Hi all, just wanting to know how many people use a refugium and if so do you beleive that they make a big differnce to your water quility also if not could you please say why not. And if you do use one wat sort of macro algea do you use, is there just caulerpa avaliable in nz? Do you use a DSB?

Cheers

Dan

Nope don't use one. If your looking at setting one up to improve water quality, you're doing it for the wrong reason.

Macro algaes degrade water quality.

Hi, I am mainly wanting to set one up to help with my high nutrient levels.

(mainly nitrate)

Cheers

Dan

If your looking at setting one up to improve water quality, you're doing it for the wrong reason.

Macro algaes degrade water quality.

And also could you please explain how it degrades water quality.

Cheers

Dan

don't use one either, cause i don't want to

I would look at other methods to reduce your nitrate

cooking your rock

vodka or ethanol

no sand

probio

bigger skimmer

Hi, thanks for the reply, will have a look at thoose other methods you listed. But i dont know why but i really want a fuge lol. wanting to do something like this dono if i will but i might.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... +to+DIY+an

Cheers

Dan

i agree. macro algae is a PITA IMO. i have the kind that sticks to LR and you can never get rid of it. the spores just keep growing. dont ever let this stuff get in your display tank. im slowly trying to remove as much macro algae as possible. if you do proceed with it, ensure you use carbon to cleanse the water. macro algae can tinge it yellow from what i've noticed.

get a bigger skimmer

Hi, thanks for the reply, will have a look at thoose other methods you listed. But i dont know why but i really want a fuge lol. wanting to do something like this dono if i will but i might.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... +to+DIY+an

Cheers

Dan

looks like a cool project.

Would be a bit concerned how efficent this would be at reducing nitrates.

if you were wanting it for pods etc, then i see no problem.

Hey, thanks for the reply i am mainly wanting it for nitrate reduction, Also what do pods do to benefit the tank, are they just a food source for fish?

Cheers

Dan

Also what do pods do to benefit the tank, are they just a food source for fish?

yes

dont concern yourself with caleurpa for nitrate reduction, there are much better and more efficient means. get a bigger skimmer!

Hey again, i know i should have a bigger skimmer but i cannot afford it.

So am looking at other ways of doing it

Thanks for the help.

Cheers

Dan

Hey, thanks for the reply i am mainly wanting it for nitrate reduction

If that's you're main motivation for setting up a refugium. Forget it.

Get a bigger skimmer instead.

more frequent water changes til your live rock kicks in?

ok another cheap option could be a remote DSB

basically get a big bucket of sand and pump water over it.

May pay to do a bit of reading, joeblog may be able to point you in the right direction

ok another cheap option could be a remote DSB

Hey, thanks for that idea will look into it

Will also try and to more water changes.

Cheers

Dan

refugiums are great for growing critters, running a sand bed if you don't want one in your main tank, help stabilise pH if you run reverse lighting, (a place to keep naughty crabs you dont want to kill) but I agree with the others, don't bother trying to use for nutrient control with macro algae, there are much better ways.

I love my one, would be without it, but for the life it contains, not for water quality. It will not worsen your water quality either.

It will not worsen your water quality either.

Not necessarily in a detectable way. But they do.

how?

Macroalgae leakage / secretions. Turpines, other yellowing organics. Macroalgae is a great trap for detritus, which sits and rots releasing nutrients into the water.

They don't particularly help in keeping the water clean.

what if you don't run macro algae, just sand, rock, critters?

And if you did run macro, would these "secretions" outway the nutrients that will be transported by regular removal of plant?

Well detritus and critters go hand in hand. If you've got a lot of critters, you've got a lot of detritus, which is not good for water quality.

If you don't run macro algae then you don't have the problems associated with it. But the conventional idea of refugiums is that you have algae in them.

Whichever way you look at it, I don't think macro algae is a good mechanism for achieving good water quality.

your need to weigh the benefits of the increased life against those points Layton, similar to the sand bed vs bb argument. I don't think there is a easy answer, with merits on both sides.

I've seen some stunning RC TOTM with refugiums, so there has to be good reasons to run them.

your need to weigh the benefits of the increased life against those points Layton

Increase life? It's just more bioload the tank has to handle.

I've seen some stunning RC TOTM with refugiums, so there has to be good reasons to run them.

Sure, but nutrient removal isn't one of them.

Layton, re read my post at the top of the page.

but I agree with the others, don't bother trying to use for nutrient control with macro algae, there are much better ways.

I love my one, would be without it, but for the life it contains, not for water quality.

and how much more bioload do copepods, mysid shrimp and the like add, let be honest here.

... and associate bacteria, detritus etc.. It can be significant.