Refugiums, are they worth it?

[GARRIGA]

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.

I'll search... Thx

 

[Timfish]

Randy,
It’s true that cryptic sponges have not been studied in depth in reef tanks.

However, their biochemistry has been documented in academia labs. I have seen some studies whose details are above my pay grade.

This isn’t what I was looking for but there is good information here.

https://spongeguide.org/
@Timfish can you link the Dutch studies on cryptic sponges.

Here's a data bomb on sponges Pat. :D

BActeria and Sponges


Element cycling on tropical coral reefs.
This is Jasper de Geoij's ground breaking research on reef sponge finding some species process labile DOC 1000X faster than bacterioplankton. (The introduction is in Dutch but the content is in English.)
https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/files/14555035/13completethesis.pdf
Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle
https://www.pnas.org/content/112/14/4191
Phosphorus sequestration in the form of polyphosphate by microbial symbionts in marine sponges
https://www.pnas.org/content/112/14/4381
Differential recycling of coral and algal dissolved organic matter via the sponge loop.
Sponges treat DOC from algae differently than DOC from corals
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2435.12758
A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/66/6/470/2754308
Surviving in a Marine Desert The Sponge Loop Retains Resources Within Coral Reefs
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen are quickly processed by sponges and released back into the reef food web in hours as carbon and nitrogen rich detritus.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279061640_2013_deGoeij_Science_Sponge_loop
Natural Diet of Coral-Excavating Sponges Consists Mainly of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3934968/
The Role of Marine Sponges in Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles of COral Reefs and Nearshore Environments.
https://search.proquest.com/openvie...9d1e5/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y
Microbially mediated nutrient cycles in marine sponges
https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/95/11/fiz155/5582607

 

[GARRIGA]

Can sponges resolve DOC. Cliff Note version :thinking-face:

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Can sponges resolve DOC. Cliff Note version :thinking-face:

Theres no reef tank data to answer.

 

[Big E]

I'll search... Thx

I you do go that route and he is selling it dry it's the same as Marco Rock...............there will be a boatload of dead stuff deep inside the rock pores. Best thing to do is seed the rock with a few pieces of live and then cook them in the dark for a few months. The bacteria will eat all that crap in the rock and clean it up. You'll have to do occasional water changes and dunk/dip the rock every few weeks.

Main thing is get that detritus out of the tub and let the bacteria do it's job. You don't need anything more than a powerhead and maybe a heater. Keep the rock covered in the dark.

 

[GARRIGA]

Theres no reef tank data to answer.

But it seems from what Tim has posted (as far as I've read) that on the reef this seems to be the understanding and I've tried reading all he posts but often busy trying decipher the stock market as I am at the moment and it becomes futile as I lose my place and often find myself reading again that already read.

Plus for me these scientific papers tend to heighten my ADD or trying to digest. Give me financial statement and 10ks and I'm good but what you guys read in your sleep puts me to sleep. Just being honest. Everything isn't for everybody and I just want to keep a box of water.

 

[GARRIGA]

I you do go that route and he is selling it dry it's the same as Marco Rock...............there will be a boatload of dead stuff deep inside the rock pores. Best thing to do is seed the rock with a few pieces of live and then cook them in the dark for a few months. The bacteria will eat all that crap in the rock and clean it up. You'll have to do occasional water changes and dunk/dip the rock every few weeks.

Main thing is get that detritus out of the tub and let the bacteria do it's job. You don't need anything more than a powerhead and maybe a heater. Keep the rock covered in the dark.

I'm well versed in curing live and dead rock.

My goal is obtaining porous light rock. Haven't used Marco and just assume same composition as CaribSea base rock. Have only seen Marco at shows and didn't occur to me to pick it up. Understanding being that's mined from Florida on land. Is it actual porous dead coral or lime stone with pits yet void of channels. Meaning zero practical porosity.

 

[juggernaut107]

I'm going to be honest: I don't know much about refugia, nor do I own one. That is why I'm asking this question. Do you think refugiums are worth having, or do you feel like they are more of a hassle to deal with? Share your tips and experiences with them!

 

[juggernaut107]

I love mine. And a plus is when my macroalgae starts to overgrow I take a chunk out and drop it in my tank for my rabbit fish to devour, he loves it

 

[UMALUM]

I'm well versed in curing live and dead rock.

My goal is obtaining porous light rock. Haven't used Marco and just assume same composition as CaribSea base rock. Have only seen Marco at shows and didn't occur to me to pick it up. Understanding being that's mined from Florida on land. Is it actual porous dead coral or lime stone with pits yet void of channels. Meaning zero practical porosity.

I just Inherited about 80 pounds of live pukani that I'm not gonna be able to use on my next build. If your interested I can probably get it down as far as Placid or maybe Clewiston? It's currently heated and wet in the garage with a ton of turbos on it. It's way to nice to let dry out.

 

[GARRIGA]

I just Inherited about 80 pounds of live pukani that I'm not gonna be able to use on my next build. If your interested I can probably get it down as far as Placid or maybe Clewiston? It's currently heated and wet in the garage with a ton of turbos on it. It's way to nice to let dry out.

Thanks for the offer but I'm a year plus out from my build which every years gets pushed further out. Time and money have no sympathy.

 

[anthonymckay]

I used to run a refugium, but ended up converting it into a frag grow out in my sump and then added an Algae Scrubber instead.

 

[ReefGeezer]

I have two dark refugiums in my 90 gallon reef. One is in the first bay of the sump. The other is in the overflow partition. I like them because they provide a place for pods and the sponges to grow. I used a mixture of old dead rock, live base rock, and live sand in them. They are absolutely 0 maintenance. I think these fuges and the things that live in them fill a niche in the food web and help manage nutrients.