Starting a fuge display tank. need advice or pointers.

[wburrick]

I'm thinking about doing a refugium display tank. I have a 28 gallon bow tank. after being in the saltwater hobby for about 6 months i have some assumsions on what i do and don't need and i would like to know if they are correct.
First off I assume i won't need a skimmer since algae is fueled on most of the stuff they skim off. I also figure all i need for lighting is a simple t5 from home depot since i won't have corals. I will use a hang on filter, but i would like to know if i could get away without one. I don't plan on having a sump but i might change my mind on that later.
please let me know what you think and add anything else you guys may think i missed.

[Original Fin]

Do you plan on having any fish in this tank, or attached to it via shared plumbing in another tank, or is it just for plants? If it's fishless and by itself, using the term refugium may not be quite appropriate. I think I'd call that a "planted" or "macro" or "culture" tank.

Please clarify and list what it is you hope to achieve with this tank...I'm sure we can help you get it done.

[wburrick]

i didn't even think of that aspect. i do plan on having some fish. my main focus will be a filefish, mantis shrimp, and pencil urchin. so i guess i will need some filtration and possibly a skimmer. is it possible that the nitrates will be consumed by the vast amount of algae faster than it is made? Also I'd like to shine some light on the lighting requirements again. A non-high output t5 would be sufficient wouldn't it?

[Original Fin]

Your assumption about refugiums helping to control nitrates is right, provided it's done correctly, however; what you've described so far is not a refugium. Unless you are able to plumb in a second tank large enough to grow a significant amount of macro algae ( at least as large as the primary fish display) you'll need to take extra measures to adress the buildup and removal of nitrates which are toxic to the inverts you want to keep, and phosphates that will fuel nuisance algae.

If you can't add a large macro fuge and/or deep sand bed, you will need to find other ways to control nitrates and phosphates. A few suggestions:

-Frequent, large water changes
-Phosphate removal media like GFO, in a media reactor
-Carbon Dosing, i.e. BioPellets in a reactor, zeovit, mb-7, vodka, vinegar, etc.
-Use of RODI water to limit introduced nitrates and phosphates from other water sources.

As far as lights go, I'm assuming you were asking if standard residential T5 fixtures would work for growing macroalgae. Yes and no. A couple things to consider about non reef specific fixtures:

-They are not designed for use near water, so safety of you and your family might be compromised.
-They probably won't stand up too well to humid salt air exposure
-While they may have enough intensity, the wavelengths/color temperatures of those bulbs are not especially well suited to macroalgae photosynthesis.

If you do decide to make a seperate refugium, Keep in mind that ill conceived designs could hurt more than they help if they end up trapping detritus, so baffle placement and flow can make all the difference. And if this was to be your only method for N&P reduction (besides wc's) it would need to be quite large and have high powered lighting to boot.

[Original Fin]

Left out one of the biggest helpers...skimmers. They remove organics before they get a chance to break down into N&P.

[Kmoriarty]

+1 on everything. Plus any tank with what you've listed wiuld still need some kind iffiltration beyond macro algae. Even in bountiful amounts...algae is no protein skimmer.