Plz help me to pick a HOB refugium...

[32Bit_Fish]

I'm setting up a 10g or a 20 reef tank (still deciding). I've heard a lot of good things about having a refugium for a reef tank.

I would like to get one and to see the result for myself. So I would have some ideas to help me decide whether to get a bigger one for my future tank upgrade.

There are several notes that helped me pull a trigger for a refugium are listed below:

1. Having a refugium would increase water volume to the main tank system, specially when I have a nano tank. It helps stablize the tank a little even if small volume of water increase.

2. I have put the heater in the refugium, so I will have more room for aquascaping in the main tank. It would look much nicer without seeing a heater in the display tank.

3. It would help in nitrate reduction.

4. Lime water or any other reef addictives can be added to the refugium first to avoid any PH shock to the livestocks in the main tank.

5. I can even cultivate live food in the refugium without getting a mess in the main tank

So could anyone recommend any HOB refugium? If so, please provide name or link to the product.

Thanks in advance.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

I was looking at the AquaFuge hang on refugium with a skimmer build-in. Is the skimmer efficient of skimming the water and is it noisy?

Would it be more noisy than a AquaC Remora HOB skimmer?

 

[bcarleton]

I am using a large AquaFuge on my 75 and had a small one on a 20 I had going. I like the product. Designed well, and easy to set up. I do not have the one with the skimmer built in however so can not comment on that.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

I am using a large AquaFuge on my 75 and had a small one on a 20 I had going. I like the product. Designed well, and easy to set up. I do not have the one with the skimmer built in however so can not comment on that.

Great. Thanks for the feedback. I found a CPR Aquafuge discussion on another site. The feedbacks were positive mostly.

However, one customer claimed that the large AquaFuge couldn't support its weigh and fell off the tank, it created a big mess in the room.

I guess you haven't had such problem before.

I've been looking at Ebay and I haven't found any used ones.

 

[bcarleton]

One warning I did find for the large is that do NOT use a DSB. That may be what happened to that one that fell off. They warn that the weight of the sand is too much. I have a shallow sand bed in mine with a bunch of cheato. Got one piece of tonga branch rock in it and that's about it. I use a clamp-on desk lamp with a daylight floures bulb. The cheato really loves it. Have to prune it about every 3 weeks or it starts creating a dam in the fuge. I had someone interested in my small one. I have been trying to sell it. Let me find out if they still want it. If not, asking $40 for it with pump.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

One warning I did find for the large is that do NOT use a DSB. That may be what happened to that one that fell off. They warn that the weight of the sand is too much. I have a shallow sand bed in mine with a bunch of cheato. Got one piece of tonga branch rock in it and that's about it. I use a clamp-on desk lamp with a daylight floures bulb. The cheato really loves it. Have to prune it about every 3 weeks or it starts creating a dam in the fuge. I had someone interested in my small one. I have been trying to sell it. Let me find out if they still want it. If not, asking $40 for it with pump.

What's DSB?

The daylight floures bulb you are using right now. Is it the one like the spiral tube bulb that has high output and uses very little energy? The day light one seems a bit of yellowish, correct?

I want to put the heater in the HOB aquafuge. I would be interested in yours if it has enough room for a heater. Do you have any pics?

Thanks

 

[bcarleton]

DSB= deep sand bed, like in 4" deep or more. That is a lot of weight to ask any hang on item to hold.
Yes I am talking bout the spiral like bulbs. The daylight put of a very white light, just a tinge of blue to it. I will work on some pics in the morning.
Plenty of room for a heater.

 

[DaveK]

To get back to the original question.

In my opinion, you tank at 10 gal or 20 gal is too small to justify the use of a refugium. In other words save your money. Do frequent partial water changes to get the results you want. Note that a 5 or 10 gal water change is a 50% water change, and will reduce nitrates and phosphates by 50%.

Now if we were talking about a much larger tank, say 100 gal or more, then a refugium could be justified. Even so, it would only be justified if the rest of the filtration system was already adequate for the system.

Now, if you still want one, I recommend that you do not use a hang on tank model. They are too small to really be effective. Build you own using a 5 or 10 gal tank.

I specifically do not recommend the use of any of the CPR refugium products, because they are not built strong enough to last. Having owned one, I found that it broke off it's own mountings, and created a mess on the floor. Luckily I was at home at the time.

 

[32Bit_Fish]

To get back to the original question.

In my opinion, you tank at 10 gal or 20 gal is too small to justify the use of a refugium. In other words save your money. Do frequent partial water changes to get the results you want. Note that a 5 or 10 gal water change is a 50% water change, and will reduce nitrates and phosphates by 50%.

Now if we were talking about a much larger tank, say 100 gal or more, then a refugium could be justified. Even so, it would only be justified if the rest of the filtration system was already adequate for the system.

Now, if you still want one, I recommend that you do not use a hang on tank model. They are too small to really be effective. Build you own using a 5 or 10 gal tank.

I specifically do not recommend the use of any of the CPR refugium products, because they are not built strong enough to last. Having owned one, I found that it broke off it's own mountings, and created a mess on the floor. Luckily I was at home at the time.

Dave,

Thanks for your advice. I live in a small apartment and I don't have anymore room for more tank (I already have one 40g and one 20g running and they are both fresh water).

I am aware of a DIY refugium is nice, but it seems a bit of challenge for me to do all the plumbing work in order to make things to work (drilling the tank glass and lack of DIY experience and tools). A possibility of floating is also holding me back from doing a DIY refugium. It would be a different story if I live in a house where I can turn the basement to a workshop for my tanks.

The small reef tank is going to be on the floor and the CPR is about the same height as the 10g, so it will be basically sitting on the floor too. So a possibility of its mounting broke off may not be an issue in this case.

However, don't get me wrong. I would love to have a bigger DIY refugium. But I just don't think I'm ready to make one and has room for one.