bertoni · 08/13/2006, 09:28 PM

The cryopaste phytoplankton seems to be very good, and it's inexpensive, so that's one alternative to live.

drives300 · 08/13/2006, 09:30 PM

I went with chaeto, dsb and lr fragments in mine. Worked very well

fast57 · 08/13/2006, 09:38 PM

hey hate to interupt but where can I get one of those HOB refugiums? And about how much do they hold? I need one for my 45gallon.

08/13/2006, 02:33 PM	#1
J3838 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: River Edge, NJ Posts: 99	Refugium stocking ideas Hey everyone... I have a HOB refugium on my 33 gallon tank... It has been up and running for a few months now. I have 3 inches of sand, LR rubble, and a ball of chaeto... I was wondering what else i could stock this refugium with. I have heard things about different algaes that make the refugium more productive, however i am curious as to what i should add, and where i can buy it. Thanks in advance... J3838

08/13/2006, 04:44 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	I'd probably leave well enough alone. If I were to stock anything, I'd look at some animal cultures, if there appeared to be any categories that were missing. A lot also depends on your goals for the refugium. Do you want more nutrient export, for example. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/13/2006, 07:33 PM	#4
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Chaetomorpha is good for nutrient export. You could remove the sand to make more room for it. If the tank doesn't have any copepods, adding a live culture or finding a piece of live rock to seed the system might help. Feeding phytoplankton gets a whole food chain going, too. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/13/2006, 08:04 PM	#5
everl0ng Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Lima, OH Posts: 782	does it have to be live phyto, or will the dead work? __________________ Nick Kohrn Current Tank Info: Mixed NC24

08/13/2006, 09:28 PM	#6
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The cryopaste phytoplankton seems to be very good, and it's inexpensive, so that's one alternative to live. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

08/13/2006, 06:17 PM	#3
J3838 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: River Edge, NJ Posts: 99	thanks for the quick reply... Ummmmm.... yes, i would like the refugium to provide nutrient export, and eventually id like to maybe cultivate coepods as a food source for my tank n other tanks...

08/13/2006, 09:30 PM	#7
drives300 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Bradenton, FL Posts: 961	I went with chaeto, dsb and lr fragments in mine. Worked very well __________________ Water Param 79 degrees nit 0 amm 0 phos 0 salifers Calcium 450 salifer alk 11 dkh Ph 8-8.1 Current Tank Info: 90 Gallon,reef octopus nw150, 2 oceanflow mods, 2x 250w 10k mh, phos reactor

08/13/2006, 09:38 PM	#8
fast57 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: southside of chicago Posts: 667	hey hate to interupt but where can I get one of those HOB refugiums? And about how much do they hold? I need one for my 45gallon.