refugium or wet dry filter

[edonatto]

the lfs was telling me that if i get a refugium ,i don´t need to have a protein skimmer. is that true?
what is better a refugium or a wet dry filter

the explanation the lfs guy gave me sounded good, he says natural is better, but some advise from you guys could be great

[sorcerer]

Are you planning a fish only tank or a reef?

A refugium will help any tank and depending on how it is setup may be able to act as the main filtration and can eliminate the need for the skimmer, such as the ecosystem method. Here is their web site : http://www.ecosystemaquarium.com/index.html

I think mojoreef has a system running using this method and you might want to PM him.

AS to which is better between a 'fuge and a wet/dry, they are really two different items. A refugium is a refuge for growing macro algae, copopods, amphipods and the like that can be or help in filtration on the tank while also providing a peaceful space for the 'pods to grow to help feed the main tank.

The wet/dry or trickle filter is an older style, main filter system that does a good job of converting amonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrates, but the cycle stops there. They are somewhat more common on fish only setups but you don't see them much on reef tanks.

The skimmer removes disolved organics from the water and a good one is a great addition to the filtration on a tank.

Tell us what kind of tank you want to setup and folks here will be able to provide some more specific help than the general explanations I gave above.

Welcome to RS!

[sorcerer]

I got your PM, since you are looking for a reef tank, I would stay away from the wet/dry.

There are many different ways to setup a tank for fish and corals. Most of us use some form of natural filtration like the following:

1. deep sand bed with live rock (3-4 inch sandbed with 1.5 to 2 pounds of live rock per gallon)

2. bare bottom tank with live rock

3. shallow sand bed with live rock.

If you see a pattern, in a lot of the successful reef tanks a large volume of live rock is a predominate part of the filtration.

Most folks do run a skimmer, though some don't and use a more extensive refugium setup to accomplish similar filtering.

A number that do use a skimmer also have a refugium (I am in this boat).

You should also consider adding a sump. The extra water volume always helps and it gives you a nice place to hide heaters, skimmer, and other odds and ends.

Before you get to these pieces though, try to settle out what type of livestock you want to keep. Having that you wil be able to better plan what your filtration and lighting needs are.

The best advice I can give is to take it slow, read, think about what you really want to do with the tank, then read some more, ask questions here or at other forums and start to work. Be patient, nothing good happens fast in a reef tank.

HTH

[edonatto]

thanks sorcerer
i have no intention on running, thatś the first advice evrybody gave me, so i plan in taking it slow, also with the expenses there is no way you can run, well except if you are Bill Gates, but i am not , so i will take it one step at a time
woodworking is expensive, but no as reefkeeping, by the way i am planning on doing the cover by myself, so if you know a site with good plans i would thank you