Whats the best setup for refugium?

[wonderphil-reef]

Wanted some advice on setup for the refugium, what's the best setup or do people recommend?

Currently, I have sand, a bit of live rock and a bit of Chaeto with Kessil A80 Tuna Flora light that's on from 6pm to 6am. Still have problems with my Nitrates & PO4.

Wondering if I should just get rid of the sand and rock and just have the Chaeto and let it go nuts, thoughts?

​

 

[Tankkeepers]

What are you actually trying to accomplish

If it nutrient export a fuge is OK

But look into an algie turf scrubber

Joan fabric has this plastic mesh quilt backing you can use for the scrubber to make your own

There are 2 ways to do this

Raceway use a plastic fence pole from menards they have safe ones there cut in half attach mesh and add light have pump dump at top so it flows fast and thin down the raceway easiest

Or hang the mesh screen from some pvc using zip ties drill holes in a line where the mesh connects or make a slit for water to come out and flow down the mesh like a water fall use plastic sheeting on the sides to keep the water from splashing add a light to both sides and good to go

Harder but doubles the usable space

This can be added to a refugium then you will have the best of both world a safe place for micro critters and an extremely effective algie turf scrubber

 

[Tankkeepers]

Algie turf scrubbers also need to be sized according to tank volume and waste produced otherwise they work so well they will bottom out your nutrients

 

[Tankkeepers]

I used 1 for 8 years on a o water change sps dominate 125 main 300 total system

 

[Tankkeepers]

Also used one on a 29 the drooed to a 10 fuge with scrubber that then went to a 5 equipment tank and back to the main

It went main to scrubber to fuge to equipment tank back to main

 

[Tankkeepers]

The bigger system was alot more complicated and not a direct path from one to the other as it had 6 total tanks
main
fuge
Cryptic and benthic
Equipment and red Mangrove
Deep sand bed
Banghi breeding and rearing

 

[Tankkeepers]

Good luck

 

[Freenow54]

Following this because not at that stage yet

 

[costaricareef]

Wanted some advice on setup for the refugium, what's the best setup or do people recommend?

Currently, I have sand, a bit of live rock and a bit of Chaeto with Kessil A80 Tuna Flora light that's on from 6pm to 6am. Still have problems with my Nitrates & PO4.

Wondering if I should just get rid of the sand and rock and just have the Chaeto and let it go nuts, thoughts?

​

I have two fuges (one for each tank). In one I have a lot of mud (about 5" deep) and the rest is for chaeto. This one not only provides nutrient export but also keeps up the pod population for my Mandarin. It is full of interesting life. It is now working 24/7 and nutrients are at the high end. Will have to reduce feeding or install an algae scrubber I have laying around.

In my other tank, a little sand and a lot of chaeto. It is still maturing. Only for nutrient export at this point and the light on for 13 hours a day. Both receive water from the overflow drain directly and then overflow into the pump chamber, so as to avoid the skimmer and floss. No rocks in either one. The live rock is in the display. The light I use is the Neptune GRO.

 

[Tankkeepers]

I have two fuges (one for each tank). In one I have a lot of mud (about 5" deep) and the rest is for chaeto. This one not only provides nutrient export but also keeps up the pod population for my Mandarin. It is full of interesting life. It is now working 24/7 and nutrients are at the high end. Will have to reduce feeding or install an algae scrubber I have laying around.

In my other tank, a little sand and a lot of chaeto. It is still maturing. Only for nutrient export at this point and the light on for 13 hours a day. Both receive water from the overflow drain directly and then overflow into the pump chamber, so as to avoid the skimmer and floss. No rocks in either one. The live rock is in the display. The light I use is the Neptune GRO.

I'm jealous that's an extremely nice setup lol

 

[Tankkeepers]

I want to add to the above a deep sand bed if setup properly is extremely effective at nutrient export

I used inert playsand from home depot or mendards washed extremely well no dust left so like 20 to 30 full rinse

But this type of sand is cheap and if kept clean will never stick together like aragonite will thus keeping it a dsb for its life a large ish tote I use a 55 gallon one with a wracked strap wrapped around it as mine for 10 years only 8 of that was 0 water change tho 2 years to establish

I used a sand sifting starfish to clean it had it for over 9 years and it was big I also never changed the sand like most do

Dsb take 3 to 6 months to really get going good IME

Kid dumped chill powder in tank entire tank dead 2 minutes flat clownfish pair was the last to die I even moved as much as I could into the qt tank to try and save it very bad day he was 2 thought he was feeding tje fish I shouldn't of left it on the table where he could reach

Spent 2 years building a mini ecosystem that ran without input from me except dosing threw ato water including nutrients for the algie to grow

Once ever 6 months durring a full moon I had mini jellyfish for a few days never hurt anything they were cool a type of hydroid I believe also had a colony of dwarf seahorses they were part of the food chain but the colony was always over 100 strong

I added fresh genetics ever so often of pod dwarf seahorses etc which is why I had a qt tank

I sold banghi cardinalfish to pay for the 250 dollar electric bill every month that's how much it raised when I hit the on switch plus extras had the cops at my house when I first turned it on they thought I had a grow was pretty funny

 

[wonderphil-reef]

I have two fuges (one for each tank). In one I have a lot of mud (about 5" deep) and the rest is for chaeto. This one not only provides nutrient export but also keeps up the pod population for my Mandarin. It is full of interesting life. It is now working 24/7 and nutrients are at the high end. Will have to reduce feeding or install an algae scrubber I have laying around.

In my other tank, a little sand and a lot of chaeto. It is still maturing. Only for nutrient export at this point and the light on for 13 hours a day. Both receive water from the overflow drain directly and then overflow into the pump chamber, so as to avoid the skimmer and floss. No rocks in either one. The live rock is in the display. The light I use is the Neptune GRO.

was going to ask how you create the mud for that, if you had any good references that I could follow?