How do I decide if I should add a refugium?

[bluespotjawfish]

I was hoping you could help me out a bit by answering some questions.

What is the main reason you have a refugium on your tank?
How is your's set up and do you like it that way or is it a PITA?
If you started over, what would you do differently?
What type of maintenance does it require and how often?

One more - How big should it be for a 125 gallon tank?

If I add one I would need a DIY to make it fit, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth the hassle. Here are a couple of links for more info about the tank. Will post some pics of the sump area as soon as I can get some. Thanks in advance!

Lorraine's Rebuilding of 125 gal Tank

Christmas Tragedy in My Tank

[Warnberg]

I'm asking myself the same thing.

See my thread... refugium?

[Woodstock]

Refugiums are great for growing macro algae and pods. The macro algae are great for exporting nutrients & tang food, the pods are great for feeding fish.

In my situation, I really do not need a refugium. My reef gets by just fine with my make-shift, bulb lit section of my sump that is filled with cheato and ulva algae.

[lcstorc]

I am very quickly learning to love my fuge. It not only grows macro and pods for food. bit gives me a nice controlable area for a DSB and to start base rock back to life. Not to mention that extra water volume is always a plus.
I'll let you know if I change my mind down the road but as of right now I think it is great!

[Disciple882542]

Here’s a pic of how my sump is set up. I've got a macro cage underneath a self ballasted 45 watt pc light (equivalent to 150 watt incandescent). It’s very easy to create and cheap to set up if you have room in your sump. The cage is simply a modified plastic storage bin I bought from Fred’s (like a Dollar General) and the light and reflector came from Ace Hardware. I’m going to add some chaeto in the next couple of days.



God bless,
Disciple

[bluespotjawfish]

Thanks guys, this has given me a few ideas to ponder.

[blue_eyes53813]

You can not go wrong with a refugium.. They are great for pod breeding and always provide live foods for your livestock.... You wont be sorry you added one..

[PhilOlsen]

Another benifit is that it adds water volume to your set up as well as giving you a place to hide your skimmer, heater etc. keeping it out of the display.

[sasquatch]

In the truest sense of the word a refugium is what the name implies, a safe haven for lifeforms that wouldnt survive/deplete in our tanks. Personally I think its a shame they usually are hidden as there is way cool stuff going on in there.Steve

[lcstorc]

Originally Posted by PhilOlsen

giving you a place to hide your skimmer, heater etc. keeping it out of the display.

Wouldn't that be your sump or a sump/fuge combo? Many people do have combo sump/fuge, but personally I have two separate tanks for the very different purposes. This allows me to have low flow in the fuge instead of the much higher flow rate in my sump. My sump holds all my equipment and give me water volume. My fuge has a DSB, LR, and several types of macro as well as pods etc that come with these. I didn't want a combination since I was afraid the skimmer would kill too many of the pods that I want to get to my display live and in good health.

[Bg3489]

I was wondering if it was possible to sustain not only pods but brine shirmp, etc. in a refrigerum? And if so if I have 2 tangs who love brine shrimp will there always be food for them flowing into the tank? Meaning no more flakes?

[Dentoid]

I believe brine shrimp have to be raised in a higher salinity than a reef tank can endure. Someone else can chime in on this though.

[bluespotjawfish]

I already have a sump with lots of toys in it (my new ASM G-2 skimmer, phosphate reactor, UV sterilizer, socks on the drain tubes). But, I'm thinking I could still find a place to put a smaller tank (or plastic tub) inside it (in the mid section) for LR rubble and macro algae. Since I don't keep much water in the sump, I'm thinking a solid sided container would work best so I have more water volume in the tub. I could run one of the drain tubes into the smaller tank.

If I do that, how is the best way to manage the flow from the fuge into the sump?

[Frankie]

Brine shrimp is not a great food source. Mysis shrimp is much better in nutrients. It looks like everyone gave you great reasons to have a refugium. I love to show mine off and spend many hours with my daughter looking at the life in ours. We also keep a goby and sand sifting stars in the refugium.
Heres a picture of the one i made. Its not the standard kind of refugium because im always experimenting with new ideas but you can get the point.

[bluespotjawfish]

Looks nice Frankie, so how is it plumbed? Drain tube into the fuge, gravity flow out using the egg crate?