Refugiums

[ClownieTang]

What is the main point of a sump refugium in a reef tank? All I see is a separate tank below your main tank, that you raise copepods in, can't put fish in, and put algae, e.g. chatae, in. Why?

I don't have a refugium in my 100g reef.. will I be needing one? please tell me what supplies are required, if I need one.

[ShooterRick]

What is the main point of a sump refugium in a reef tank? All I see is a separate tank below your main tank, that you raise copepods in, can't put fish in, and put algae, e.g. chatae, in. Why?

I don't have a refugium in my 100g reef.. will I be needing one? please tell me what supplies are required, if I need one.

No you do not neeed a fuge. You do not neeeed a sump. There are benefits to the sump that is harder or not as convenient to use without one.

1. Added water volume to help prevent large swings in chemistry
2. A place to put useful equipment not taking up space or able to be seen in Display such as heaters, skimmers, ect.
3. A place to do water topoffs or draw test water from without disturbing or stirring up the DT.
4. A place to house a refugium to aid in natural nitrate control and to isolate a misbehaving tank resident
5. A place to house coral frags comes to mind

There are others and there is a sticky about benifits of a fuge that is more informed than I am but these few come to mind.

[chrisfont23]

Clownie... I have read through all your posts today. I think you need to ask yourself what you are trying to do. Assembling a tank and bulkhead, an overflow, a sump and/or a refugium with fish, corals and inverts is nice and all, but there are choices/decisions at each turn that make it all fit together nicely. For starters, may I suggest you start a build thread? And finally, there is a ton of research to be done w/ Lee's stickies that offer a lot of this advice, information and detail for a quick read.

To answer your questions - A refugium is an extremely beneficial and biologically diverse supplement to an aquarium that allows you to cultivate macro algae (caulerpa, chaeto etc.,) in an effort to further eliminate nitrates/phosphates.It also will allow you to "raise" pods for a mandarin or blennie. It will aid in PH stabilization. Finally, it allows for a safe haven to banish all things evil, like a coral banded shrimp or a Fender guitar (I am a Les Paul fan).

In my opinion, knowing that the nitrate is the sole nutrient that has dogged aquarists for eons, will not put up an aquarium without one. It makes no sense. We spend tons of money on skimmer, bioballs, biopellets, vodka, chemicals and such yet avoid a natural way? Makes no sense. You can incorporate one into the sump. Or you can incorporate a sump into your refugium. If you have an ATO, all you need is a small tank for a fuge. No baffles. No intense drilling. You can simply run your overflow to one side of the fuge and pump the return from the other side. Again, presence of a skimmer, filter pads/socks, carbon etc. is your choice. Supplement of decreasing pod population, microbubbles etc., are also your choice.

I am upgrading my tank too. I have chosen the above idea which may or may not include a baffle between the fuge and the return. I have a ton of chaeto i plan on slowly tubmling in the fuge. I will use live rock. I will also use a deep sand bed to assist in nutrient reduction. If I don't I will run a fluidized sand filter in a Two Little Fishies reactor. I will run GFO in a reactor which will most likely have a separate pump, the output aiding in the addition of some tumbling action of the chaeto. This plan will allow me to use my existing HOB Aquamaxx Skimmer (on tank) to further eliminate nitrates. If the plan fails, I have to put in another baffle. I will use a Reef Octopus XP1000 on a stand or an Avast Marine Black Pearl CS-1 Recirculating Protein Skimmer in the sump. If you research the last one you'll find the answer is yes, you do build it. In short, I plan on creating the largest possible footprint for my fuge with the least amount of hassle to eliminate nutrients.

I am not being a jerk, rather trying to help as it seems you have a load of questions at a variety of angles. The most important things to do are to have a plan and take your time.

Hope I helped!

[chrisfont23]

Here is a down and dirty design I am looking at using a std 20 gallon long

I have no idea who's credit this is. Just an FYI...the ATO goes in the return chamber. And I would use glass or thick plexiglass for each baffle.