new refugium...now what

[slb11106]

hello all, i just added a new refugium and now what do i do? it has nothing in it at all (matter of fact is i am actually installing it tonight) and i need to get some help on what to put in it. any assistance would be extremely helpful.

thanks

[blue_eyes53813]

I have about 2 inches of sand, rubble rock and macro algae..WIth a small light that is on 24/7

[slb11106]

how much light is needed ? if i had to guess the size of the new refugium i would have to say 30 gal. i am actually using a pre fab sump box 8.5x24"

[blue_eyes53813]

I have had very good luck with a powercompact bulb (10,000 k). I have to trim it everyother week... Maybe someone else will chime in here too. You dont need high watts for macro algae.

[AzOcean709k5]

hello. General rule of thumb with a refugium is at least a 1/4 the size of your main tank.<i say half> my 55 has a 30 gallon fuge. the reason for a 1/4 the size or bigger, is because a small fuge on a big tank will not do any thing. it just isn't big enough to house what you need to be benifitial. Mine has 6 inch sand bed, about 20 lbs of LR, and Cheatomorpha, macro. i have an ol wally world 13 what plant grow bulb down there, <harvest algae once every 2 weeks and sell it to LFS.> that stays on 24-7.

[crushton]

So I was going to set up my unused 10 gallon as a refugium for my 125 gallon - it won't do anything?
Charlene

[Stevenmi]

To say it "wont do any thing" is an incorrect statement....adding a 10 gal to a 125 adds water volume, surface area for biological goodness, and will support some plant growth (always helpfull). More is better...sure, but I would bet you will notice some improvement.

Steve....

[Little Luey]

A refugium is different from a sump. The sump is meant to add water volume to your tank and to keep heater and protein skimmer out os the main tank. The refugium is used by some to grow macro algie so it will consume "fuel" for algie, this way it will stay out of the main tank; and this is mean to branch of the sump with slow flow.
So you have the tank flowing water down to the sump and a return pump pumping water back up to the main tank, and you could have a refugium taking water from the sump and discharging back in to the sump.

I hope this makes sence.

[Little Luey]

I have seen refugiums as small as 2gal of water. They do not have to be huge.

[Jerome]

My refugia is small and does great. I don't know where the 1/4 the tank size came from, but my refugia is 1/10th the size of my tank. It keeps my nitrates and phosphates at undetectable levels. I have BB and there nothing else besides my 20% a month water changes that could keep the nitrates at 0. As for what to put in it I vote Chaetomorpha.

[wrangler8gs]

I would have to agree, I have a Aqua Fuge (Large) on a 100 gallon, and its been doing its job.

[Witfull]

i saw a fuge that was 3x larger than the tank,,had it in the basement,,,,it was its own eco-system.

[slb11106]

ok, great info.....so let me sum this up so i know what i have to do....
i need to get "live sand" aprox 1/4" deep or more and best case would be to put a little live rock and some cheatomorpha macro in there, did i miss anything ?

also does anyone know where i can get the cheatomorpha from, none of the local stores dont have anything.

thanks again

[crushton]

Just out of curiosity. Being in Tampa can't you get some stuff right out of the ocean (probably illegal) - but I bet you could get algae maybe??? I guess if you know what you are looking for.
Charlene

my LFS in Chicago sells a handful of chalpeura (sp.) for $5

[slb11106]

good question, i am 4 miles from the gulf of mexico, mangroves are big here but those are really trees and might be good but too big. im not sure, and as far as anything else i do not know what i am looking for, but if someone does know or how to find it i could definetly get some.

but if i only need a handfull of plants it would not be worth it to search the shorelines...know what i mean.

and does this stuff grow on the sorelines or under water ?


i would be open to look into this...