Keeping my Refugium Cleaner?
 

Hey guys,

so Ive had my refugium set up for a good 2-3 months now and it seems to be getting dirtier and dirtier because of the low flow format of it, which helps with my DSB.

Is there something or someway I can clean it? Its even starting to show cyano which is no where else in my 165G DT. Is there a critter I can put in there to clean it?

Also should I scrape the glass much in there? There are a ton of feather type dusters on the glass growing that Id like to remove, is that bad to do?

You should be fine to scrub the glass. Be careful though as sometime those type of 'pests' may release spores when agitated and you go from having 10 this month to 100 next month.

As far as critters you can treat it like your regular display tank and add snails and other inverts to keep it clean. Even fish if you wanted! I'd probably try snails first and see how they do. It all really depends how it's setup though. I assume since it's a refuge you already have a light to grow chaeto or some other macroalgaes/pods so it'd be fine for inverts (I'd feel bad if they were always in the dark). Hope that helps!

do you use filter socks? I find they really help my sumps stay particle free.

It is refugium so the more stuff so leave it alone. The microfauna such as bacteria, eggs, larvae etc. are really good for the critters in your main tank.
Suck out the cyan though.

Hmmmm, so looks like Im getting mixed opinions on this.

My understanding of a DSB was to leave it be with low flow for its benefits, and therefore my refugium has a very slow water turnover rate in comparison to the DT.

I have 1-2 little crabs in there, just hitchhiker ones, but they arent cleaning much. I also have quite a few stomatellas that naturally have appeared in there along with tons of pods.

I dont want to disturb the pod growth with anything I introduce into the refugium because I have a mandarin that relies on them in the DT.

I do have chaeto growing in there and a few pieces of LR and also some rubble. The chaeto is held back with a baffle, so there is a somewhat open area for the rock and also some new mangrove pods Ive put in there about a month ago.

With all that said, I am not sure if a fish wouldnt do the best job cleaning it, but at the same time itd disturb the DSB quite a bit. Would snails do the job? Maybe I should put another crab or two in there? Blue Leg hermits?

I'd agree with this post. I would hesitate to put fish in a refugium, as they will eat all this beneficial life. Crabs can eat this beneficial life as well, but snails should be fine. Since you have a DSB, you could look at nassarius snails to sift the sand a little. I have a few in my refuge. One thing to watch out for with snails though, is to make sure they can't get to your intakes on your pumps, as I've had a few get caught in there. I know filter socks are a bit of a controversial topic, as they catch the junk as it comes form the main tank, but then you have to change it regularly, or it becomes a nitrate factory. I use filter socks, but change them out weekly, which some people believe isn't often enough.
One other thing to consider is the age of your bulbs. I know you had said the refuge had only been set up for 2-3 months, but if you used old bulbs, that may be contributing to the algae problem.

Hmmm this is more along the lines I was thinking too. I definitely cant keep the snails in the refugium as it is setup right no, Id need to put a porous fence up that would hopefully do the job.

Bulbs arent old at all above the refugium. 5500K 27W bulbs I think is what they are. Apparently tons of reefers use them for chaeto growth over their fuge.

You want slow turnover but good flow in your refugium. Put in a small powerhead this will help your Cyano problem and your DSB will do better with more flow as well. I woud pull those crabs as well they will eat all the good stuff.

I take it you have a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) in your tank as well as the Refugium. Do not put anything in the refugium that eats the good critters (snails are fine unless they are bumblebee snails which are predators) otherwise it defeats the purpose of the refugium which is a refuge for these critters. Remove the crabs from the refugium and put them in your sump.
Do not add hermits to the refugium. BTW hermits are not a good choice for the main tank either because they are predators and compete with other fish and inverts for food. One or two in the main tank is no problem as they will do little damage and are interesting to watch.