Thread: 54g reef tank
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Old 07-13-2007, 10:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 0sprey View Post
Refugiums are used to grow certain kinds of live food... particularly copepods and amphipods. These are the foods needed for fish like the mandarin dragonet and seahorses...slow eaters that often refuse dead food. You can also grow macroalgae in the refugium for nutrient export (it absorbs nitrates as it grows, and when you prune it, it removes the nitrates from the system).

An alternative to the in-sump refugium is to try to find space for an upstream refugium... that's a 'fuge that's kept above the tank. You pump water up from the tank and have an overflow take the water back. This provides a steady stream of live 'pods for the tank. You can buy HOB ones, but they're usually small... a fuge with a proper stand above the tank is the best option.

I should, of course, note that I do NOT have an upstream refugium, mostly because of extra cost. Mine is in-sump.
I understand now, thanks!
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