A suggestion.

[basile]

I've been looking for a place to post about my display refugium. Everytime i post it gets burried in a forum where usually i get tons of questions on Youtube and how do i get to do this.(Hopefully we'll have a forum dedicated to refugiums Thank you)

I'm sure others have great refugium ideals and tricks to post but like me it gets burried with the flow.

I'm not saying i'm special i'm saying the refugium is an important part of the trade and some how its underscored and under represented. In that forum Identifications of friendly algae would be an assets also for those who wants to cultivate, or those who are going for pod production.

In any case. i'll just post a bit here to show you what i mean by possibilities with this thank you.


When i first started my display refugium, i treated it like another tank. With planing and not just thrown together and the result was pretty good.

My reason to make my refugium such a big part of my system is because i wanted to have a high nutrient system to accommodate my diversity from LPS, NPS, gorgonians and sponges.

The design involved the planing of a rock formation that would help with the filtration of both tanks, and offer an habitat to several species not quite meant for each other.hence de dive in the tank.

Its location above the reef was also calculated for the export of pods without being munched up by a pump so connected by a pipe and using only gravity.

The treatment of a complex refugium requires some dedication and involves reading a lot. More so because their isn't as much info about macro algae as their is fish or invert for that matter. So went through quite few mistakes to begin with.

For one thinking that algaes would just grow out of phosphate and nitrates; WRONG, Cheato can but more delicate and beautiful macro's needs a bit of TLC and some suppliments. like Iron; which is depleted quite fast.All the Iron in your tank is used in the first 20 min after its injection, its a chemical reaction actually that gives many macro's the ability to grow faster and better. Also part of their needs , high calcium will deter cyano and other pest algaes.

This conclude my presentation thank you.

 

[InvertEnvy]

Very nice! Thanks for posting. I'm literally setting up a HOB fuge tomorrow so this post was perfect timing lol

 

[elfda]

Perfect timing for me, too!
I want to farm pods, so this is excellent!

 

[ReeferMaddness843]

Idk what I'd get lost in more. The refugium or the tank. Lol. Beautiful!

 

[basile]

Some of the info you find if you search a bit and can adapt your systems.

 

[basile]

I got my ideals from many source what to do and also what not to do or what i didn't want.

 

[basile]

In fishkeeping, a refugium is an appendage to a marine, brackish, or freshwater fish tank that shares the same water supply. It is a separate sump, connected to the main show tank.[1] It is a "refugium" in the sense that it permits organisms to be maintained that would not survive in the main system, whether food animals, anaerobic denitrifying bacteria, or photosynthesizers. For some applications water flow is limited in order to protect plants or animals that require slow flow. The refugium light cycle can be operated opposite to the main tank, in order to keep total system pH more stable (due to the uptake of acid-forming CO2 by photosynthesis occurring in the refugium during its "daylight" hours). One volume guideline for a refugium is 1:10 main tank volume.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugium_(fishkeeping)


" One volume guideline for a refugium is 1:10 main tank volume. "

I personally dispute that ratio. Refugium are as effective as you want given a fair volume to your reef tank. Don't get me wrong, those who don't really have the room for a big or as i believe 1/3 of your reef tank is preferable ; will still have some benefits. Mainly the production of pods, but in no way can a 1/10 of a reef tank can absorbs or process phosphates and the rest to a proper level.

The 1/3 ratio on the other hand will have an influence on that process plus the added bonus that comes from more water, rocks , sand and what ever can supplement your population of your reef.

Mine for example is 1/2 the size of my tank, because i chose to make it into a display that is equal to my reef. Thus the benefits are larger and i can have a system geared toward a high nutrient system for my demanding bio load. I feed not only fishes, but sponges, gorgonians and NPS all with different supplements. Such a Huge amount for any ordinary refugium would overload any benefit if i hadn't increase that ratio to 1/2.

 

[basile]

The success of my refugium system is also due to some refinements i've done while building it.

Custom made ive made sure my refugium had a coast to coast overflow, just as my main reef tank.. An extraordinary addition that benefits the skimming process.

External like the main tank, the coast to coast skims a huge amount and help any skimmer to handle the overloads. The bulkhead on the side is the connection to the main reef.

2 inch underwater it prevents my fuge to dump its skimming into my main tank and the pods by gravity reaches the main tank without being munched up by a pump. That's the reason for the display fuge to be that high

 

[Cary Meredith]

Nice, I actually love my refugium can't wait to see all the critters swimming around in there. Here's a picture of mine, maybe not a display tank but in my fishroom.

 

[Cary Meredith]

Oh and that pic is about 3 weeks old, growing a lot better now.

 

[Triggreef]

I agree on using the biggest fuge as possible. I have a 75g on my 200g tank, and a 55g fuge on my 72g tank. Space is a problem for many people. I got lucky with an a/c garage with enough space for both those fuges.

I keep a couple few macro in the 75g lit 24/7 with led black box and it grows great. Imo it is the secret to keeping nuisance algae and cyano out of the display. I mean if you like as much light as you can get your hands on, you want to grow where you get 8 hrs, or 24? It's indisputable.

In my 55g, i just set it up. Happens to be directly in front of a South facing window, on purpose. This one is new, but my intent is to grow mangroves using only the window light. It's only been a couple weeks but mangroves are looking happy so far. Time will tell on this one.

 

[basile]

Oh and that pic is about 3 weeks old, growing a lot better now.

Awesome keep up the good work. i hope we get a forum of our own that be great.Keep posting.

 

[elfda]

Hey. If I wanted to have *just* a refugium, and no DT... how would I go about that?

I just want to breed pods, for the moment...

How would I best catch then out, too? I love your pipe system; I'd like to incorporate that info my design, somehow.

 

[basile]

Hey. If I wanted to have *just* a refugium, and no DT... how would I go about that?

I just want to breed pods, for the moment...

How would I best catch then out, too? I love your pipe system; I'd like to incorporate that info my design, somehow.

Ok cool , well you'd start your fuge just like a tank really(sand, rocks) cycle add your macro's and your fishs. Depending on how many fish you put in i'll will do the same as if you had a reef tank. The fish will produce nitrate and phosphates and your macro's will do their thing. Now this is very important. DOT NOT put snails in your refugium , because they'll eat all your macro's. Happened to me $300 worth of macro's gone. Now a few exception , nassarius will be ok, they eat detritus but the rest no.

Now if you want to specialize in pod breathing. its mainly pods an air pump or filtration system with no media you really don't need filtration because pods eat MICRO algaes and they can live in Chaeto or you gravel, gravel because sand doesn't give them cave like gravel does. You must also over feed to get pollution excess poop and detritus will make algaes grow faster and thus your pods population too.

Here's a vid on it simple.



As for catching them you can scoop some gravel they'll be in it or if in your filter you have a floss or cartridge of some kind they love hanging in there for the micro algaes that get trap in there. just pull it out and get them easy.

My pipes lol i was going for the Star Trek BORG look lol didn't go as planned lol but you don't need all that for your small tank .Good luck.

 

[basile]

Nice, I actually love my refugium can't wait to see all the critters swimming around in there. Here's a picture of mine, maybe not a display tank but in my fishroom.

Love your connection , much simpler than mine, should of gone for that myself since i was going for a ST "Borg" look in my man cave lol.