Refugium Oudoors?

[beauphus]

Hello everyone,

I have done some research but cant find any answers so I wanted to see what you guys think. I have a 100 gallon display with a 30 gal sump/refugium underneath. I also have a spare 40 gallon tank with stand/canopy in my garage and i was considering putting outside on my patio. My main tank is adjacent to the wall that goes there and my chiller is already outside (covered of course) so the 2 tanks would literally be back to back with only a wall seperating them. I was thinking of converting the 40 gallon to an outdoor refugium with alot more room for vegetation. I easily keep the water at roughly 75-77 deg so temp wont be an issue. I am in south florida so my only concern is will I have trouble with algae growth. Also is there such a thing as TOO MUCH refugium. I would still keep my 30 gallon for a sump/skimmer and I would have the outdoor tank strictly for plants/pods etc making my total volume 170 gallon with display only being 100 of it. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[seafansar]

If you can really keep the temperature from swinging in the refugium, then I'd say go for it. Make sure you include heaters in it for cold nights. You might get a lot of hair algae at first, but I think if done right it should work well. You could also set the tank on styrofoam to help with insulation.

 

[beauphus]

i can control temp via my pacific coast chiller. it doesnt get very cool at night here usually so i am not sure if that is much of a concern. are there any other risks? is there such a thing as too much refugium - like over filtering?

 

[lcstorc]

I don't think there is such a thing as too much fuge. It is natural filtration.
I once saw a system that was similar but on a very large scale. It was gorgeous. There were lots of mangroves in the outdoor area. Maybe I can find it again. I'll try.

 

[jnohs]

yah thats cool. get some mangroves thay would probably grow very fast out side. plus if you wanted once and a while you could frag a piece and put it in there and hopefully watch it grow like wild fire.

i am thinking about setting up a small out side tank this year.