Refugiums, are they worth it?

[rishma]

I think refugium neat because it’s an excuse to have a totally separate tank to keep things like macro algae that I don’t want in the main display and lots of pods that don’t survive in great numbers in the main display. Side benefits can be nutrient export and pH stabilization.

I don’t have a refugium currently, but I’d be worried to add one with macro algae to my well balanced system. I’d have to unwind a carefully cultivated inorganic nutrient balancing act in order to accommodate other life that sucks up nitrate and phosphate.

My next tank will probably have one, not because it’s necessary but I because enjoy it.

 

[Big E]

I've never had a refugium/algae filter in over 35 years. I have had dominant acropora systems for close to 25 years..............so no, you don't need one.

I don't want to grow algae.......my focus is on corals. Algae sucks up valuable elements and nutrients, not to mention potential chemical toxin issues.

 

[Paul B]

I don't have one or a sump. I have nothing against them but they weren't in style when I set up my tank. :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:

 

[Flame2hawk]

Since I’m a FOWLR guy, it just added more maintenance with little upside so I removed them from all of my large tanks (800,700 and 140). Made no measurable difference in parameters. With heavy stocked FOWLR, water changes every 3 wks or so are needed whether having a refugium or not.

 

[SantaMonica Verified Sponsor]

If I'm not mistaken turf scrubbers actually predate refugiums but the idea behind both were based on natural export.

Not sure the date of first fuge's but Adey's first scrubber patent was in 1980.

 

[mjszos]

I've never run one, but I look forward to trying it out in my upcoming tank build. Even if it's not a major player in exporting nutrients, having some macro in a fuge as a home for pod reproduction alone I think will be an interesting experiment.

 

[Rjramos]

Every tank I set up, wether with sump or all in one has a refugium growing chaeto also use miracle mud. I have a thread I started on my stacked sump setups. Basically, a dedicated refugium, shelved above a secondary pump and equipment sump.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I like to add Refugiums to the display, I tend to look for pukani rock with a lot of small crevices and holes for safe spaces.

 

[UMALUM]

Not sure the date of first fuge's but Adey's first scrubber patent was in 1980.

I think he considered them one and the same. I had the privilege of meeting Walt and Karen through a mutual friend many moons ago.

 

[Zeeth]

Is this relevant.

https://www.int-res.com/articles/meps2008/357/m357p139.pdf
“ABSTRACT: We studied the removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and bacterioplankton by the encrusting sponges Halisarca caerulea, Mycale microsigmatosa and Merlia normani in coral reefs along Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles. Sponge specimens were collected from coral reef cavities and incubations were done on the fore-reef slope at 12 m depth. The concentrations of DOC and bacteri- oplankton carbon (BC) were monitored in situ, using incubation chambers with sponges and without sponges (incubations with coral rock or ambient reef water only). Average (±SD) DOC removal rates (in μmol C cm–3 sponge h–1) amounted to 13.1 ± 2.5, 15.2 ± 0.9 and 13.6 ± 2.4 for H. caerula, M. micro- sigmatosa and M. normani, respectively. The DOC removal rates by the 3 sponges were on average 2 orders of magnitude higher than BC removal rates and accounted for more than 90% of the total organic carbon removal. Total organic carbon removal rates presented here were the highest ever reported for sponges. In an additional experiment with H. caerulea, the fate of organic carbon was reconstructed by measuring dissolved oxygen (O2) removal and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) release in a laminar flow chamber. H. caerulea respired 39 to 45% of the organic carbon removed. The remaining 55 to 61% of carbon is expected to be assimilated. We argue that H. caerulea may have a rapid turnover of matter. All 3 sponge species contained associated bacteria, but it is unclear to what extent the associated bacteria are involved in the nutrition of the sponge. We conclude that the 3 sponge–microbe associations are (related to the availability of dissolved and particulate carbon sources in the ambient water) ‘dissolved organic matter (DOM)-feeders’ and encrusting sponges are of quantitative importance in the removal of DOC in coral reef cavities.”

There were a bunch of sponges on my live rock from TBS but they have mostly died off over time for some reason (they were never exposed to air). I do have a bunch of pineapple sponges growing in my sump, but I wonder how much these contribute to removal of DOC.

 

[BAMatter]

I used to run full Triton method which relied heavily on a fuge. I’ve since switched to ESV b ionic. Had a few issues with red planaria in my fuge which led to some occasional issues when I would do maintenance. Enough headaches later and I pulled my fuge entirely offline. Believe it or not, my NO3 ended up dropping substantially to the point where I need to dose it now. I also showed no ill affect on PH. So, anecdotally, fuges are not worth it, but I’m just 1 reefer with an experience.

 

[GARRIGA]

I'm one of those thinking refugium is for housing macroalgae plus other life. This hobby gets confusing at times perhaps because those of us keep getting terminology mixed up. For example, that called phyto I call green water and it's inhabitants single cell algae but I get it. Phyto sounds cooler.

Therefore, what do we then call a box full of macroalgae that may or may not house other life? In the 80s or 90s ran into employees at two different LFS (which were called fish stores) which kept caulerpa in a tub plumbed into their wet dry. They just called it caulerpa in a tub, best I recall. Which means they may have called it something else but I can assure you it wasn't refugium being I didn't hear that word until trying to get back into keeping fish around 2015 but may have been sooner. Doubt earlier than 2000s. Was out but tried staying in touch. Always exploring had we finally solved nitrates to now discover we shouldn't have.

Older I get. More scrambled my brain gets and this hobby isn't helping... :confused:

 

[sixty_reefer]

I'm one of those thinking refugium is for housing macroalgae plus other life. This hobby gets confusing at times perhaps because those of us keep getting terminology mixed up. For example, that called phyto I call green water and it's inhabitants single cell algae but I get it. Phyto sounds cooler.

The definition of refugium is basically just a safe space for something.
A algae bed Refugium seems acceptable if you intend to have a designated safe space for algaes away from herbivores.
As others have pointed out earlier in the thread a Refugium can be made anywhere in the tank, depending on the organism you intend to give a safe space.

 

[Reeferbadness]

They can be very helpful in nutrient control BUT be careful for what you wish for. Mine (I have 2 x 200g tanks) both suck up Nitrogen ... to the point where i have to dose both tanks, even trimming my chaeto back to about a softball size (could be 5x as much in my space). Also great for pods yes. You can go with a minimum light - like this one - the larger/stronger lights are way more expensive and IMHO overkill. This thing packs quite a punch and is very easy to place in a spot without throwing lots of extra light in the sump. Cost: $95

 

[Knucker]

 

[BryanM]

I think they are quite useful, though I never liked the idea of the sprawl they usually have.

Therefore I'm going down the ATS route, which is basically an enclosed fuge on steroids, at least thats how I think of them.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

I like to add Refugiums to the display, I tend to look for pukani rock with a lot of small crevices and holes for safe spaces.

I was lucky and was able to get a 75 gallon used full of pukani rock. It had already been cleaned and bleached. There's definitely a difference when comparing to Marco and the man made stuff. It's so light in weight.

 

[GARRIGA]

I was lucky and was able to get a 75 gallon used full of pukani rock. It had already been cleaned and bleached. There's definitely a difference when comparing to Marco and the man made stuff. It's so light in weight.

Pukani was a staple and too bad it’s now gone but perhaps some lying in a garage somewhere waiting to be found

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

My refugium works great for keeping nutrient's down, But my whole sump turned into 1 big algae scrubber until I cleaned it

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Pukani was a staple and too bad it’s now gone but perhaps some lying in a garage somewhere waiting to be found

There was a guy posting on r2r a while back maybe 2 months ago showing a truck load of pukani he purchased and was trying to figure out how and when he was going to start selling it.