i have a question for all of you about refugiums...
 

Who is still using them, and why. As well who is not using them and why.

The reason why I ask is I’m thinking of tossing mine to add in a skimmer and a calcium reactor. I have not seen to much benefit since I have been running one.

Just wanted to know what other people think.

Kristofer

I got rid of mine, didn't notice any benifit.

Steve

I am planning on ADDING a refugium. Simply because my little tank cannot support the copepods and amphipods needed to support a Mandarin. Which is something I really want. I already have the refugium setup in another room and it is a great little amphipod etc etc factory. :biggrin: Once I get my tank stand complete it will be hooked up to my main tank.

I have a refugium to grow calurpa to decrease nitrates

Chad, how big is your tank and how much LR do you have in it?

Tigger are you using any sort of DSB?

Steve

Currently, its only a 20gal... But I am setting up a 50gal which may support the mandarin? I have about 20lbs atleast in the 20gal I think?

I had a refugium and I am setting up another refugium for my main tank now. I use it to keep shrimp/snails in, some live rock etc. I did keep calupera in there before but I'm not so convinced it's a good thing anymore. I think I will keep sea weeds as I can find them this time around. I use the shrimp as a source of food for the main tank but I may try raising some shrimp this time around. I won't use a DSB this time around either, 1.5 to 2 inches max. I may go with some mineral mud or something but I haven't decided yet.

Doug

steve i agree, i have yet to see any benifits other then a place to grow pods. i think what i will do in the end is toss the refugium and add some LR rubble to the sump.

I don't have space for one. But if I did, I would add one. One major reason that I'd add one is probably to run reverse photoperiod on it to maintain my PH. Currently, my PH fluctuates between 7.5 in the morning to 8.3 in the day. I dose kalk daily and add alk buffers but can't seem to prevent the PH from falling in the morning. For the past few months, I haven't lost any corals but I would like to keep my PH stable above 8 if possible.

Not that I'm recommending getting a mandarin for a small tank but for the record, I have 2 mandarins in a 38 gallon tank w/ 40lbs of rock. They regularly breed in there. I got the female on Dec 26, 2001 as one of my first fish in my tank. I got the male last April and it was a tiny starving thing with a sunken stomach and it was much smaller than my female. It is now the same size as the female. I've never seen them eat amphipods as they can't catch them. I've seen them eat spaghetti worms, freeze dried plankton, and frozen food (back when I was still feeding frozen food). I now only feed flake, cyclopeeze and DT's most of the time. I wouldn't be surprised if they're eating flake and cyclopeeze.

weird mine wont touch anything I put in the tank, well maybe the bbs but they also don't touch my spagetti worms, the male has been in there for almost 1.5 years and all I have ever seen him eat is stuff he picks off the rock.

Kris as far as pods go I made a big pod pile behind my rockwork when I set the tank back up. so no need whats so ever for the refuge now.

Steve

LMAO steve.. i do not know why i did not think of that. wasn't i thinking about it for the "new tank" when i still had the 100g at my parrents. *shakes head* i guess that is what lack of sleep will do to you. Hmmm now that i think of it i have a great area for it.

I don't have any sand in my refugium. Just Calurpa. It is on a reverse photo period

Sorry for my ignorance but can you explain how you did this in more detail.

no worries apepper, its simple. basically all you want is live rock bits. to get this either buy live rock, or next time your at JL get some live rock rubbel. i would say you want chunks around the size of a quarter. Then you make a pile of this rubble in your tank, and presto you have a pod breeding ground. The basic idea is the preditors cant get to them there, so they can breed away!

get the ugly branch rock for cheep, get a hammer and break it into about 1" chunks an put them in a pile in the corner of the tank or along the back.. this will prevent preditors from getting in that area and provide a breading ground for bugs that cannot be wiped out.

Steve